{
  "id": 6203444,
  "title": "US Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights says antisemitism in America is 'national crisis'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/08/us-assistant-attorney-general-for-civil-rights-says-antisemitism-in",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-08T01:08:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-907888"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon declared the surge of antisemitism in the United States as a national emergency, vowing to make combating it a top priority for the Justice Department. On Thursday, during an event for the Israeli-American Council in San Diego, Dhillon outlined lawsuits against institutions, criminal prosecutions for hate crimes, and settlements worth nearly half a billion dollars. Dhillon emphasized this issue is not limited to isolated cases but rather a national crisis demanding national attention. Communities, institutions, and leaders are all under scrutiny. She stated the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is striving to ensure all Americans, including Israeli-Americans, can live, learn, pray, and work free from fear. Dhillon highlighted several institutions targeted by the government, including a lawsuit against Harvard University for allegedly harassing Jewish and Israeli students. Additionally, she mentioned two lawsuits against UCLA following incidents at protest encampments where Jewish students were blocked, assaulted, and pepper-sprayed. She also noted agreements with Columbia University, Northwestern University, Cornell University, and Brown University, as well as investigations into over 100 colleges, universities, medical schools, and law schools. Dhillon pointed to the use of a law against planning restrictions targeting Orthodox Jewish communities and another law to protect synagogues and religious schools. She explained the Justice Department is concurrently seeking indictments in California, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, DC. When a Jewish individual is attacked due to their faith, it is a federal crime, according to Dhillon. Outside university campuses, she highlighted legal action against an Oakland café accused of denying service to Jewish customers. The lawsuit against Jerusalem Café, owned by Fathi Abd Al-Rahim Harara and Native Grounds, is pending, with proceedings set to begin on October 26. The owners argue the legal proceedings are part of efforts by Zionist organizations and the federal government to suppress support for Palestinians. Dhillon stressed the importance of Jews and Israeli-Americans continuing to document incidents and provide testimony, despite potential retaliation threats. She urged them to persevere as long as she holds the position, as fighting antisemitism will remain one of her top priorities.",
  "summary": "According to Dhillon, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is working to ensure that every American, including Israeli-Americans, can 'live, learn, pray, and work without fear.'",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": "The Justice Department's stepped-up efforts to combat antisemitism signal a significant escalation of federal involvement in addressing what Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon calls a national crisis.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}