President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Harmeet K. Dhillon to head the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division brings a sigh of relief to Jewish students as incidents of anti-Semitism continue to be rampant at universities across the United States

Trump announced Dhillon’s nomination for the role on Monday, praising her as a civil rights activist who has led prominent legal battles defending free speech, religious rights and desegregation discrimination cases.

But it is Dhillon’s outspoken stance against Ivy League schools for their failure to combat anti-Semitism that has left many students hopeful that help is on the way.

AMERICANS LIKE CHANGE: HARMEET DHILLON

Harmeet Dhillon, attorney and member of the Republican National Committee, speaks to members of the media during the winter meeting of the Republican National Committee in Dana Point, California, U.S., on Friday, January 27, 2023. (Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Dhillon has repeatedly taken a hard line against anti-Semitism at U.S. universities. In April, Sahar Tarktak, a Yale student from Long Island, wrote on

Dhillon called on Tartak and others to take legal action against the university and its attackers.

“Sue Yale. Sue any university that refuses to ensure the safety of its students because of their religion. “Make them regret their decisions,” Dhillon responded to salt in her career.”

In a separate video circulating online, Dhillon described anti-Israel protesters who barred Jewish students from their campuses as “petty terrorists.”

“If you want to link arms and block access to a campus… pat a cop on the head, f— around and find out, you should be arrested and taken to jail…” Dhillon said in the clip. “I think these students are petty terrorists. They’re terrorizing Jewish students and they’re terrorizing anyone who wants to get an education on this campus, and that’s not allowed under the First Amendment…”

A webpage on the Dhillon Law Firm’s website outlines its commitment to representing victims of campus anti-Semitism as part of its larger mission to “uphold civil rights and defend constitutional principles across the country.”

JEWISH STUDENTS DESCRIBE GOING TO STUDY DURING INTENSE ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS IN NEW YORK: ‘TARGET ON MY BACK’

“We are proud to provide our unwavering legal support to Jewish people who face discrimination, retaliation or harassment in their school or workplace,” the website says. “Our company stands ready to provide significant resources to support people who have suffered from anti-Semitism.”

Harmeet Dhillon gives a blessing at the end of the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 15, 2024. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Tartak, now a student at Yale University, praised Trump’s nomination of Dhillon and told Fox News Digital that she and other Jewish students still regularly deal with disturbing anti-Semitic incidents on campus.

“Because the university does not demonstrate moral clarity and refuses to stand up for what is right, the environment at Yale is and will continue to be unsafe for Jewish students,” she said. “It is so important and a great relief to have someone of her stature and role committed not only to Jewish students, but also to our country and our civilization. I wish she didn’t have to do that.”

Tartak said Trump’s selection of Dhillon puts Yale and other universities “on notice” as he fulfills his promise to address unchecked anti-Semitism and violence on campus.

Harvard University graduate Shabbos Kestenbaum is currently suing the university for pervasive and systemic anti-Semitism, also praised Trump’s selection of Dhillon and warned, “Harvard should be very, very nervous.”

“This has been a consistent theme within the Trump transition team, that promises made will be kept,” he told Fox News Digital. “There is a moral and legal obligation that colleges that have defrauded the American taxpayer, discriminated against Jewish students and enabled the culture of political indoctrination are finally held accountable.”

Kestenbaum said it was “a damning indictment of the current administration that we Jewish students are waiting until January 20 for justice to finally be served.”

The Harvard graduate praised Dhillon as “someone who has been at the forefront not only on social media but also in the political landscape, amplifying the voices of Jewish students and encouraging them to hold their colleges accountable,” telling Fox News Digital said students around the world in the US were “incredibly relieved” by the news of her nomination.

Shabbat Kestenbaum at the Jewish unity rally in Boston (Shabbos Kestenbaum)

HARVARD CLAIMED FOR ‘SMOKE AND MIRRORS’ ANTISEMITISM RESPONSE: ‘They actually make things worse’

“Starting January 20, Harvard, Columbia, Yale and every other university that has failed to adequately combat anti-Semitism on campus should expect it to come.”

“If they’re not shaking in their boots, then they’re not paying attention,” he said. “The American people rejected Ivy League values, feelings of moral hypocrisy and elitism in November, and Harvard in particular will feel the sting of the Trump administration if they continue to do so.”

Harvard did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Trump’s victory puts colleges and universities on high alert after he vowed to take over higher education as part of his plan to reform the U.S. education system. US universities have come under fire in recent months for their poor quality Response to anti-Semitism as protests and encampments across the country flooded campuses in the wake of the ongoing war in Gaza. Many universities chose to look the other way, leading to a mass exodus of donors who withdrew millions of dollars in grants and severed ties with their alma maters.

Harmeet Dhillon greets President Trump after arriving aboard Air Force One at Moffett Federal Airfield in Mountain View, Calif., to attend a Republican Party fundraiser at an undisclosed location on Tuesday, September 17, 2019. ((Photo by Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images))

Trump has repeatedly targeted colleges and universities during the campaign, promising to free American higher education from the grip of what he called “Marxist lunatics.” His 2024 platform called for “deporting pro-Hamas radicals and making our college campuses safe and patriotic again.” Trump has also vowed to combat wokeness and a progressive culture in education, and has repeatedly railed against DEI initiatives that he said were unintentionally discriminatory.

In July, Trump said he would push a measure to fine schools “the entire amount of their endowment” if they fail to stop DEI programs that engage in “explicit unlawful discrimination under the guise of justice.” He has also threatened to withhold federal funding from schools that play a role in online censorship as part of his plan to “dismantle the left-wing censorship regime.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

His choice of Dhillon for the task “proves that he follows his word with action,” a New York student told Fox News Digital.

You and the president-elect largely agree on this issue. In May, Dhillon posted on , pronouns, DEI. If you don’t stand for anything, you’ll fall for anything.