Please hear me out.

Given the increasingly threatening posture of many of the Students for Justice in Palestine chapters, who made it clear they fully support the recent barbarism committed against Israeli civilians, I am strongly concerned that verbal incitement against and intimidation of pro-Israel Jewish students—which has already reached intolerable levels—will morph into something far more serious if left unchecked.

As you are my representative, I am requesting that you look into sponsoring legislation that will ban SJP chapters from the American university system before tragedies occur. While First Amendment rights to free speech are ironclad, when one group’s unhampered free speech leads to the cessation of another’s ability to freely express their identity without fear of harm, a red line has been crossed. I realize that efforts are underway in an attempt to address these concerns on statewide levels, but when students’ civil rights are violated based on their religion, I believe it becomes a federal matter.

Amcha, a nonpartisan organization whose mission is to document and combat antisemitism on campus, noted in late 2021 that there is a “seven times greater likelihood of anti-Semitic incidents on campuses that have an SJP chapter.” Since then, the situation has only worsened.

Students at a campus Hillel shouldn’t have to lock down their building as SJP marchers pass nearby during their “National Day of Resistance.” When Jewish high schoolers consider which colleges they wish to apply for, the level of SJP Chapter activity at a particular school shouldn’t have to factor into it. As far as I’m aware, no other student organization in our university system has as its goal the intimidation and sparking of hatred against other students who don’t share their views.

Again, there are federal laws against discrimination and college administrators shouldn’t turn a blind eye to them on their campuses without severe repercussions.

Thank you.

Robert Isler

Fair Lawn