Dear APA Members,
We wanted to provide an update on the House Committee on Education and Workforce’s formal investigation of APA and some of its divisions related to allegations of antisemitism.
First, we want to reiterate something very important. APA unequivocally condemns antisemitism in all its forms. We recognize its painful impacts on mental health and well-being and the harm it causes to Jews and to the broader social fabric.
Antisemitism and bigotry have no place in any professional community, especially a community devoted to improving the wellbeing of individuals and society as a whole. Antisemitism runs contrary to APA’s values and its mission to improve the human condition through psychological science and knowledge.
We are being responsive to the request from Congress. We provided some of the requested materials on January 2, 2026, and we will be producing additional materials as requested every few weeks.
Congressional committees have broad investigative authority, and individual committee chairs generally have broad investigatory discretion regarding an investigation and the relevance of the information sought. Short of incurring a contempt charge, there are effectively no legal means for APA to challenge a pending congressional investigation. Non-cooperation could jeopardize APA in a variety of ways. As a federally recognized accreditor, a federal contractor and a federal grantee, APA is duty-bound to treat this inquiry seriously and is working with outside legal counsel to respond appropriately.
We are also educating Congress about how antisemitism and all forms of bigotry are an affront to APA’s mission and values. As APA navigates this investigation, we are working with our advocacy and legal teams to both cooperate with and educate Congress about APA’s efforts to combat antisemitism and foster an environment where all members can participate without experiencing discrimination.
Twenty years ago, APA adopted foundational policies expressing this commitment to combatting antisemitism in the Resolution on Anti-Semitic and Anti-Jewish Prejudiceopens in new window (2005/2007), which, among other things, condemns all antisemitic attitudes and actions; calls for fairness, respect, and dignity for all people, regardless of religion or ethnicity; and encourages research to better understand the characteristics, causes, and consequences of antisemitic and anti-Jewish prejudice. You can read more about past efforts here.
We are listening. Deepening our understanding of the lived experiences of our members is fundamental to being able to ensure that our culture is welcoming and inclusive. We appreciate the members who have reached out by email and phone with concerns and ideas. That led to many informal one-on-one or small group conversations, which then sparked a series of more formal listening sessions that began in April 2025, and included more than 125 Jewish psychologists and other organizational stakeholders.
And we are acting on what we are learning where warranted. Insights from these conversations and listening sessions have informed and will continue to inform policy changes and initiatives.
- Launching the Collaborative of Jewish Psychologists. In August 2025, the APA Board approved the formation of the Collaborative of Jewish Psychologists (“CJP”). The CJP begins meeting this month, with the goals of developing recommendations to the APA Board of Directors about ways to enhance APA’s efforts against antisemitism as well as to whether the 2005/2007 Resolution on Anti-Semitic and Anti-Jewish Prejudice should be updated to reflect the developments on the issue in the last two decades. It will also advise the APA Board on ways to continue to combat antisemitism.
- Updating listserv rules. APA hosts 590 listservs as a service to the mental health and psychology communities writ large—supporting many organizations connected to or not connected to APA. These listservs serve as a platform for open discussion and a free exchange of ideas on every imaginable topic of interest impacting the diverse mental health and psychology communities who hold a full range of opinion on many topics. APA maintains a set of rules governing the use of its listserv software that apply to all using this free service, including rules that prohibit discriminatory harassment. Most APA divisions use this free service to run listservs for their membership. In mid-2025, APA made a number of changes to the listserv rules in response to concerns from members and stakeholders about activity on a handful of division listservs, updating Listserv Usage Rules to prohibit not only defamatory and libelous language but also to specifically prohibit hate speech or discriminatory content—including antisemitism.
- Enforcing listserv rules and communicating expectations. In response to complaints in March 2025 about language on the listserv of Division 48 (also known as the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict and Violence), APA and the division agreed to shut down the listserv. APA has not reactivated it. APA also took broader action to address this issue with APA division listservs, including by reaching out to all division listservs to ensure every division was using its listservs only for intended subscribers and to ensure every division had an active and trained moderator. APA also developed and disseminated a listserv Moderator Training Program and Toolkit to promote consistent listserv rule enforcement. Additional moderator training was delivered via interactive webinar in early December 2025.
What is next? APA’s work to oppose antisemitism did not start with this December 2025 letter from a House Committee. It has been underway for decades.
The rise of antisemitism in our country and its escalation in our society compels a serious approach to stem its spread and to support Jewish communities. As we noted about the massacre on Bondi Beach in December, “This attack represents a particularly insidious form of violence—one driven by antisemitism. Psychological science shows that bias-motivated crimes like this one harm not only their immediate victims, but the effects reverberate throughout entire communities. When violence targets people because of their identity, communities experience fear, trauma, and lasting harm. There is no place for antisemitism in our society, and the psychological toll of this tragedy underscores the urgency of addressing hate-motivated violence.”
We remain committed to elevating psychology’s science and learnings where doing so can improve the human condition and raising our voice at key moments when it is most needed. We understand from the science of human behavior and from the voices of our members over the past few years that meaningful, sustained change takes resolve, patience and time. Psychology strives to benefit society and improve lives, and hate runs contrary to and is an affront to that mission.
Arthur C. Evans, Jr., PhD
Chief Executive Officer/Executive Vice President
Wendi S. Williams, PhD
2026 President