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Ken Marcus — founder and chairman of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law — called for bipartisan unity in the fight against antisemitism on Wednesday, as his appointment to the George Mason University Board of Visitors remained hung up by political wrangling in the Virginia General Assembly.
In a video statement, which can be viewed below, Marcus said:
“I’ve been fighting against antisemitism on college campuses for over 20 years, first in government and then in my own organization. It’s horrifying to think that antisemitism has grown as much as it has. But it’s a problem that we all need to deal with.”
“And it’s not just going on around the world. It’s not just going on around the country. It’s right here in the Commonwealth of Virginia, at some of our finest public institutions.”
“I was so honored that Governor Youngkin appointed me to [the] George Mason University [Board of Visitors]. If confirmed by the General Assembly, I would look forward to working with my colleagues to fight antisemitism at George Mason, just as I’ve been fighting it around the entire country.”
“We need to fight antisemitism because it’s gotten to the point where it is a present threat and a violent threat, not just for Jewish students and faculty and administrators, but for everyone. We have seen in prior incidents that when people are motivated by violent extremism, no one is safe.”
“What George Mason needs to do, what every institution needs to do, is to take seriously the threat of antisemitism and to move forward with approaches that will make sure everybody is safe, everyone is secure, and everyone is able to focus on their education.”
“Education shouldn’t be a partisan issue, nor should civil rights. Antisemitism is a problem that we should all be addressing — Republicans, Democrats, Independents, everyone.”
“There’s no reason why we need to make this political. Let’s all join together and say we need to make sure that every student receives the same, equal educational opportunities as everybody else.”
