I carry the legacy of my family—Holocaust survivors and escapees from Soviet persecution who came to the United States with nothing but resilience and faith. Their struggles taught me that freedom is sacred and must be defended. Now, as I prepare for college, I see antisemitism rising in institutions that are supposed to be safe havens for learning.

The U.S. Department of Education, with its $80 billion budget and over 4,400 employees, has failed to address the crisis of antisemitism in American schools and universities. President Trump’s plan to dismantle the DOE is bold—and necessary. Jewish students like me will benefit enormously from eliminating a system that no longer protects us.

My parents fled the Soviet Union, where antisemitism was so deeply rooted that my father didn’t even know he was Jewish until he was seven years old. Practicing Judaism was forbidden, and Jews were openly discriminated against in education, employment, and everyday life. When my parents arrived in America, they had nothing but the clothes on their backs. They worked tirelessly, earned degrees, and built a life from scratch. Calling my parents “privileged” is not just inaccurate—it’s insulting.

Yet DEI programs, supported and enforced by the Department of Education, erase stories like theirs. A 2023 Anti-Defamation League (ADL) survey found that 55% of Jewish students feel DEI frameworks overlook their struggles, prioritizing other groups instead. Until 2023, DEI policies even allowed colleges to use my Jewish identity as a factor in admissions—an unfair and discriminatory........

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