The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial cartoon “The Three ‘Rs’ of Education” trivializes the legitimacy and pervasiveness of antisemitism on college campuses. Instead of implying that antisemitism is just another accusation used to target educators and university administrations, it’s important to look at the actual data and facts.

While some universities have improved their responses to antisemitism by establishing task forces and other policies, there are still hundreds of incidents recorded every year threatening violence against Jews and reports of vandalism and graffiti targeting Jewish spaces and residences. Free speech and diversity of opinions are critical to education, but this should never come at the cost of isolating and threatening Jewish students and faculty. Antisemitism is a real issue on campus, and to treat it as otherwise only further contributes to the problem.

– Jason Holtzman, Chief of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.

To read the letter to the editor in the Philadelphia Inquirer, click here.

To view the editorial cartoon, click here.

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About the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia

Since 1901, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia has served as the hub of the region’s Jewish communities, providing an infrastructure of support for Jewish people and organizations in need. Through grants, emergency funding, restricted gifts, endowments, and our partnership with the Foundation for Jewish Day Schools, we annually invest in caring for those in need, combating antisemitism and global crisis, and securing a vibrant Jewish future. For more information, please visit: jewishphilly.org