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Why Was the New Executive Order on Campus Anti-Semitism Necessary?
(Forbes) Evan Gerstmann - The charge that the new White House executive order on anti-Semitism will marginalize American Jews by defining them as un-American is completely baseless. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance, including educational institutions such as universities. It does not include discrimination based on religion. As a result, there is controversy over whether it applies to discrimination against Jews. There have been several attempts in Congress to pass a new law clarifying that Title VI does apply to Jews. These attempts have had broad bi-partisan support (one version passed the Senate unanimously) but have never become law. The executive order applies Title VI to anti-Semitism via executive authority. Critics claim that the executive order promotes the bigoted idea that American Jews are not American. This makes no sense. Title VI refers to "national origin," not "nationality," and Jews are certainly an ethnicity. The writer is a Professor of Political Science at Loyola Marymount University, California.