In recent times, there has been a worrying surge in anti-Semitic attacks, not just in places like Washington D.C. and Colorado but across the United States. It’s not just a passing issue or a headline to glance over at the breakfast table. This is serious, folks. We aren’t dealing with just small, isolated incidents. There’s a rising wave of hatred, and regrettably, it’s been facilitated by the very environments that ought to be sanctuaries for free thinking and liberal ideals – our universities and colleges.

Let’s talk brass tacks for a moment. Some prestigious universities, places where one might expect the brightest minds to foster dialogue and understanding, instead have been breeding grounds for the exact opposite. On campuses, slogans that sound more like battle cries than expressions of free speech are echoing through the halls. It’s an astonishing state of affairs when students are blocked from entering libraries by mobs shouting hate-filled messages. They say once you start enabling a little hate, it grows faster than college debt. Freedom of speech is one thing, but there’s no clause for freedom of hate speech.

Leaders on the world stage are calling for action, not just colorful statements or tweets. We’re talking real, preemptive measures here against those inciting violence against Jews. It shouldn’t take a visionary to understand that allowing hate to fester isn’t conducive to peace, whether it’s in our neighborhoods or the grand institutions of learning we’ve traditionally respected. It’s about time that institutions and the authorities step up to the plate.

With recent attacks igniting a wave of concern, the United States has to acknowledge this growing threat. With fingers pointing at colleges as breeding grounds for these extremist ideas, it’s crucial that these institutions set a precedent for zero tolerance towards such hate-fueled acts and rhetoric. One can only hope that the same vigor applied to discussing student tuition can be applied to safeguarding students from bigotry.

Moreover, it’s not just the institutions that need to up their game. There’s a role for federal action here as well. The numbers don’t lie. As the FBI’s data shows, hate crimes are on the rise, yet the number of indictments remains shockingly low. It’s time to rethink the approach to hate crimes and ensure that not only are they identified swiftly, but that perpetrators face the full force of the law. Punishment isn’t just about retribution; it’s about deterrence. Just as a strict teacher sets the standard in a classroom, strong action against hate crimes sends an unequivocal message: there’s no room for hate in our society, period.