Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism
The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism was announced by the US Department of Justice within the first two weeks of the second presidency of Donald Trump.[1] Its initial priority was to "root out antisemitic harassment in schools and on college campuses."[1] It is led by Leo Terrell.[2] The Task Force cut funding to ten US universities the Trump accused of antisemitism, including Columbia University, Harvard University, the University of California, Los Angeles, and others with the Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, and the General Services Administration as members of the action.[1][3]
The Task Force and the Trump administration closely followed actions prescribed by Project Esther—a guideline for dealing with the Gaza war protests which it characterized as antisemitic—from the The Heritage Foundation, the think tank behind Project 2025.[4]
In November 2025, the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism severed ties with the Heritage Foundation.[5][6]
References
- ^ a b c Summers, Juana (2025-08-08). "How the U.S. government defines antisemitism". NPR. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
- ^ "Meet the former Democrat leading Trump's charge against 10 universities". POLITICO. 2025-05-23. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
- ^ "Office of Public Affairs | DOJ, HHS, ED, and GSA Announce Initial Cancelation of Grants and Contracts to Columbia University Worth $400 Million | United States Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. 2025-03-07. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
- ^ "The Group Behind Project 2025 Has a Plan to Crush the Pro-Palestinian Movement". 2025-05-18. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
- ^ McCammon, Sarah (2025-11-19). "Antisemitism task force regroups after severing ties with the Heritage Foundation". NPR. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
- ^ "Antisemitism Task Force Severs Ties With the Heritage Foundation". 2025-11-07. Retrieved 2025-11-20.