WASHINGTON D.C. – Senator Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, has accused a top deputy to American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten of โfostering a culture of antisemitism that alienates Jewish membersโ and has pressed the union for a written response. The senatorโs Oct. 23 letter singles out Todd Wolfson, an AFT vice president and president of the American Association of University Professors, and asks what the union is doing to protect Jewish members.
Cassidyโs letter cites a March 2025 webinar hosted by the AAUP titled Scholasticide in Palestine and points to a joint letter from the Anti-Defamation League, the Academic Engagement Network, Hillel International, the American Jewish Committee, and the Jewish Federations of North America that criticized the event. The senator said many Jewish members felt ostracized by the webinarโs framing and urged AFT to explain what steps it has taken.
The senator also referenced public comments by Dr. Wolfson, including an August interview in which he described what he called the โweaponization of antisemitism,โ and other political statements attributed to him. Cassidy wrote that Wolfsonโs remarks and the AAUP programming have compounded concerns raised by Jewish faculty and advocacy groups. The letter asks Weingarten to say whether AFT will publicly condemn Wolfsonโs remarks and what changes it seeks from the AAUP.
Pro-Israel and Jewish organizations have publicly protested the AAUP event. The groups complained that the webinar used inflammatory language such as โscholasticideโ and โexterminationist,โ a framing they said lacked balance and failed to contextualize violence committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. Those organizations said the program risked marginalizing Jewish and Zionist academics and demanded follow-up from AAUP leadership.
The controversy speaks to wider tensions on American campuses and within professional academic associations over definitions of antisemitism, academic freedom, and legitimate critique of Israel. Surveys and reports cited in Cassidyโs letter say a substantial share of Jewish faculty have observed antisemitic activity on campuses and that many faculty believe professional associations are moving in an anti-Israel direction. Supporters of the AAUP and AFT say academic debate must be protected, while critics say freedom of expression cannot be a cover for rhetoric that ostracizes or targets Jewish members.
AFT and AAUP officials have defended their commitment to confronting antisemitism while also defending robust discussion of policy and scholarship. The unions say they oppose hatred and seek to protect membersโ rights and safety. Cassidyโs letter, however, presses for specific answers and a public condemnation of conduct and rhetoric he says have alienated Jewish members. He set a Nov. 6 deadline for AFTโs written reply.
Legal and policy experts say the episode could prompt further congressional interest in how national associations and unions respond to bias within their ranks. The HELP Committee chairmanship gives Cassidy oversight authority for education and labor matters, and his letter signals he may scrutinize how associations balance academic freedom with preventing discriminatory conduct. Jewish groups have urged concrete corrective steps, including transparent investigations and training for association leaders.
For pro-Israel and Jewish readers, the dispute is framed as both a defense of community members and an appeal for institutional accountability. Advocates say professional associations that host events or materials perceived as dehumanizing or one-sided must pair such programming with clear protections for Jewish and Zionist scholars. They warn that failing to do so risks deepening marginalization and undermining trust among Jewish members.
The senatorโs letter is public and provides a concrete timeline for a response. AFT has a longstanding national influence in education and labor. How the union answers Cassidy and whether it takes further action with partner organizations such as AAUP will be closely watched by Jewish organizations, higher education leaders, and congressional overseers.
This article is based on verified information from the U.S. Senate HELP Committee (Cassidy letter), Inside Higher Ed, the Academic Engagement Network, the Anti-Defamation League, and AFT and AAUP public materials.