From Staff Reports

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Sept. 17 “condemned the rise in antisemitism on college campuses, following the brutal Oct. 7 (2023) attack on Israel,” a Sept. 17 press release from Graham’s office stated. 

“In May 2024, Graham led all Committee Republicans calling on Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, to hold a hearing on the civil rights violations of Jewish students and the proliferation of terrorist ideology on college campuses,” the release noted.

“But instead, Chairman Durbin held a hearing today (Sept. 17) on hate crimes in general,” the release stated. “The Democrat-led Senate has not held any hearings on the rise in antisemitism since Oct. 7, 2023. The U.S. House of Representatives has had at least 10 hearings on anti-Semitism during that same time.”

The release then quoted the following from the hearing: 

GRAHAM: “What I would like this committee to do is deal with the systematic problems that exist regarding what’s going on [at] American colleges today… There is an organized effort to intimidate, harass and physically assault Jewish students. What’s going on today is an effort on multiple fronts to wipe Israel off the map. This is not an academic discussion.” 

Graham then reportedly questioned Maya Berry of the Arab American Institute, Kenneth Stern of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate, and Rabbi Mark Goldfeder of the National Jewish Advocacy Center.

At that point, the release concluded by quoting the following verbal exchanges at the hearing between Graham and Stern — as well as between Graham and Berry:

GRAHAM: “[The Office of the Director of National Intelligence] has observed actors tied to Iran’s government posing as activists online seeking to encourage protests and even providing financial support to protesters… Mr. Stern, is it Hamas’ goal to destroy the Jewish State?”

STERN: “Absolutely.”

GRAHAM: “Is Hezbollah’s goal to destroy the Jewish State?”

STERN: “Absolutely.”

GRAHAM: “Is it Iran’s goal to destroy the Jewish State?”

STERN: “Yes.”

GRAHAM: “Okay, Ms. Berry, do you agree with that?”

BERRY: “I think these are complicated questions. I really don’t want to talk about foreign policy.”

GRAHAM: “No it’s not. There’s nothing complicated about it. That’s the most ridiculous testimony ever given in this committee. If you think it’s complicated to figure out that Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran want to kill all the Jews, I should not listen to anything else you’ve got to say —and I won’t.”