Antisemitism On College Campuses Alarming!

The Israel-Hamas War in the Gaza Strip has created a new wave of antisemitism on American college campuses.

It has caused threats and dangers to American Jewish students, and has led to massive demonstrations and sitins on campuses, as well as blockages of traffic in New York City and elsewhere.

The House Republicans have exploited this issue, condemning university Presidents who have, in many cases, been slow to take any action.

But it has also led to criticism at Columbia University, who has banned various student groups and expelled some students, and cracked down on “academic freedom’ of some college professors.

This whole situation is very awkward in so many ways, with no easy solution, but to have student groups promoting hate and desire to destroy Israel’s right to exist, and to threaten all American Jews, is unacceptable.

College professors have the responsibility to promote dialogue, not to advocate for hate and division in any controversy, as they are perceived as role models for students.

So debate and discussion with a professor being the moderator is the only proper role, and the purpose should be to bring the temperature down and promote interaction without taking away the safety and security and basic rights of all concerned!

21 comments on “Antisemitism On College Campuses Alarming!

  1. Wayne Johnson April 20, 2024 2:03 pm

    As you well know Professor… this is something I personally will not tolerate and have no problem calling another out on this.

  2. Pragmatic Progressive April 23, 2024 9:41 am

    Joy Reid talked with some organizers of the campus protest at Columbia University. They are saying that the anti-Semitism did not come from the students, but from non-student protesters have gathered outside the campus. They are saying that Fox News and other right-wing media is trying to paint everyone protesting as being hateful, when that’s really not the case.

  3. Southern Liberal April 23, 2024 4:55 pm

    So, in other words, it’s a case of bad apples ruining the bunch?

  4. Pragmatic Progressive April 23, 2024 5:05 pm

    Yes, Southern Liberal. That’s correct. It’s like what happened with some of the Black Lives Matter protests. The vast majority of the protesters were not violent, but some agitators mixed in at times.

  5. Princess Leia April 26, 2024 12:54 pm

    A bit of background about the students and their beliefs:

    Students inside campus encampments that have spread across the United States over the past week are from a variety of backgrounds — including Palestinians, Arabs, Jews and Muslims, joined by students of other religious and ethnic backgrounds. They hold a spectrum of political and social views too: liberal and heterodox, progressive and absolutist. Many have been motivated by the reports and video coming out of Gaza that is often unbearable to watch. Many of these students see the actions of the Israeli military in Gaza as a continuation of a more than 70-year-long oppression of Palestinian rights, land and culture. Protesters say they want their schools to stand against what they believe is genocide in Gaza.

    https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/26/business/campus-turmoil-complex/index.html

  6. Former Republican April 26, 2024 1:48 pm

    Bernie Sanders and House progressives have spoken out about attempts to discredit the pro-Gaza campus protests. They condemn misinformation being spread by Republicans that attempts to undermine the movement, outside agitators whose only purpose is to detract from peaceful solidarity actions, and the aggressive response by law enforcement.

    http://www.commondreams.org/news/student-protest

  7. Rustbelt Democrat April 26, 2024 4:48 pm

    Seems to me it’s about the relationship between Zionism, anti-Zionism and antisemitism. Some people consider anti-Zionism as being antisemitic. Others reject any such linkage as unfounded and a method to stifle criticism of Israel and its policies, including its occupation of the West Bank and blockade of the Gaza Strip. The student protesters, as well as many progressive politicians, such as Bernie, for example, as well as left-wing media, are in the latter camp.

  8. Former Republican April 26, 2024 6:11 pm

    I would strongly recommend taking a listen to this webinar (https://www.cfr.org/event/academic-webinar-public-opinion-israel-and-palestine) Dr Shibley Telhami of the University of Maryland did at the Council on Foreign Relations.

    He outlines four factors that have caused a shift among younger progressive Americans on the Israel Palestine issue:

    1- They are less white and less male then any other subgroup- and women and people of color are more likely to sympathize with Palestinians.

    2- Social media use- higher social media use means that information young Americans receive is different then the mainstream, traditional media.

    3- Democrats have begun looking at the issue through a more social-justice influenced lens vs Republicans looking at it through a foreign policy or biblical lens.

    4- For the past decade and a half, Israel has had a deeply conservative government led by Netanyahu. While older voters might distiguish between Netanyahu’s government and the Israeli government/state as a whole, younger voters only know Netanyahu’s policy goals as that of Israel as a whole.

  9. Pragmatic Progressive April 26, 2024 6:18 pm

    In my opinion, older generations are more pro-Israel because of their proximity to WWII veterans. They grew up with documentaries about the Holocaust that explicitly showed the victim’s of the concentration camps and knew people who fought in Europe. For more modern generations, it’s more history than something that happened in living memory. As a consequence there’s less guilt over the horror of WWII and Jews and more emphasis on the balance of Palestinian and Israeli interests/behavior.

  10. Princess Leia April 27, 2024 7:18 pm

    Thanks for that, Former Republican. Those four points nail it.

  11. Princess Leia April 29, 2024 9:54 am

    I heard on the news last night that Netanyahu is still planning to attack Rafah, where most of the population has fled to.

  12. Pragmatic Progressive April 29, 2024 9:55 am

    In my post that should be:

    firmly convinced

  13. Rational Lefty April 29, 2024 12:48 pm

    The International Criminal Court (ICC) is considering issuing arrests warrants for Netanyahu and some of his top military personnel.

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