Over 100 rabbis condemn Trump administration's campus crackdown in open letter

More than 100 rabbis and cantors from across the Chicago area have signed a public letter strongly opposing the Trump administration’s recent funding cuts and arrests on US college campuses, reported the Times of Israel.

The letter adds momentum to a growing wave of Jewish voices in the United States expressing concern over the federal government’s intensifying clampdown on higher education institutions. While the White House claims that these measures, including arrests and funding freezes, are intended to combat anti-Semitism, the move has sparked division within the Jewish community. Some organisations have supported the administration’s efforts, but others argue the policies do more harm than good.

The letter, published as a full-page ad in the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday, criticises the administration for weaponising Jewish concerns to advance what the signatories describe as a broader assault on civil liberties.

“Many of these actions have been presented as in defense of the Jewish community,” the letter reads. “Yet in truth, Jewish fear is being used as a fig leaf for an anti-democratic agenda of mass deportations, civil rights rollbacks, and attacks on higher education.”

“As Jewish leaders, we reject the exploitation of our fears and experiences of antisemitism to justify the dismantling of those institutions. Such actions do not protect our community — they use us, and they put us in danger.”

The signatories span a wide range of Jewish denominations and include current and former synagogue leaders, as well as heads of Jewish organisations. Notable figures who signed the letter include Josh Feigelson, former campus rabbi at Northwestern University; Lizzi Heydemann, founder of the Chicago-based Mishkan congregation; Andrea London, senior rabbi of Beth Emet; and Capers Funnye, spiritual leader of the Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation.

Since early March, universities across the country have experienced sweeping funding freezes, with Northwestern University among the institutions affected. In addition, law enforcement has detained numerous pro-Palestinian student protesters, prompting outrage and legal challenges.

The controversy reached new heights when the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard University and demanded sweeping policy changes in response to allegations of campus anti-Semitism. Harvard has refused to comply and has responded with a lawsuit challenging the federal action.

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