Jefferson Reporter

U.S. Senator Katie Britt of Alabama participated in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “Never to Be Silent: Stemming the Tide of Antisemitism in America.” During the session, she engaged with various witnesses, including Alyza Lewin, President of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights under Law.

Senator Britt recounted her recent visit to Israel following the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks by Hamas. She described the experience as "gut-wrenching" and expressed her disgust at subsequent antisemitic incidents on U.S. college campuses.

Highlighting several concerning events, Britt stated, “Jewish students should have never been prohibited from entering sections of the campus because of who they were,” citing incidents at institutions like UCLA, Yale, Cornell, and Columbia.

In November last year, Senator Britt wrote an open letter to Jewish college students nationwide expressing support amid rising antisemitic incidents on campuses. During the hearing, she reiterated her call for university accountability: “These schools and their administrations... brought shame on themselves.”

Britt questioned Lewin about strengthening Title VI related to combating antisemitism in educational environments. Lewin suggested adopting the IHRA definition and codifying executive order 13899 to distinguish legitimate political debate from vilification of Jews.

Senator Britt emphasized halting federal funding for violations of Title VI: “Why would we give you money if you were violating Title VI?” Lewin agreed that targeting faith-based groups based on shared ancestry or ethnicity violates Title VI.

Britt remains a strong supporter of the Jewish community and Israel and backs legislative measures such as the Antisemitism Awareness Act and Countering Antisemitism Act.