Congressional Hearing Oral Testimony

President M. Elizabeth Magill, University of Pennsylvania
Oral Testimony before the
United States House of Representatives
Committee on Education and the Workforce on
“Holding Campus Leaders Accountable and Confronting Antisemitism”

December 5, 2023 

Thank you, Chairwoman Foxx, Ranking Member Scott, and distinguished members of this Committee for the opportunity to be here today. My name is Elizabeth Magill and I am the President of the University of Pennsylvania. 

Let me begin by saying that I, and the University of Pennsylvania, are horrified by and condemn Hamas’s abhorrent and brutal terror attack on Israel on October 7th. There is no justification—none—for those heinous attacks. The loss of life and suffering that are occurring in Israel and Gaza during the ensuing war are heartbreaking.  

This pain, sorrow, and fear extends to our campus and to our city of Philadelphia. This hearing this morning takes place just two days after the Philadelphia community witnessed in horror the hateful words and actions of protestors who marched through the city and then near our campus. These protestors directly targeted a Center City business that is Jewish and Israeli owned—a troubling and shameful act of antisemitism. Philadelphia Police and Penn Public Safety were present and thankfully no one was injured. But these events have understandably left many in our community upset and afraid. 

Antisemitism—an old, viral, and pernicious evil—has been steadily rising in our society and these world events have dramatically accelerated that surge. Few places have proven immune, including Philadelphia and campuses like ours. This is unacceptable. We are combatting this hate on our campus with immediate and comprehensive action. 

I have condemned antisemitism publicly, regularly, and in the strongest possible terms and today let me reiterate my and Penn’s unyielding commitment to combatting it. We immediately investigate any hateful act, cooperating with both law enforcement and the FBI, where we have identified individuals who have committed these acts in violation of either policy or law, we initiate disciplinary proceedings and engage law enforcement. 

We have acted decisively to ensure safety throughout and near our campus, expanding the presence of Public Safety officers and our religious life centers, and all across campus. 

On November 1st, just over a month ago, I announced Penn’s Action Plan to Combat Antisemitism. This builds on our anti-hate efforts to date and it is anchored firmly in the United States National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. The Plan centers on three key areas and has many elements. Those areas are Safety and Security, Engagement, and Education.   

As part of this Plan, I have convened and charged a Task Force to identify concrete, actionable recommendations, directing them to provide me with their recommendations both in real time and then a final report in a couple of months. To ensure that our Jewish students have a direct channel to share their experiences with me, I’ve created a Student Advisory Group on the Student Experience.  

Today’s hearing is focused on antisemitism and its direct impact on the Jewish community, but history teaches us that where antisemitism goes unchecked, other forms of hate spread and ultimately can threaten democracy. We are seeing a rise in our society in harassment, intimidation, and threats toward individuals based on their identity as Muslim, Palestinian, or Arab. At Penn, we are investigating all these allegations for members of our community, and providing resources to support individuals experiencing threats, online harassment, and doxing. We will continue to deploy all the necessary resources to support any member of the community experiencing hate. 

As President, I am committed to a safe, secure, and supportive educational environment so that our academic mission can thrive. It is crucial that ideas are exchanged and diverse viewpoints are debated. As a student of constitutional democracy, I know that we need both safety and free expression, for universities—and ultimately democracy—to thrive. In these times, these competing principles can be difficult to balance, but I am determined to get it right.  

And we must get this right; the stakes are too high. Penn would not be what it is without its strong Jewish community—past, present, and future. I am proud of this tradition, and deeply troubled when members of our Jewish community share that their sense of belonging has been shaken. Under my leadership, we will never, ever shrink from our moral responsibility to combat antisemitism and educate all to recognize and reject hate.   

We will remain vigilant. I look forward to your questions.