Congress holds antisemitism hearing focused on K-12 schools in liberal cities

Lawmakers on Wednesday will grill the leaders of three school districts in liberal cities about alleged antisemitic incidents, marking the first such Congressional hearing to focus on K-12 schools.

Lawmakers on Wednesday grilled the leaders of three school districts in liberal cities about alleged antisemitic incidents, marking the first such Congressional hearing to focus on K-12 schools. The hearing, which began at 10:15 am ET, gave Republicans a chance to confront officials from New York City; Berkeley, California; and Montgomery County, Maryland, about reports of antisemitism in their districts. The K-12 hearing is being held by the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education and will also include a representative from the American Civil Liberties Union. It’s no coincidence that the witnesses at Wednesday’s hearing represent school districts in liberal cities. Republicans have sought to score political points by attacking “woke” policies that they say allow for hate speech. A separate House committee had planned to hold a hearing about reports of antisemitism on George Washington University’s campus. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Metropolitan Police Chief Pam Smith were set to testify before about their response to an encampment on campus. But after that encampment was cleared Wednesday morning, and police arrested dozens of people, the committee called off the hearing. Ivy League school presidents have also been hauled before Congress for tough questioning on campus antisemitism. The presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania were toppled in the wake of a December hearing.