Congressional Report: APA Leadership Allowed Antisemitism to Spread
A House committee found that internal emails and governance votes show the American Psychological Association dismissed Jewish members while adopting anti-Israel positions.
By Rebecca Foster ·
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce released a report on Sunday stating that the American Psychological Association (APA) has allowed systemic antisemitism to take root within its ranks. The inquiry, led by Chairman Tim Walberg, concluded that radical activists co-opted the organization to promote ideologies that demonize Israel.
The committee examined thousands of internal emails, drafts, and administrative records to assess how the nation's leading professional body for psychologists handled anti-Jewish bias. The investigation was formally launched in December 2025 after Jewish members reported that discriminatory rhetoric was common in governance, publications, and annual conventions.
The report details internal deliberations following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. APA leaders consulted with the American Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African Psychological Association (AMENA-Psy), whose officials argued that the term "terrorism" was one-sided. An internal draft attempted to equate the Hamas attacks with Israeli military responses. The final public statement issued by the APA omitted any mention of terrorism.
Internal emails revealed that 2024 APA President Cynthia de las Fuentes compared the Hamas attack to the murder of George Floyd. She wrote that police officers were equivalent to "believers of 'by any means necessary' in achieving the goals of Zionism." Another senior official complained about "the Jews who are so angry at us," accusing them of feeding hatred. The APA also declined to complete an Anti-Defamation League (ADL) survey, claiming the questionnaire was clearly aimed at finding fault.
In February 2026, the APA Council of Representatives voted 127 to 37 to adopt a revised resolution on antisemitism. The new resolution included clauses regarding the "weaponization of antisemitism" and relied on the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism. This change occurred over the objections of an internal Jewish advisory group. Opponents of recognizing a Jewish ethnic psychological association also argued that Jews benefit from white privilege and do not face structural oppression like non-white minorities.
APA President Wendi S. Williams and CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr. rejected the committee's findings in an internal email. They stated that the association unequivocally condemns antisemitism in all its forms. The ADL criticized the APA's response, noting that Jewish groups had warned leadership about escalating bias without seeing adequate action. The committee warned that the politicization of the APA threatens the credibility of the mental health field. A Department of Education advisory panel recently recommended a one-year suspension of the APA's accrediting commission.
The report noted that the flagship journal American Psychologist published an article in 2025 referencing "Palestinian freedom fighters." This led an editor to resign over what he described as incendiary, politicized content. The committee's findings will inform upcoming legislative efforts targeting discrimination by accrediting bodies.
