By Diane Weber Bederman —— Bio and Archives September 1, 2014
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“Jews are exaggerating the extent of the Holocaust to obtain political advantages.”Lerro’s remarks were made during the fractious debate over a proposed Modern Language Association boycott of Israel. It seems the esteemed “Professor”Lerro reportedly quipped,
“Six million? mh…. we all know (or should know) that the counting of Jews is a bit controversial.”Then a university spokesman explained, ‘the exercise of academic freedom necessarily results in a vigorous exchange of ideas.'' Mr. Hoffmann responded: “Regarding the Lerro situation, I can share one important fact: Lerro was an adjunct instructor–he wasn't a full-time faculty member at Temple. Since that incident, his contract was not renewed, and he no longer teaches at Temple.” Here is the official response of the University which I received from Mr. Hoffmann a few days later.
“It is Temple University's position that the ample historical evidence, scholarship and research regarding the horrific impact of the Holocaust on the Jewish people is a strong counterpoint to Mr. Lerro's statements. Mr. Lerro's opinion is solely his own and not that of Temple University. Temple University condemns in the strongest possible terms the disparagement of any person or persons based on religion, nationality, race, gender, sexual orientation or identity.”And that’s supposed to make things better? No public admonition? No berating a professor for changing facts to fit his anti-semitism which he felt he could share on campus? Could he have shared similarly negative attitudes toward Muslims, blacks, gays? Would he? This speaks to my statement that Jew-hatred has become normalized. And that is why I believe the verbal and physical attack on the Jewish student at Temple was more or less dismissed; despite the concern now expressed and the involvement of so many organizations, including the justice system. As I wrote to Mr. Hoffmann and he did not dispute it: “It is my understanding that the police arrived in time to hear students at the SJP table screaming ‘You Zionist pig, you racist, that’s what you get.’ “The victim, having been sucker-punched by a student at the table reported immediately to the head of student activities who wanted the SJP table shut down. Your Campus Police refused to shut down the table because the police had decided to send the perpetrator home. “Eye witnesses reported hearing members at the SJP calling the victim a '#' while he was lying dazed on the ground as a result of the force of the punch from the student at the SJP table. “The victim did receive medical care at Temple University Hospital for ‘mandibular pain, cervical sprain, and closed head injury.’ One can conclude that these injuries were the result of the punch to the head by a Temple University student. Had a student in a sporting event sucker-punched another student, that student would have been suspended. There is zero tolerance for that kind of behaviour in sports.” If a black student had been sucker-punched by a white student, part of a campus organization group, and then called, amongst other names, a lazy #, or if a gay man had been attacked and called a godless homo, do you really think the Campus Security Services would have sent the perpetrator home? So I asked Mr. Hoffman. “Considering the recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, I wonder, Mr. Hoffmann, what the response from the Campus Police and Temple University would have been if the student who was sucker-punched had been black, had been called a #, a lazy # and ‘that's what you get.’” That question wasn’t answered. But a few days later came this official response: Regarding the actions of SJP:
“No action regarding the status of the organization will be taken until the Office of Student Conduct is able to evaluate the findings from the investigation to determine if the group violated the Student Conduct Code.”How long do you think that will take? Is this such a difficult decision to make? And if the conclusion is that the group did not violate the Student Conduct Code, do you think changes to the code might be required? This Jewish student no longer feels safe on Campus. And he no longer displays the Israeli flag. He is hiding his proud heritage from fear-as had our grandparents and great grandparents 70 years ago. And now fear is leading to similar responses in the Jewish community in Europe, Canada and across the USA. This is the official response from Temple.
“The safety of Temple's students is our highest priority. Individuals or groups who have asked for additional security will have that provided to them. This is in addition to the comprehensive set of safety activities we engage in on a regular basis.”Does this not sound odd to you? Students asking for extra protection on a USA campus? Temple is by no means alone in anti-semitic incidents. This is America, not Afghanistan. How did America and its campuses get to this place, again? Were no lessons learned from the civil rights era? Yossi Klein Halevi in his recent article in the New Republic wrote “As Yasser Arafat, the late PLO leader and master of psychological warfare, once put it, the goal of terrorism is to provoke Israeli despair, which would ultimately result in the wholesale emigration of Israel’s middle class and the collapse of the Jewish state.' The purpose of the attacks on diaspora Jews on campus or in the streets is no different. Neither is the result. Canada has seen her fair share of Jew-hatred on campus under the rubric of Israel Apartheid Week. And campaigns to Boycott, Divest and Sanction Israel, while nary a word from these social activists about Burma and the atrocities committed against the Rohingya Muslims, the occupation of Tibet, and Northern Cyprus. And where are the massive protests against ISIS? I think, for me, though, the most egregious example of Jew-hating normalization came in 2013 at the al Quds day celebrations at Queens Park in Toronto, Ontario when Elias Hazineh, former President of Palestine House stood up and said loudly and proudly “Kill the Jews in Jerusalem.” And not a word from the crowd or the police. Mr. Hoffmann is Jewish. I hope he has spoken up on behalf of this student and against professor Lerro during administration meetings. I fear too many of our Jewish brothers and sisters in positions of authority, of making change, do not speak up. There is no excuse for inexcusable behaviour, ever. Where is the moral outrage that Jewish students on a campus are not safe, that a professor can just walk gently into that good night after questioning the Holocaust? Why do our people not speak up and demand justice? What happened to “Never Again” amongst our own people? If we don’t act, why should we expect others?
Diane Weber Bederman is a blogger for ‘Times of Israel’, a contributor to Convivium, a national magazine about faith in our community, and also writes about family issues and mental illness. She is a multi-faith endorsed hospital trained chaplain.