DOJ investigates Tennessee university for possible discrimination against Jewish students
Quick Summary
- DOJ and HHS investigate Lincoln Memorial University for alleged discrimination.
- Rabbi objects to a new policy related to exams that fall on religious holidays.
- University asserts commitment to anti-discrimination policies and equal access.
The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee over allegations that its policies discriminate against Jewish students.
The DOJ's Civil Rights Division is partnering with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to determine if the LMU’s DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine is intentionally stopping Jewish students from completing their exams during the spring semester.
“This Department of Justice is fiercely committed to shutting down the concerning outbreak of antisemitism that has been spreading on college campuses since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ Civil Rights Division, in an announcement last Friday.
“When colleges and universities single Jewish students out for adverse treatment, they are in clear violation of our civil rights laws and of this nation’s promise of equal opportunity for all Americans.”
The DOJ press release did not specify how LMU was allegedly preventing Jewish students from finishing their examinations during the semester.
Rabbi Yossi Wilhelm of the Chabad in Knoxville told 10News that a policy change made between the fall and spring semesters now prevents students from being excused from exams scheduled for religious holidays despite allowing religious exemptions in the past. He said there are at least two orthodox Jewish students in the college's doctoral program.
The academic institution, which receives federal funding, released a brief statement to local media, maintaining that it supports anti-discrimination policies for its students.
“Lincoln Memorial University firmly upholds the protections established by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act,” stated the university, as quoted by the Knoxville-based WVLT 8. “We take seriously our responsibility to ensure equal access and non-discrimination in our educational settings.”
Soon after Hamas terrorists launched a series of attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, in southern Israel that killed over 1,200 people, including dozens of Americans, which sparked the Israeli military offensive in Gaza, many U.S.-based college campuses saw an uptick in anti-Israel protests and alleged antisemitic incidents.
Since taking office last year, President Donald Trump and his administration have made it a priority to crack down on the reported increase in antisemitic activism at universities.
In February 2025, the DOJ announced the launch of a multiagency task force to combat antisemitism in schools.
Paula M. Stannard, director of the HHS Office for Civil Rights, stated that “all students should be free to learn and train in environments free from discrimination."
“Antisemitism has no place in our nation’s educational or medical training institutions, and OCR will work to ensure that federal civil rights laws are fully enforced.”
