A congressional investigation has concluded that systemic antisemitism has taken root within the American Psychological Association (APA), with leadership allegedly accommodating radical activists who promote anti-Israel ideology. The findings, released by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in early 2026, follow an inquiry launched in December 2025 under Chairman Tim Walberg in response to complaints from Jewish members of the association.
The committee’s report, titled “Antisemitism at the American Psychological Association,” asserts that APA leadership consistently marginalized Jewish members who raised concerns about antisemitic rhetoric and discrimination present in the organization’s governance, publications, listservs, and annual conventions. Investigators reviewed thousands of internal communications and administrative documents to assess how the APA addressed bias against Jewish professionals.
One key focus was the association’s response to the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel. Internal discussions revealed that APA officials collaborated with the American Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African Psychological Association (AMENA-PSY) to remove references to terrorism from a public statement. Incoming AMENA-PSY leaders reportedly argued that labeling the attacks as terrorism was “one-sided” and disproportionately applied to Arabs. An early APA draft appeared to equate Hamas’s actions with Israeli military responses, though the final statement omitted the term “terrorism” entirely.
The report also highlights internal emails from senior APA figures in the weeks following the attacks. Cynthia de las Fuentes, APA president in 2024, is recorded comparing the Hamas attack to the killing of George Floyd, suggesting an equivalency between police officers enforcing Zionism and terrorist groups, and portraying Floyd as representative of Gazans. Additional correspondence cited in the report shows dismissive and critical responses from APA officials toward Jewish psychologists who voiced concerns, including a chief diversity officer’s “Sigh!” reaction and a senior official accusing Jewish members of “feeding hatred” by raising objections publicly.
The committee found that anti-Zionist members influenced APA governance, successfully revising the association’s February 2026 antisemitism resolution to include language on the “weaponization of antisemitism” and adopt the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, despite objections from an internal Jewish advisory group. Furthermore, ethnic minority psychological associations within the APA opposed efforts to recognize a Jewish ethnic psychological association, contending that Jews benefit from “white privilege” and do not face comparable structural oppression.
The investigation also documented the circulation of extreme rhetoric through APA-affiliated listservs, newsletters, and academic journals. Some posts defended Hamas’s attacks as “resistance,” labeled Israel a “terrorist” state, and dismissed fears of genocidal intent as “quite hilarious.” In 2025, the American Psychologist journal published an article referring to “Palestinian freedom fighters” and pathologizing “Zionist psychologies,” prompting an editor to resign in protest over its political tone and lack of scholarly rigor.
In its conclusion, the committee warned that the politicization of the APA risks undermining the credibility of the mental health profession. It also noted that the Department of Education’s accreditation advisory panel had recently recommended suspending the APA’s accrediting commission for one year. The report indicated that its findings would inform forthcoming legislative efforts aimed at combating discrimination within accrediting bodies.
APA President Wendi S. Williams and CEO Arthur C. Evans, Jr. responded in an internal email rejecting the report’s conclusions, affirming that the APA condemns antisemitism unequivocally. They emphasized ongoing efforts to address concerns, including hosting listening sessions with Jewish psychologists, and reiterated a commitment to the association’s mission of promoting well-being and respect for all.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) criticized the APA’s response, describing antisemitism within the organization as systemic and ingrained in its leadership. The ADL called for an independent investigation, stronger accountability measures, and mandatory antisemitism training for APA leadership, highlighting concerns that Jewish patients might face indifference rather than compassion within the mental health field.