Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed an executive order on Wednesday to address the issue of antisemitism at universities in the state, which has seen a significant increase in the problem nationally and globally.
The executive order mandates that universities incorporate a definition of antisemitism into their free speech policies and establish clear consequences for antisemitic speech within those policies.
“Antisemitism is never acceptable in Texas, and we will do everything we can to combat it,” Abbott stated. “The State of Texas supports Israel and the Jewish community, and we must intensify our efforts to prevent antisemitism at Texas colleges and universities and across our state.”
Schools have been facing significant pressure since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, leading to a sharp rise in antisemitism.
This issue has prompted congressional investigations into top universities, such as Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Columbia University.
“Since the deadly attack by Hamas on October 7th, acts of antisemitism have increased in frequency, scale, and threat to the Jewish community nationwide. Texas took immediate action to safeguard Jewish schools, synagogues, and other key locations,” Abbott remarked.
“While many Texas colleges and universities promptly denounced antisemitism, certain radical groups on our campuses engaged in unacceptable behavior. Now, we need to ensure that our college campuses are safe environments for members of the Jewish community,” he added.
Representatives from Columbia will be providing testimony at a House hearing in April concerning the state of antisemitism at the university.
