Introduction to the Issue
The Trump administration on Thursday opened a new front in its ongoing political battle with Chicago and other Democratic-led cities: alleged antisemitism at schools and on college campuses.
The Task Force’s Initiative
A new Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism led by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi notified Mayor Brandon Johnson and his counterparts in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles that it wanted to meet soon to discuss their responses to incidents of antisemitism over the last two years.
“Too many elected officials chose not to stand up to a rising tide of antisemitism” after the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, Bondi was quoted as saying in a Justice Department news release.
The mayors were told the task force is aware of allegations their cities may have failed to protect Jewish students from unlawful discrimination, which would violate federal law.
“Actions have consequences — inaction does, too,” Bondi said in the release.
Reaction from City Officials
Jason Lee, a senior adviser to Johnson, was not surprised at the Justice Department’s initiative, noting the task force is targeting three of the same cities whose mayors were summoned to Washington to defend their sanctuary city status before a congressional committee.
“The same cities are going to be scrutinized across every front. Based on the political climate that we’re in, there will be things that we will have to deal with,” Lee said. “Residents of Chicago can draw and have drawn their conclusions as to why we may be the target of certain actions.”
Trump has had Chicago in his sights many times over the years, despite having a skyscraper here, with his name on it, along the Chicago River. His usual target is crime in the city, though he often gets his facts wrong.
Trump’s History with Chicago
Speaking in Chicago to the International Association of Chiefs of Police in 2019, Trump again repeated a false claim about the city having the nation’s strictest gun laws, compared violence in Chicago to Afghanistan and contended reductions in crime here were failing to keep pace with those being made nationally.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (third from left) as well as (from left) New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Denver Mayor Michael Johnston, and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu were called to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform earlier this month to defend their cities’ sanctuary laws.
Criticism from the Governor’s Administration
Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration on Thursday also criticized the task force’s efforts.
“If the Department of Justice was actually interested in combating antisemitism, they would expand their scope beyond just a politicized effort in a few select blue cities and states,” spokesman Alex Gough said. “Protesting, even if it’s something you disagree with, is a critical part of the protections under the First Amendment and in no instance should we allow the federal government to infringe upon that right.”
The Mayor’s Stance on Antisemitism
Despite Johnson’s strained relationship with Chicago’s Jewish community, Lee argued the mayor has been “strongly outspoken against antisemitism.”
Asked if Johnson did all he could to protect Jewish students at Chicago Public Schools and at the city’s colleges and universities, Lee said he was “not sure what the claim of responsibility is.”
He said university presidents, including Northwestern University’s Michael Schill, testified before a congressional committee last year on that subject.
Concerns from Jewish Leaders
Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th), the City Council’s one Jewish member, strongly disagreed with Lee’s assessment.
Jewish students at DePaul and Northwestern “do not feel safe going to school,” Silverstein said, and that same sense of fear and intimidation has “trickled down” to CPS students.
Johnson “clearly” hasn’t done enough to protect Jewish students, Silverstein said.
Students call for a cease-fire in the war in Gaza during a protest at City Hall, in January 2024, when Council members debated passage of a cease-fire resolution.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
The Anti-Defamation League’s Stance
David Goldenberg, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League Midwest, said the group has “raised concerns for a year-and-a-half” about allegations of antisemitism at CPS.
“That includes things members of the school board have said and also some within CTU leadership,” Goldenberg said, referring to Johnson’s former co-workers at the Chicago Teachers Union.
“These concerns have largely fallen on deaf ears. The result is that Jewish students, faculty and staff have felt less safe.”
Response from CPS and CTU
CPS responded to the allegations in a statement Thursday night, saying the district “prioritizes the safety and well-being of our students and staff and there is no place for anti-Semitism or any forms of bigotry at our schools
