GW Program on Extremism Addresses the Challenge of Antisemitism

When the George Washington University launched the Program on Extremism11 years ago, it "committed to the idea of providing fact-based research on all forms of extremism in a fashion that is not ivory tower," said the program's director, Lorenzo Vidino.

"It has grown substantially since those early days and has become a well-established point of reference for practitioners, law enforcement, media, policymakers and the general public," he continued. It has also led to the creation of a special program, the Antisemitism Research Initiative (ARI), partly in response to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that killed more than 1,200 men, women and children.

The program's international conference, "Challenging Extremism, Antisemitism and Hate: From the Middle East to U.S. Colleges," convened Arab, European and American scholars, officials and policy analysts to examine the global resurgence of antisemitism in the Middle East and on university campuses in the United States.

"One thing is crystal clear to us," Vidino said, "antisemitism is the common denominator across the ideological spectrum of extremism, the glue that ties together extremists of all stripes."

At the City View Room in the Elliott School of International Affairs on Feb. 10, George Washington University President Ellen M. Granberg welcomed university leadership, elected officials and dignitaries from around the world.

"Your presence underscores that antisemitism and extremism of any kind are real challenges with direct consequences for our safety and democratic values," Granberg said.

She praised the combination of intellect and impact embodied in GW's Program on Extremism that has positioned the university as a global reference point for rigorous, policy-relevant research on radicalization and extremist movements.

"Antisemitism is not solely a Jewish issue," she said. "Extremism is not only a security concern. Hate is not just a matter of speech. All are tests of our institutions and our democratic culture."

She also pointed to GW's location in the nation's capital as a key strength of the program.

"There is truly no place like GW to convene critical global conversations. One of the university's greatest strengths is our community's relentless pursuit of impact and our intentional focus on making a difference, extending our scholarship to application in policy, law and service," she said.

Omar Mohammed, director of ARI, said that the Combat Antisemitism Movement, a consortium of groups against antisemitism, recorded 470 incidents worldwide in the first weeks of 2026. In laying out the conference's agenda, Mohammed explained that as antisemitism "evolved, adapted and embedded itself across regions and institutions," ARI's research has moved deliberately from the Middle East to colleges in the United States.

Extremism's Expanding Reach

The conference opened with speakers who examined the Middle East's role in the rise of antisemitism, including His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed Al-Issa, secretary general of the Muslim World League; Pierre Gentin, general counsel of the U.S. Department of Commerce; Her Excellency Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO; and recorded remarks from Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism. Each stressed the importance of history, education and cultural preservation as antidotes to antisemitism.

Al-Issa, speaking through an interpreter, described hate speech as "the cry of the ignorant and the weak," which he said has resulted in destructive wars and, more importantly, has been exploited by followers of religions.

Gentin traced the rise of antisemitism to various historical periods of unrest not unlike the present-day political climate in the U.S., noting "when the tectonic plates of historical, economic and cultural periods shift, unrest inevitably follows. It's in these moments in particular that Jews become targets, scapegoats for societal anxiety and unease."

Azoulay stressed that it is important to preserve cultural heritage not just for its own sake but "as a central pillar of international peace and security" in a diverse world that is "intolerable to [extremists] who thrive on only single, exclusive narratives."

Granberg introduced the afternoon's keynote speaker Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights in the U.S. Department of Justice, noting that Dhillon "shares our firm belief that antisemitism has no place in our world, on our campuses."

Since Oct. 7, Dhillon said, the Civil Rights Division's caseload reflects a landscape that has "erupted into brazen acts of violence, harassment and intimidation."

"Synagogues have been blocked and vandalized. Innocent people are targeted simply for wearing a kippah or star of David," she said.

Dhillon detailed lawsuits, investigations and prosecutions into those that "have crossed the line into unlawful obstruction and violence, creating a pattern of lawlessness that threatens the safety of all Americans."

"All of these communities have told me they feel they are under coordinated attack and that authorities aren't doing enough to help them. I feel ashamed to hear that," she said.

"We're committed to pursuing those who threaten others with anti-religious bias, intimidation and violence. No community has been safe from this," including her own Sikh community, said Dhillon.

A series of panel discussions followed, bringing together GW faculty, federal, state and local officials and nonprofit leaders under the heading, "In the Crosshairs: Radicalization, Antisemitism and National Security."

In the first, titled "Changing the Narrative: New Prospects in the Middle East," Kenneth Marcus, GW Law lecturer, founder and chairman of the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and an expert on civil and human rights, cited reports of foreign funding - including from Qatar - that he said have been linked to "anti-Zionism and a conspiratorial mindset in university curricula" and to discrimination against Jewish faculty and students in hiring and campus life.

Former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares discussed his work examining conditions on the state's campuses. He described meeting privately with Hillel students at one college who told him they were afraid to speak out; providing guidance to campus police who spoke of being given little backup by administrators in handling situations; and investigating the organizers and funding behind demonstrations.

Another panel examined the growing influence of Middle Eastern groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as individuals in the U.S. who are allied with Hamas and Iran and work with student activists to promote an agenda that is not just antisemitic but anti-American. Much of their activity has largely been ignored, according to Lara Burns, head of terrorism research at the Program on Extremism.

Among the speakers was Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who said that over the past decade antisemitism began "rising on the left… and the leadership of the Democratic Party looked away and hoped it would go away." But he acknowledged that it was not solely a problem of the left.

"In the last year, we have seen more antisemitism on the right than any other time in my life," Cruz said. "I think it is a profound threat. We have multiple voices on the right embracing brazenly antisemitic propaganda, and these are voices with a very large platform."

Cruz promised, "I will do everything in my power, every force of strength I have to utterly and completely defeat this rising antisemitism on the right."

The final panel of the day, titled "Policy in Action: Confronting Antisemitism through Campus Policy and Community," was moderated by Colette Coleman, GW vice president for student affairs and dean of students.

Coleman asked panelists what urgent shifts are needed in policy, campus climate or public discourse to meaningfully confront antisemitism in higher education.

Panelists largely agreed that institutions must move from policy statements to enforcement. Stephanie Wapner, director of administrator engagement at the Academic Engagement Network, said administrators need to translate policy awareness into "administrative confidence."

Robert Garson, presidential appointee to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council and president of the American Association of Jewish Lawyers & Jurists, was more blunt, calling for leaders "from the trustees … to the students to grow a backbone."

Noah Pollak, senior adviser at the U.S. Department of Education, said schools often fail to identify hostile environments in good faith and to discipline faculty and students who violate policy.

Alyza Lewin, president of U.S. Affairs at the Combat Antisemitism Movement, echoed that sentiment, saying universities must enforce rules "with the same vigor as when other groups have been targeted."