Sen. Bill Cassidy (R., La.), the chair of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, wants answers from a California school following a high-profile series of vandalisms that both glorified Islamic terrorism and directly threatened the safety of Jews on and off campus.
Graffiti reading “SJSU, Sorry, But for Allah 3/11 Will Be 9/11,” “Kill All Jews,” “Goal 5 Jews Min,” and “Make Osama Proud” recently went up across the campus of San Jose State University (SJSU) in California, and Cassidy — one of the Senate’s leading experts on combatting anti-Semitism wrote directly to the school’s leadership, in a letter obtained exclusively by the Washington Reporter.
“Anti-Semitic threats are vile and have absolutely no place in our educational institutions or on college campuses,” Cassidy explained. “San Jose State University officials’ response to growing antisemitism on the campus premises is inadequate and demands accountability.”
Cassidy’s letter to SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson criticizes the school’s “lackadaisical and laissez-faire attitude on the part of university officials, given this is not the first instance of antisemitism occurring on campus.”
“As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), it is my responsibility to ensure that Jewish students across the country are protected and have a safe, welcoming learning environment on campus. Antisemitic threats are vile and have absolutely no place in our educational institutions or on college campuses,” Cassidy continued. “It is imperative that University administrators rise to the occasion to take a firm stand against antisemitism and racial violence.”
Cassidy wants Teniente-Matson to answer a series of questions geared towards securing accountability for the vandalism. He also wants answers about what happened with a “counseling session” on campus that was reportedly attended by no one following the pro-terror graffiti.
The Louisiana lawmaker wants the answers by April 2.
From his perch as HELP chair, Cassidy has repeatedly worked to complement the work of President Donald Trump and his administration’s work to crack down on campus anti-Semitism, and since the Palestinian terror attacks of October 7, 2023, he has led the Senate on countering anti-Semitism via legislation like the Protecting Students on Campus Act, which allows students to file civil rights complaints if they experience violence or harassment on college campuses due to their heritage.
