A Report on Campus Anti-Semitism in the UC System

"One person's hate speech is another person's education."


Peter Menkin is a San Francisco-based writer. He writes largely on religious affairs for a variety of outlets including the Church of England. Several months ago, I was contacted by Mr Menkin, who was working on an article on anti-Semitism on college campuses, mostly within the University of California system. Aside from passing on my observations, experiences and thoughts, I also provided him with names of others to contact.

This morning, Mr Menkin sent me the below piece which is contained in two links. It is not pleasant reading, but the reader will find it informative.

It is also timely coming on the heels of this week's disgraceful resolution passed by the student government of UC Irvine calling for UCI to divest itself from companies doing business with Israel.


http://www.churchnewspaper.com/?p=29151

http://www.churchnewspaper.com/?p=29231

I would like to comment on the remarks by UCI Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky (2nd link). They are nauseating, but totally expected. This character has been denying anti-Semitism at UCI for years-beginning years before he even came to work here. He is an apologist for everything that has brought UCI's reputation into the mud. But what can you expect from a big-time liberal? No bullying at UCI? How about when members of the Muslim Student Union shove cameras into the faces of those filming their Israel Apartheid events? How about a Jewish student having a rock thrown past his head because his t-shirt identified him as Jewish? How about a Jewish camerawoman being followed back to her car and surrounded by thugs so that she had to call campus police (who stood around, did nothing, and blamed her for the incident)?

As a part-time teacher at UCI, I take no pleasure in reading about the crap that goes on at UCI. I am sure that most students on campuses take no pleasure in it either. But until UC President Mark Yudof and the UCI chancellor, vice chancellor and others take solid steps to put an end to this nonsense, the uncomplimentary articles will continue. And when I say "solid steps", I don't mean the Olive Tree Initiative or that Advisory Board on Campus Climate, Culture and Inclusion or whatever they call it. They are nothing more than fig leaves.