Jewish Safety ‘Inextricably Linked With Democracy,’ JCPA CEO Amy Spitalnick Tells U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 

WASHINGTON – Breaking the cycle of antisemitism requires approaches by government and civil society that “recognize Jewish safety is inextricably linked with the rights and safety of all communities and our democracy,” Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and a leading expert on combating hate and extremism, said at a public briefing held today by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Her full remarks, as prepared for delivery, can be read here. 

The briefing, part of the bipartisan commission’s investigation “Antisemitism on America’s College and University Campuses: Current Conditions and the Federal Response,” examined how institutions of higher education and the federal government responded to allegations of antisemitism on U.S. college and university campuses in violation of civil rights protections, specifically since the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.  

Spitalnick was one of six subject-matter experts who spoke on the panel “Building Inclusive and Secure Campuses: Policy, Advocacy, and Practice.”  

She told the commission that countering antisemitism on campuses and elsewhere necessitates whole-of-government and whole-of-society policies that protect core democratic norms and pluralism; educate not only about the history of antisemitism but who Jews are today; teach media and digital literacy; and invest in hate crimes and extremism prevention and civil rights enforcement, among other tactics. 

“A meaningful approach to protecting Jewish students – and holding institutions accountable when they don’t – would mean a significant increase in funding and staff for the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights,” she added.   

In her remarks, Spitalnick also shared how most American Jews rejected the false choice between Jewish safety and democracy: “We know that a number of actions taken by this administration, such as extrajudicial deportations and gutting university funding, not only do not address antisemitism, but in fact make Jews less safe by invariably increasing scapegoating and hate and undermining the democratic norms and institutions that have been inherent to our safety and advancement in this country.”  

“We know that there’s no inclusive democracy without Jewish safety – and that there’s no Jewish safety without inclusive democracy. Our leaders simply cannot protect one without protecting both,” Spitalnick concluded. 

JCPA, which advocates to ensure Jewish safety, has long pushed for federal support in combating antisemitism and hate against all communities. Last year, JCPA led 10 mainstream Jewish communal organizations – including three of the four denominations – in rejecting the false choice between Jewish safety and democracy and speaking out against the ways in which this administration has approached confronting antisemitism.