Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent a letter to Texas colleges and universities on Thursday reiterating his belief in the importance of standing against antisemitism.
“There is zero tolerance for antisemitism in Texas,” Abbott wrote in a post on X/Twitter.
In his letter, Abbott wrote of the executive order he issued in March of this year, instructing all higher education institutions to update their free speech policies to include Abbott’s definition of antisemitism.
Additionally, Abbott’s March executive order called to “ensure that these policies are being enforced on campuses and that groups such as the Palestine Solidarity Committee and Students for Justice in Palestine are disciplined for violating these policies.”
Abbott went on to say that as the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attacks approaches, Texas colleges and universities must remain vigilant in combating antisemitism and maintaining a safe environment for Jewish faculty and students.
Definition of antisemitism
Under Abbott, Texas became the first US state to adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism in 2021.
"The State of Texas stands with Israel and the Jewish community, and we must escalate our efforts to protect against antisemitism at Texas colleges and universities and across our state,” Abbott stated in his March executive order.
“Across the country, acts of antisemitism have grown in number, size, and danger to the Jewish community since Hamas' deadly attack on October 7. Texas took immediate action to protect Jewish schools, synagogues, and other key locations. Many Texas colleges and universities also acted quickly to condemn antisemitism, but some radical organizations on our campuses engaged in acts that have no place in Texas. Now, we must work to ensure that our college campuses are safe spaces for members of the Jewish community."