US federal investigation signals new era of accountability for campus antisemitism

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee over allegations that its policies discriminate against Jewish students.

At issue is whether their College of Osteopathic Medicine intentionally prevented Jewish students from completing exams during the spring semester.

“This Department of Justice is fiercely committed to shutting down the concerning outbreak of antisemitism that has been spreading on college campuses since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division. “When colleges and universities single Jewish students out for adverse treatment, they are in clear violation of our civil rights laws and of this nation’s promise of equal opportunity for all Americans.”

The DOJ isn’t detailing exactly how the university allegedly prevented Jewish students from completing exams, but Rabbi Yossi Wilhelm of Chabad in Knoxville said that a policy change between the fall and spring semesters now prevents students from being excused from exams scheduled on religious holidays.

Exemptions have been granted in the past, but apparently at least two Orthodox Jewish students were affected by the change.

Lincoln Memorial University said it firmly upholds Title VI protections under the Civil Rights Act.

This is part of a broad federal crackdown by the Trump administration. In February 2025, the DOJ announced the formation of a Department of Justice Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, but this has turned out not to be so much a symbolic gesture – it’s becoming more like an enforcement mechanism.

At the recent Religious Liberty Commission hearing in Washington, Leo Terrell, who chairs the task force and serves as senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights, clarified that stamping out antisemitism goes beyond even Judaism.

“I am proud to be a Black Baptist,” Terrell said. “No, I’m not Jewish. [Antisemitism] is not a Jewish issue. It’s an American issue. It’s a Western civilization issue.”

So far, the task force has notified 10 universities that officials planned campus visits to assess whether they failed to protect Jewish students from harassment. The list of schools includes Columbia University, George Washington University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, Northwestern University, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Berkeley, University of Minnesota, and University of Southern California.

In addition, there have already been enforcement actions tied to some campuses. Columbia faced federal funding consequences tied to alleged antisemitism, and the DOJ determined that George Washington University acted with deliberate indifference and warned of financial punishments and other measures if a resolution was not reached.

Later this week, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights will hold a meeting in Washington to continue its investigations into antisemitism on America’s campuses. The following day, there will be both a virtual and in-person session for the public to comment, in which the commission will hear directly from students and educators who have been impacted by the stain of antisemitism on campus.

These actions come as rising antisemitism increasingly concerns Jewish students. A new survey by the Anti-Defamation League, Hillel International and College Pulse found that 83% of Jewish college students had experienced or witnessed antisemitism since Oct. 7, 2023. Some 41% of Jewish students felt the need to hide their Jewish identity and one in four felt compelled to take security precautions.

Some Evangelical Christian universities are trying to do their part to educate college students. Next month, Colorado Christian University will host an event where students will hear directly from Israelis like Omer Shem Tov, who was abducted from the Nova Music Festival and held hostage by Hamas for 505 days. They’ll also hear from Oscar “Osi” Sladek, a Holocaust survivor.

Events like these dovetail with the Trump administration crackdowns. This approach has been wholly different from the Biden administration, which critics say often failed to adequately address complaints of antisemitism or bring them to resolution.

While some critics accuse Trump and his supporters of harboring antisemitic tendencies, this administration has aggressively enforced civil rights protections for Jewish students in ways the previous administration did not. If this administration is antisemitic, they are doing a terrible job of showing it.