Fighting Anti-Semitism on Campus and Overcoming Obstacles

Hat tip to Jewish and Community Research.org

I am linking two articles below that have appeared recently in Jewish and Community Research.org. Both articles concern the issue of anti-Semitism on American college campuses-principally arising from the Middle East conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. In the first article, Asaf Romirowsky reviews a work on the topic by Kenneth L. Marcus, former head of the Office of Civil Rights, Dept. of Education under President George W Bush. The second is an article by Mr. Marcus concerning the positions taken by the American Jewish Congress on the issue. I should note in the interest of full disclosure that I am acquainted with both gentlemen as I am with Tammi Rossman-Benjamin of the University of California at Santa Cruz, who is mentioned in the second article.

http://www.jewishresearch.org/v2/2011/articles/anti-semitism/Protecting-Jewish-Rights-on-Campus.htm


http://www.jewishresearch.org/v2/2011/articles/anti-semitism/AJC-Gets-it-Right-on-Campus-Anti-Semitism-At -Last.htm

I previously posted on the opinion authored by Mr Stern of the AJC (2nd article) and Cary Nelson. In my view, Mr Harris was correct to renounce that opinion. Mr Nelson, whom I have previously noted, is a liberal activist who speaks for his association of university professors (hardly surprising). Mr Stern's opinion was hardly surprising to me given the inaction of the Orange County American Jewish Committee in the face of anti-Semitism at UC Irvine over the years.

I have also written my view on the action of a San Francisco federal judge in dismissing the lawsuit brought by UC Berkeley student Jessica Felber against the university for tolerating anti-Semitism. She alleged that a student from the anti-Israel organization Students for Justice in Palestine rammed her from behind with a loaded shopping cart during one of those hate-Israel festivals at the Berkeley campus. Yet this judge decided that a physical assault was all in the name of freedom of speech/expression or some other freedom.

The anti-Israel activists argue that opposition to Israel is not anti-Jew hatred, and in certain respects, that is true. Indeed, many of these activists are Jews themselves (in some fashion or other). Yet, it is also true that many of these campus anti-Israel events have, indeed, degenerated into name-calling against Jews as people with obscene chants that are unrelated to Israel. The support that many in the Jewish community have for Israel is often being used to bring up many of the traditional canards about Jews controlling the government of the US, our politicians, the media, Hollywood, our banks, our money, and so on. It has now infected the Occupy Wall Street movement. This same anti-Jew hatred, combined with the Israel/Palestinian conflict, has resulted in a resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe, where Jews must exercise caution in wearing religious grab on the street.

Both of these articles hit the nail on the head and raise issues that cry out for the attention of the American public and media.