"Beneath the Helmet" Will Return to UC Irvine

I have been asked by Stand With Us to post the below information and announcement.  I am happy to do so. If you are in the area on June 8, I urge you to go and support Jewish students at UCI who have been under attack. Show the hooligans that their tactics of disruption will not work and are rejected by decent people.
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On May 18, anti-Israel protesters tried to intimidate pro-Israel students watching the film

“Beneath the Helmet” on the UCI campus. 

They tried to suppress free speech and freedom of assembly, to smother ideas, and to bully those who are not like them.

This is not our way.  It is dangerous.  It is unacceptable. And we will not be silenced.

Please join the UCI Jewish and pro-Israel communities for a special re-screening of Beneath The Helmet on the UCI campus:

COMMUNITY EVENT: UCI Stands For Free Speech!

Wednesday, June 8, 2016 at 7pm

UCI Student Center, Crystal Cove Auditorium, A

311 W Peltason Dr, Irvine, CA 92697

Admission is free, but all attendees must register to attend:

http://offers.jerusalemu.org/UCI

GUEST SPEAKERS:

Elan Carr,  an American attorney, criminal gang prosecutor at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office and a former president of Alpha Epsilon Pi, the global Jewish fraternity.

Commander Eden Adler, star of Beneath The Helmet

Special thanks to the UCI campus police for making this event a Safe Space for Free Speech.

All the best, 

Sgula

--

Sgula Dershowitz

Southwest Campus Coordinator

Sgulad@standwithus.com

Cell: 929-286-2500www.standwithus.com
www.facebook.com/StandWithUs

-- 

Roz Rothstein, CEO,

Will Milo Be Disrupted at UC Irvine?

Hat tip Campus Reform

The College Republicans at UC Irvine are requesting that security be provided on June 2 when Milo Yiannopoulos is scheduled to appear. There have reportedly been threats made against the appearance and promises to disrupt it.

http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=7637

“We must scrutinize the ideologies of civility if we begin with the understanding that dominant ideology is tied to the interests of the ruling class. ‘Civility’ as an ideology is a pillar of white supremacist imperialism,” SJP wrote in a statement on its Facebook. “Civility reveals itself to be wholly irrational—the only rational response to calls for civility may be to become willfully uncivil. To act out. To disrupt and disorient.”

That is totally in line with the document that came out of SUNY (University) in Binghamton, NY that outlined SJP's commitment to disrupt pro-Israel events. I suggest UCI administrators read it.

An Egyptian-German lectures Arabs About Jew Hatred

Hat tip Gates of Vienna


Hamed Abdel Samad
"This hatred is poisoning us..."


Among the few voices of courage in Europe these days there is an Egyptian-German author and scholar named Hamed Abdel Samad. Gates of Vienna has posted this video with sub-titles, in which Samad speaks about Islamic Jew hatred. The video lasts  about 8 minutes and is enlightening.

http://gatesofvienna.net/2016/05/hamed-abdel-samad-this-hatred-is-poisoning-us/

Kudos to Mr Samad. I wonder how many death threats and fatwas he has against him.

Two Names on a Wall (2016)

As I do each Memorial Day weekend, I am re-posting "Two Names on a Wall", a tribute to Michael Vinassa and Dorian Houser, two of my high school buddies who we lost in Viet Nam. There are no new updates this year, just a re-posting of last year's update.




As I do each Memorial Day weekend, I am reposting what I initially wrote in tribute to two of my high school buddies who died in the Vietnam war.


Dorian Jan Houser (1946-1967)
Michael G Vinassa (1946-1966)



The recent news that someone had defaced the Viet Nam War Memorial in Washington served to bring back my memories of two of my childhood friends whose names appear on that wall. Mike Vinassa and Dorian Houser were both from west Los Angeles, where I also grew up. We belonged to the same high school social club. All three of us entered military service after high school. I was assigned to Germany; they were sent to Viet Nam. I returned and went on with the rest of my life. They died in Viet Nam. Forty years later, with our country once again at war and American soldiers sacrificing their lives for America, we should also remember those that gave their lives in Viet Nam.

Dorian

I first knew Dorian in the 1950s. He and his brother, Lee, played on my little league team. Their father was our coach. Later, my relationship with Dory continued in school. In high school, we both belonged to a club called the Chancellors of Venice. As was common in west LA, there were many (off-campus) clubs formed for social purposes. We all had our club jackets, with the name of the club and locale (Venice or WLA) embroidered on the back. The colors of the clubs varied (ours was green). As we ended our high school days, these clubs disbanded as we went our separate ways-off to college, work or military service. In Dory's case, he entered the Marines in 1966, and after training, was sent to Viet Nam. On May 10, 1967, one month before his 21st birthday, he was killed in Quang Tin. He was hit in the chest by shrapnel and killed instantly.

I happened to be home on leave from Germany when we got the news that Dory was dead. I was able to attend his funeral before returning back to Germany. I'm a little embarrassed to admit it after all these years, but I chose not to wear my uniform to the funeral, simply because I was afraid his family might react emotionally to it. I have always regretted that decision.

Dory was the kind of guy that no one could dislike. He was friendly and unassuming. Needless to say, his funeral was a sad and emotional event. In the last couple of years, I have visited his grave a couple of times since my mother-in-law is interred in the same cemetery. About a year ago, I came across a posting about Dory by his sister. She described her brother and was looking for anyone who knew Dory and remembered him. I answered her post, but the email is no longer valid. As yet, I have not been able to contact her.


