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The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) has recommended a year-long suspension of the American Psychological Association (APA) Commission on Accreditation due to its neglect in handling antisemitism-related concerns.
The move came following a NACIQI hearing to review the APA commission’s renewal application.
“NACIQI recommends that the Senior Department Official (SDO) suspend the American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation’s recognition for 12 months from the SDO decision on the grounds of non-compliance with all sections listed as non-compliant in the final staff report and that the agency has failed to address the pervasive culture of antisemitism within the programs that it accredits,” the decision read.
The NACIQI is an 18-member advisory body, established in 1992, that makes recommendations to the U.S. Secretary of Education on “matters related to accreditation and to the eligibility and certification process for institutions of higher education.”
Among those testifying at this week’s hearing was Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) President of U.S. Affairs Alyza D. Lewin.
In a statement on Thursday, Lewin said, “We commend the NACIQI for sending a strong message to the APA by recommending that its Commission on Accreditation be suspended for a year. Antisemitism in the mental health arena reached unacceptable levels a long time ago. We’ve seen mandatory diversity courses that consider Jews ‘white colonizing oppressors,’ lectures on ‘decolonizing therapy’ that treat ‘Zionism’ as a mental health illness, and professors who equate ‘Zionists’ with white supremacists.”
“As I mentioned in my testimony, the APA has a blind spot for antisemitism that targets Jews on the basis of their shared ancestry and ethnicity connected to the Land of Israel,” she emphasized. “The APA must recognize that Jews are defined by more than religious belief and practice. Jews are also a people, frequently targeted by individuals hostile to the notion that they are indigenous to Judea.”
Lewin concluded, “The NACIQI’s action puts the APA on notice. Take prompt, dramatic steps necessary to address antisemitism in programs under your purview, or risk losing your status as an accreditor. This message could not have been more timely or significant, and is a very welcome development.”
Read Lewin’s full hearing testimony HERE.
