In a significant move to combat antisemitic discrimination, the Biden administration is taking action across eight cabinet departments to extend civil rights protections to individuals who are

victims of antisemitism and other forms of religious bigotry. This decision represents a substantial expansion of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which has been broadened to encompass new dimensions of discrimination.

The administration unveiled its comprehensive strategy to combat antisemitism in May, marking this latest announcement as one of the most substantial actions taken in pursuit of that strategy. The eight cabinet departments affected by this expansion include Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, Treasury, and Transportation.

Under the 1964 Civil Rights Act's Title VI, which the White House has invoked, any program or activity receiving federal funding is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin. Now, this protection will also encompass antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of religious bias.

To ensure effective implementation, staff members at these departments will be educated and trained to address discrimination, engage with entities that are prohibited from engaging in such discrimination, and inform communities of their rights to be free from such bias and how to file complaints. Fact sheets on this topic will be made available in multiple languages, including Yiddish, Hebrew, Arabic, Punjabi, and others.

Practical examples of how this expansion will work include safeguarding individuals from harassment or discrimination in federally-funded transit systems, housing initiatives, and food programs.

This move is a substantial progression from previous efforts by both the Obama and Trump administrations to extend the Civil Rights Act's protections to Jewish individuals through the Education Department. Trump's executive order led to a series of complaints highlighting hostile campus environments for Jewish and Zionist students.

Jewish watchdog groups have reported a surge in antisemitic attacks in public places in recent years, particularly targeting individuals who display outwardly Jewish symbols or clothing. Additionally, Jewish and Muslim groups have long advocated for kosher and halal food availability through relief programs.

For decades, Jewish organizations have sought these protections under the Civil Rights Act but have faced challenges due to constitutional considerations regarding the separation of church and state. The Obama and Trump directives addressed this issue by defining Jews not only as a faith but also as a group defined, in part, through ancestry, and as a group perceived as a race by bigots—categories falling under Title VI's purview.

As part of this initiative, Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten will engage with Jewish students, teachers, and community leaders in a listening tour focused on addressing campus antisemitism. This effort aims to address concerns that the Biden administration was not adequately addressing antisemitism from the left and its connection to anti-Israel activism.

Beyond the expansion of Title VI and the listening tour, the administration has taken several actions in its strategy against antisemitism. These actions include providing information and training to Jewish and other communities on securing their buildings and computer systems, facilitating collaboration between law enforcement agencies and targeted religious communities, training National Park Service staff on countering antisemitic harassment, and offering guidance to religious communities on their rights to build places of worship. Furthermore, religious minorities are being educated about their rights to religious accommodation in the workplace, and medical students, professionals, and chaplains are receiving instruction on combating religious discrimination in healthcare settings. An exhibit on the United States' response to the Holocaust is also touring libraries across the country.

In November, the Agriculture Department plans to host a summit of religious leaders in Omaha to assess the state of antisemitism, highlight effective strategies to combat it, and build solidarity across faiths. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.