Penn launches ‘action plan' to combat antisemitism

The president of the University of Pennsylvania said that the school has noticed "a resurgence of hatred and bigotry against Jewish people in society and on college campuses" and now, the school has unveiled an action plan intended to push back against antisemitism.

“Across the country and world, we are witnessing pernicious acts of antisemitism, including on college and university campuses,” President Liz Magill said in a statement announcing the plan. “I am appalled by incidents on our own campus, and I’ve heard too many heartbreaking stories from those who are fearful for their safety right here at Penn. This is completely unacceptable.”

Penn’s Action Plan to Combat Antisemitism was launched on Wednesday, and it is intended to focus on three specific areas -- safety and security, engagement, and education -- in combating antisemitism.

“I believe that in times of such pain and anger, we must act, guided by our common values and Penn’s founding mission of creating knowledge, sharing it for good, and educating the next generation,” Magill said in a statement. “We must bring our research, teaching, and service mission to bear on urgent challenges in the world. We must find and build common ground and be a community that sees, hears, and supports all its members.”

Along with this plan, Magill said that she is "constituting a new University Task Force of faculty, student, staff, and alumni leaders to guide efforts to address antisemitism."

This task force will be chaired by Mark Wolff, the Morton Amsterdam Dean of the School of Dental Medicine.

“Among leading universities, Penn is distinguished by our proud history as a welcoming place for Jewish people, a home for leading Jewish scholarship, and by our important, successful partnerships with Israeli and Palestinian Dental academic institutions,” Wolff said in a statement. “So, it is even more incumbent upon Penn that we take a leadership role in combatting antisemitism on our own campus and campuses everywhere. With this Action Plan, this Task Force that I am proud to lead, and the combined expertise of our academic community, I believe we will.”

Officials said the school is also boosting its educational and training programs to "ensure antisemitism awareness, prevention, and response are an integral part of equity and inclusion programs for faculty, staff, and students."

Also, the school intends to recruit a "new, experienced leader with expertise in preventing and responding to antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate."

For a full look at the plan and how Penn plans to combat antisemitism, you can read the plan in its entirety, here.