Hateful Residue of Israel Apartheid Week at UC San Diego

Hat tip Writing the Wrongs


This month, UC San Diego held their week of anti-Israel events week following that of UC Irvine. As a result, a petition letter  is in progress to be sent to the UCSD administration complaining of anti-Semitism directed at Jewish students as a result of these annual events.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LetterToUCSDChancellor

Dear Chancellor Fox, Vice Chancellor Rue, and President Yudof:

We are Jewish students at UCSD who are deeply dismayed and offended that the following UCSD academic departments and administrative offices were listed as Endorsers and Sponsors of the Muslim Students Association’s “Justice in Palestine Week: 21st Century Apartheid” (See posters here), which took place 5/14 – 5/17:

African American Studies Minor
Critical Gender Studies
Chican@/Latin@ Arts and Humanities Minor
Ethnic Studies Department
Cross Cultural Center

As in previous years, the MSA’s week of events included numerous speakers and exhibits that demonized Israel through rhetoric and imagery deemed anti-Semitic by the U.S. State Department and promoted efforts to harm the Jewish state through boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaigns.

We feel that these annual events foment hatred and hostility not only towards Israel, but towards Jewish students like ourselves who identify with Israel, causing us to feel uncomfortable and unsafe on our own campus. Moreover, we believe these events violate UCSD’s Principles of Community, which “reject acts of discrimination,” “promote open expression.. within the bounds of courtesy, sensitivity…and respect,” and support a community “where all people can work and learn together in an atmosphere free of abusive or demeaning treatment.”

While we acknowledge the MSA students’ right to freedom of speech, we are outraged and distressed that university departments and administrative offices condone and support such hateful and divisive behavior, which so blatantly violates UCSD’s Principles of Community.

As you may remember, two years ago a delegation of Jewish students met with you and Vice Chancellor Penny Rue to express their distress that so many university departments and administrative offices had endorsed or sponsored the MSA’s “Justice in Palestine Week 2010: End the Apartheid.” Unfortunately, the serious and legitimate concerns which the students raised were not addressed at that meeting, and consequently Jewish students like ourselves continue to feel that faculty and administrative endorsement and sponsorship of anti-Semitic events contribute to a hostile environment for many on our campus.

We are aware that as a result of an investigation by the Department of Justice and the Department of Education into incidents of racist bigotry occurring at UCSD in 2010, the University recently agreed to adopt a comprehensive set of remedial programs and activities directed specifically at addressing racial discrimination and harassment. We believe that nothing less is required for Jewish students, who feel harassed and intimidated not only by the lies, defamation, and anti-Jewish bigotry promoted during the annual “Justice in Palestine” events, but especially by their endorsement and sponsorship by UCSD academic and administrative units.

Therefore, we urge you to do the following:

1) ensure that no University money or endorsement is given to events that are hateful and discriminatory towards a particular group of students or that violate UCSD’s Principles of Community;

2) broaden the scope of the remedial programs and activities outlined in the Resolution Agreement between UCSD, the DOJ, and the DOE to include anti-Semitic discrimination and harassment.

We look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, The Undersigned

Such is the case on many of the UC campuses. It has been clear for some time now that Chancellor Fox and Vice Chancellor Rue (are they still there?) have different standards when it comes to hate directed at students. As I have written often, in the past couple of years, that campus has seen more than its share of racially-tinged incidents. When some dopey students held an off-campus party called the "Compton Cookout", featuring spoofs on inner city black lifestyles, followed soon by the discovery of a green rope tied in a noose in the library, the campus was turned upside down in an effort to ensure African-American students at UCSD that they were, indeed, welcome.  Yet, both incidents are swathed in mystery as to who was responsible, and the Black Student Union swiftly followed up with a list of demands of the administration in terms of hiring, admissions and facilities for African-Americans. Then, soon afterward, when David Horowitz spoke at UCSD, a female member of the Muslim Student Association told Horowitz that she agreed with the call of the head of Hezbollah in Lebanon that all Jews should gather in Israel so that the job of hunting them down would be easier. What was the response to that? The student issued a "clarifying" statement and the school issued a statement closing the case.

No big deal.

Now comes this. It's bad enough that a bunch of student groups probably in the name of solidarity with students "of color", co-sponsor this sordid week of indoctrination and lies about Israel, which result in Jewish students being stigmatized. What is unforgivable is that university departments are involved. That means basically that the University of California at San Diego puts its stamp of approval on the thesis and purpose of the event.

What is sorely needed is some new leadership at UCSD, and some new leadership in the UC President's Office.