US Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon has described rising antisemitism in the United States as a “national crisis” and pledged to make combating anti-Jewish discrimination one of her highest priorities at the Department of Justice, The Jerusalem Post reports
She highlighted federal action involving universities, businesses and alleged hate crimes, as well as investigations into more than 100 higher education institutions.
Speaking at an Israeli-American Council (IAC) gala in San Diego on Thursday, Dhillon said the scale of antisemitism in the country could no longer be treated as a collection of unrelated incidents.
“The rise in antisemitism is not a wave of isolated incidents. This is a national crisis that requires national determination,” she said. “Communities are being tested, institutions are being tested, and leaders are being tested.”
Dhillon said 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”.
She outlined a series of legal actions and investigations that the federal government has pursued in response to allegations of antisemitism and discrimination. These include lawsuits against universities and businesses, criminal proceedings relating to hate crimes and settlements which, according to Dhillon, total nearly half a billion dollars.
Dhillon pointed to a civil rights lawsuit against Harvard University, where Jewish and Israeli students were allegedly subjected to harassment and exclusion. She also referred to two lawsuits involving the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), following incidents connected with protest encampments. According to Dhillon, Jewish students were blocked from accessing areas, assaulted and sprayed with pepper spray.
She also highlighted agreements involving Columbia University, Northwestern University, Cornell University and Brown University. More than 100 colleges, universities, medical schools and law schools are currently under investigation, she said.
The Justice Department’s efforts extend beyond university campuses. Dhillon said the department has used federal law to challenge planning restrictions allegedly targeting Orthodox Jewish communities and has also invoked legal protections for synagogues and religious schools.
Federal authorities are simultaneously pursuing indictments in California, New Jersey, New York and Washington, DC, according to Dhillon.
“When a Jewish person is attacked because they are Jewish, it’s a federal crime,” she said.
Dhillon also drew attention to a case involving Jerusalem Café on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, California. The café, owned by Fathi Abd Al-Rahim Harara and Native Grounds, has closed while facing three lawsuits. The federal case is expected to begin on 26 October.
Although Dhillon did not identify the business by name during her remarks, she referred prominently to federal legal action against a café accused of refusing to serve Jewish customers.
“We are currently pursuing legal action against a café that refused service to Jewish customers – clear antisemitic discrimination in a public place,” she said.
The Justice Department filed its lawsuit against Jerusalem Café on 9 June 2025. According to the federal complaint, Jonathan Hirsch entered the café with his five-year-old son when Harara allegedly asked whether he was a Zionist. Harara is accused of referring to the Star of David as a “violent hat”, demanding that Hirsch and his son leave and calling the police.
In a separate alleged incident, customer Michael Radis was reportedly told: “You’re the Jew, you’re the Zionist. We don’t want you in our café.”
The café’s owners have rejected the allegations against them and characterised the legal proceedings as an attempt by what they called “Zionist organizations and the federal government” to use the courts to suppress support for Palestinians. They have pledged to continue what they described as the “fight for the liberation of Palestine”.
Dhillon said information provided by members of the public played an important role in bringing the café case to the attention of federal authorities.
“In the case of the café, a report from the community led to the opening of our initial investigation,” she said.
She therefore encouraged Jewish and Israeli-American communities to document antisemitic incidents and provide testimony to authorities, despite concerns that individuals may have about possible retaliation.
Dhillon concluded by promising that federal action against antisemitism would remain a central part of her work at the Civil Rights Division.
“As long as I hold this position, fighting antisemitism will be one of my top priorities,” she said.
photo credit: Noam Galai/Getty Images
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