WhatFinger


An insidious anti-Semitism now underway, increasingly violent, and a lot closer to home

Anti-Semitism on Campus



As Jews and friends of the Jewish people we tend to concentrate on events in the Middle East and acts of anti-Semitism in the homeland of Jewish hatred, Europe. No doubt today as never before since the Holocaust, anti-Semitism is alive and well in these hotspots. But make no mistake there is an insidious anti-Semitism now underway, increasingly violent, and a lot closer to home. Our college and university campuses are awash with left wing, Muslim student organizations; many of which are funded by the likes of the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as such lovelies as Hamas, Hezbollah, and even our good friends the Saudis. These groups, in unity with other radicals and under the guise of opposition to Israel have made it abundantly clear, their hatred is more so for Jews than for Israel. To the surprise of some but not to all, far too many of these participants call themselves Jews.

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According to the The Washington Free Beacon more than half of Jewish students claimed they have witnessed or been subjected to some form of anti-Jewish harassment on campuses throughout the United States. A nationwide survey conducted by Trinity College and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law found the following: 1,157 self-identified Jewish students at 55 U.S. colleges, found that 54 percent experienced or witnessed “anti-Semitism on campus during the first six months of the 2013-2014 academic year.” In a telling interview taken by the survey, a Jewish university student is quoted saying: “The divestment campaign and other anti-Israel campaigns on this campus are intertwined with rampant anti-Semitism….“After a widespread anti-Israel/anti-Semitic attack earlier this year the University issued a weak response. Jewish students want to know that our University stands by us.” And that’s the rub, the tepid response to acts of harassment and confrontation by Administrators at these schools. In reality it’s not surprising given that most provosts are of leftist persuasion to begin with, both they and their professors are decidedly anti-Israel and acquiesce to the behavior of those that are true Jew haters. Most disturbing, Jewish kids are being beaten down in more than one way for the mere fact they are Jewish. Common to these incidents are kids waking up and finding swastikas painted on their dorms; or having to pass thru mock “check points;” most daunting is suffering through innumerable anti-Apartheid week demonetization of Israel. They’re shouted down and intimidated when they respond. What other culture, gender, or ethnicity in today’s society would be asked tolerate such treatment? One can only imagine the outcry and reaction of the African American community if their students awoke to Jim Crowe epithets scrawled on their walls and being harassed for the sin of being an African American and speaking up for for his/her beliefs. The FBI and the Justice Department would be on it faster than you could say, Black lives matter. The most vociferous Israel/Jew haters on campus would lead the charge condemning this “racism” and as he’s done many times over the past 6 years, the president would publicly comment with an assured invitation to the White House for the alleged victims. But Jewish lives don’t matter much when they don’t fit the left wing agenda. But outright violence and intimidation are not the only form of anti-Semitism being practiced on campus. “A Jewish woman student applicant for the Student Council's Judicial Board was initially rejected after being asked: "Given that you are a Jewish student and very active in the Jewish community, how do you see yourself being able to maintain an unbiased view?” It belies comprehension such a biased, hurtful question could be asked by a student government. It further belies comprehension that it was asked under the nose of a school Administration and without reprimand. Back in February last year at another University of California campus, Jewish students opposed to a Student Council resolution advocating a boycott of Israel were heckled by cries of "Allahu Akbar" as a Jewish fraternity house was daubed with a swastikas. When asked for his reaction, Chancellor Gene Block’s dubbed it as a “teachable moment.” Longtime friend, and lecturer in Hebrew at the the University of California Santa Cruz campus, Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, has been fighting a tireless battle within the University of California system, the hotbed of campus anti-Semitism in America. Along with several other Professors, she created AMCHA Initiative. AMCHA is a Hebrew word that stands for, “your people.” Their mission statement reads: “To investigate, document, educate about, and combat antisemitic behavior on college and university campuses in America and the institutional structures that legitimize it and allow it to flourish.” Not exactly a threatening, incendiary call to arms manifesto. In an Op-Ed written for the San Jose Mercury News, Professor Benjamin had this to say: “It's not hard to connect the dots. On campuses where anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaigns have been promoted, anti-Semitism has increased and Jewish students report feeling emotionally and physically harassed, threatened, unsafe, and targeted for anti-Jewish bigotry.” She goes on to break down some recent incidents on the various campuses.
  • At UC Berkley: messages such as: "Zionists should be sent to the gas chamber" was found scrawled on a bathroom wall.
  • UC Davis: The university's Hillel House was defaced with "grout out the Jews.” Two days later swastikas were spray-painted on a UC Davis Jewish fraternity.
  • UC Santa Barbara: At UC Santa Barbara, after three years of divisive anti-Israel divestment campaigns, large flyers blaming Jews for 9/11 were posted on campus.
This is just one sampling of one university in one state. These acts of coordinated anti-Jewish antagonism can now be found on college and university campuses throughout the United States.


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Jerry Sobel -- Bio and Archives

Jerry Sobel has a B.A. Degree in 20th century European History and a Masters in International Relations from The City College of New York.  He is a staunch Zionist and has been writing articles on Israel and Jewish concerns for 40 years. Amongst publications throughout the world, his most recent works have been an Op. Ed in the Daily Jewish Press, The American Thinker, and Israpundit.


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