Dear Friends,
This afternoon, Wesleyan University President Michael Roth joins J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami for a can’t-miss discussion on the Trump Administration’s all-out assault on higher education.
Register now to tune in live at 4pm Eastern / 1pm Pacific >>
In recent days, university leaders have stepped up their opposition to the White House, releasing an open letter rebuking what they called government “overreach and political interference.” Roth was one of the first to raise the alarm about Trump’s attacks, lighting the path of resistance for his counterparts at other schools.
Today, Jeremy will ask him about his choice to write a defiant op-ed in The Times, knowing his public opposition could very well put a target on his back. I hope you can make it. Click here to join us >>
– Nate Wolfson, Director of Communications Operations
P.S. If you can’t join us live, you can catch the recording as a video on YouTube or as a podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Friends,
A tale of two Americas. A fork in the road. Pick your metaphor.
On the one side, we see some university administrators accepting Trump Administration demands wholesale. Social media executives bending the knee to avoid antitrust investigations. Law firms offering restructures and pro bono legal work so they can keep on with business as usual.
On the other: Those summoning the courage to fight back, and rallying others to their side to do so – and one of those is Wesleyan University President Michael Roth.
This Friday, I’ll sit down with Roth, who has led the charge of universities fighting back against the Trump Administration’s assault on higher education in the name of “protecting” Jewish students. We’ll discuss his decision to fight back, the cost and consequences of failing to do so, the pressures universities face, and the rumblings in the academic world as they face off against the President.
Register to join me live on Friday at 4pm Eastern / 1pm Pacific >>
President Roth, Wesleyan’s first Jewish president, took to The New York Times to blast the Trump Administration’s meddling on campuses like his own. “Jew hatred is real, but today’s anti-antisemitism isn’t a legitimate effort to fight it,” Roth wrote. “It’s a cover for a wide range of agendas that have nothing to do with the welfare of Jewish people.”
He also called out Jewish organizations that’ve stayed silent or even welcomed aspects of Trump’s assaults, like arresting Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident.
“Jews who applaud the administration’s crackdown will soon find that they do so at their peril,” Roth wrote. We agree. The surge in antisemitism we’ve seen since October 7 is real, but bending to the Trump Administration’s will is not the way to fight it. We’re grateful for leaders like President Roth for standing up for our students and protecting the very institutions that have made this country thrive, especially for our community.
If you can’t make it to our Friday afternoon chat, recordings will be available on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. And if you can make it, please come with questions. Here’s that link to register once more >>
All the best,
Jeremy Ben-Ami
J Street President
