At the Combat Antisemitism Movement’s State Leadership Summit on Antisemitism and Support for Israel in Kansas City on Monday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced the signing of Executive Order 13, which formally denounces antisemitism and affirms the state’s support for Israel.
“Since the October 7th attacks, we’ve seen an increase in antisemitism across the U.S., including on college campuses,” Governor Reynolds said. “While many of Iowa’s colleges and universities have condemned such activity, we want to be clear that antisemitism has no place in Iowa.”
“Antisemitism has no place in Iowa. In my 13th Executive Order as governor, I reiterated Iowa’s support of the Jewish community and our commitment to protecting Jewish students on college campuses,” Governor Reynolds subsequently tweeted with a copy of the Executive Order.
The executive order directs the Iowa Board of Regents to work with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights to ensure the state’s public universities meet their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students.
As part of the order, the Board of Regents is required to review university policies related to antisemitic actions and speech, as well as the response of each institution to incidents since October 7, 2023. The board must submit a report to the governor by December 1, 2025. A follow-up review assessing any policy changes and university responses to antisemitism is required by December 1, 2026.
The Iowa Department of Education will also make available instructional materials aligned with Iowa’s content standards on Jewish history, the Holocaust, and Israel, along with professional learning resources for teachers.
Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) Director of State Engagement David Soffer welcomed the executive order.
“Governor Reynolds is showing the moral clarity and leadership we desperately need right now and continues to be a champion for the Jewish community,” Soffer said. “At a time when Jewish students across the country are facing harassment and intimidation, Iowa is taking decisive action to protect them and uphold civil rights.”
“By demanding accountability from universities and strengthening Holocaust and Jewish history education, this executive order sends a powerful message that antisemitism will not be tolerated in the Hawkeye State.”
The signing of Executive Order 13 comes amid ongoing national discussions about rising antisemitic incidents in the United States, particularly on college campuses, following the October 7 attacks in Israel and the subsequent conflict in Gaza.