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In March of 2012 at UCSD, just as the student government body known as the "AS" (Associated Students) had voted to reject for the third time in as many years a resolution urging the university to divest from some US companies doing business in Israel (it succeeded in the fourth attempt in 2013), a few disgruntled pro-Palestinian students launched an email and web campaign in which they accused a Jewish professor, Shlomo Dubnov, of "verbally attacking a student (originally from Lebanon)". It wasn't true and it never happened. Prof. Dubnov asked UCSD to conduct an investigation, but UCSD refused to do so without a formal complaint, so Prof. Dubnov had to file a complaint (a real one against the phony one submitted by the students) with the office of Discrimination and Harassment. At that point the UCSD administration relented and finally did its job, only to clear Prof. Dubnov of any wrongdoing, recognizing in the process that the student had made up the incident. Happy ending? Hardly. Do you think the defaming student was sanctioned or punished in any way for defaming a tenured professor? Why, you must be joking. He is a Jewish professor. Had he been an African-American or Muslim professor, you would have heard the clamor from the other side of town, but in this case, the administration wanted to avoid the clamors sure to come from the pro-Palestinian crowd. The administration's groveling attitude towards aggressive and intimidating pro-Palestinian activists, both students and faculty, is beyond belief. But that's not even the main issue I wish to raise here. There was a worse aspect to the incident: while he received public support from SPME and StandWithUs, Prof. Dubnov received absolutely no help nor support from the rest of the San Diego Jewish community and its different organizations, and no action to pressure the campus administration to prevent recurrence of such events was attempted. This lack of reaction only reinforced the deliberate strategy of Pro-Palestinian organizations to silence pro-Israel supporters. Community organizations cowered and pretended the incident never happened. That was shameful.
This year, it is another professor who is under fire, at UC Santa Cruz this time. Prof. Tammi Benjamin, who is not Hat tip tenured but has not let that fact stand in the way of her fighting and denouncing the intimidating tactics used by the pro-
Palestinian groups, is being attacked from all sides for having had the audacity to stand up to them. Never mind her free speech rights. Here also, the Jewish community, local or national, is not showing much interest in rushing to her defense. Below is the letter she has written to Mark Yudof, President of the entire UC system. Read it carefully (including the attachment). It is pretty incredible. What is even more incredible is that the UC Santa Cruz administration is not doing anything either to help her out and protect her rights.
Once you have read her letter, one suggested followup action is to write a letter to: Mr. Mark G. Yudof, President, University of California, 1111 Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 94607, or by e-mail at president@ucop.edu to express your concern of this worrisome trend and your support for Professor Tammi Benjamin. The fact that pro-Palestinian activists have already succeeded in creating on so many of our campuses a general climate of insecurity and fear means that they have taken control. If their intimidating tactics are not stopped and altogether banned, we all know what the next phase is going to be: physical attacks on Jewish students and faculty. As the story of antisemitism has illustrated too many times to count, there is a progression from intimidation to insults to assault to killing. Unless that dreadful progression is nipped in the bud and not allowed to stand.
These two cases demonstrate (again) the weakness of the Jewish community when it comes to facing and neutralizing the ever-worsening situation on our campuses. There is no common strategy in place. The few organizations involved, despite arduous and meritorious efforts (unfortunately scattered and not coordinated, precisely), clearly don't have the situation under control. In particular, the San Diego community needs to put in place contingency plans to avoid a repeat of Prof. Dubnov shameful treatment. Ask yourself the following question: what will we do the next time a Jewish professor is slandered and defamed again by a pro-Palestinian student or faculty? Do we have a plan of action in place? I believe we don't. It's time to be better prepared.
J.J. Surbeck
Executive Director
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Chalk up another example of a gentile doing what some Jews don't have the courage to do themselves in facing anti-Semitism.
ReplyDeleteAnd with that statement, chalk up another example of Gary as the Gentile who tells Jews what's good for them.
Tammi needs to lighten up a bit. Some of what she says is true, some is greatly exaggerated, not unlike the propaganda the pro-Palestinian groups put out for their own cause, some of the railing against her is ridiculous, but she cuts such a pompous figure that its hard to work up a lot of sympathy for her. She could be more effectively contemptuous if she weren't so anxious to play the victim card.
This from a bus driver in Wisconsin, who therefore is clearly in the best position to appreciate how dire the situation is at UCSB... and knows enough to tell Tammi that she needs to lighten up a bit. Remind me: who is the pompous windbag here?
ReplyDeleteThose of us who still have a little humility and sense of place do not mind occasional "outside" advice on. We are quite able to heed the good and ignore the bad. Helps us keep stuff, and ourselves, in context and with a bit of perspective, both of which are sorely lacking among much of the population, present company included.
ReplyDeletejjs110, nobody could remind you of anything. You have no memory to dredge any facts out of. As a matter of fact, I think there are a lot of times Tammi should lighten up a bit. Now, did you have anything of substance to say, or are you just blowing hot air to express your displeasure that you can't find a substantive basis to refute what I said?
ReplyDelete(thanks elwood -- not that I'm taking this as a ringing endorsement, just wise words. I didn't see them until after responding to jj