Mike


Mike Vinassa was also a member of the Chancellors. He was a stout, barrel-chested kid with a big tattoo on his shoulder, something unusual at the time for someone so young (still in high school). Needless to say, he was tough and didn't mind a good fight. Most other kids knew not to mess with him, but among his friends, he was well-liked. I remember one night we were at a party and he wanted to (playfully) roughhouse with me. We started slap-fighting and wrestling on the front yard of the house, and (somehow) I was able to throw him to the ground and fall on top of him. As you may know, innocent roughhousing among teenagers can easily turn into a real fight, and I remember thinking that Mike might suddenly get mad, so I rolled over and let him get on top, thus letting him win the match.

After high school, I went on to complete 2 years of college before I entered the Army. I basically lost touch with Mike and Dory at that time.

I had recently arrived at my post of duty in Germany when I came across Mike's name while reading the Viet Nam obituaries in the Army Times. It wasn't until several months ago that I learned the circumstances of Mike's death, which occurred on May 22, 1966.

Mike was a member of C Co, Ist Bn, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cav Division (US Army). Ironically, Mike was a short-timer, soon to return to the US, and, on that day, assigned to non-combat duties. Yet he insisted on accompanying his unit on a final combat mission in the Vinh Thanh Valley. It was on that final mission, that Mike lost his life-under heroic conditions. He personally led a group of his comrades in charging and taking out a machine gun nest that was pinning down his unit, but was fatally shot in the process. For his actions, Mike was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. His sole survivor was his mother.

In subsequent years, I have been able to find both their names on the Viet Nam Memorial. (I was living in the Washington area at the time.) As stated, I have visited Dory's grave, but as yet, have not identified Mike's cemetery. When I look back at my life after the Army, I contemplate how I finished college, began my career, got married, had children, retired, and now find myself in my 60s. But as I looked down on Dory's grave, I realized that he and Mike are frozen in time-forever 20 years old. I wonder what became of their parents, the rest of the families.

In a sense, today's soldiers are more fortunate than those who went to Viet Nam. The overwhelming majority of the American people greatly respect them (with the notable exception of the usual mindless idiots who are not worth further mention in this essay). Soldiers returning from Viet Nam were often subject to dispicable treatment from those of their own generation who did everything they could to avoid military service. Once the Viet Nam War ended, the country wanted to forget about it as quickly as possible-after all, it was just a tragic period in our history. We also forgot about our Viet Nam veterans who came back alive-in so many cases, as walking wounded. They deserved so much better from us. They are still among us, and in many cases, still wounded.

All of us who lost friends or family members in Viet Nam should try to keep their memories alive and honor them. God rest their souls.

Michael G Vinassa- Panel 07E, line 104
Dorian Jan Houser- Panel 19E, line 082

Update:

My original post was discovered on the internet by Dory's sister, who was naturally shocked and deeply touched. She currently lives in central California. We exchanged a couple of e-mails. I learned that Dory's dad had passed on, but that his brother was still around and doing fine.

I finally discovered that Mike was interred at Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills. As yet, I have not gotten up there to visit his grave, but I will. I learned from a mutual childhood friend that Mike's father had been killed in the Korean war. Mike was all his Mom had.
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Update:

Last year, I was finally able to pay my respects at Mike's grave at Forest Lawn in Hollywood Hills. Even though I was able to obtain the grave marker and a map from the office, finding graves at Forest Lawn proved to be tricky since the little stone markers they use to give row and plot numbers are worn. (I was also looking for my aunt's grave, but never could find it.) In addition, there was a driving rainstorm. It took over 30 minutes, but I finally find Mike's grave. His Mom, who lost Mike's father in Korea, now lies next to him.  Because of the weather, I wasn't able to linger long. The next time I am in LA, I will try and return.

Last year, I was also contacted by a high school friend of Dory's (whom I had not known). He also served in Viet Nam, was living in Florida, and was trying to find where Dory was buried. I was able to give him the information he needed, plus put him in contact with Dory's sister. He is determined to come to California and pay his respects to Dory in the near future.

One way or another and to one extent or another, our generation was marked by Viet Nam, whether we served there or not. For Dory, Mike, 58,000+ other Americans and millions of
Vietnamese, the scar was total. In addition, we still have survivors among us from World War II, the Korean War, and the wars since Vietnam, not to mention that still on-going in Afghanistan. This is why Memorial Day is an important day for us all. If we ever forget their sacrifices, then we will have lost our greatness.

Update (2015) Just days ago, I was at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City attending the funeral of the father of my brother-in-law. I used the occasion to visit Dorian's grave and show my daughter the final resting place of one of our Vietnam fallen, a young man of my own age who never lived to see his 21st birthday.  

Cal State LA (My Alma Mater): What a Mess

Hat tip The College Fix and College Insurrection

"Shapiro raus!"


As a Cal State University alum, It really pains me to write this piece. (Not really.) Their president, a bozo named William Covino, embarrassed by the Ben Shapiro incident, apparently thinks the solution to stopping student riots is to put up roadblocks for conservative speakers.

http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/27613/

And there's more: While Covino tries to formulate a strategy to avoid the "tragedy" of conservative speakers on his campus, one of his professors has called Shapiro, "neo-nazi" fully aware that he is Jewish.

http://collegeinsurrection.com/2016/05/california-state-university-los-angeles-prof-calls-ben-shapiro-a-nazi/

"During the same session, professor Melinda Abdullah, chair of the college’s Pan-African Studies department, told Covino that she found Shapiro to be an advocate of “anti-blackness,” even calling him a “neo-Nazi,” which she said is “ironic” because she knows he’s Jewish."

I would like to ask Ms Abdullah:  Just who acted like Neo-Nazis during the Shapiro appearance at CSULA?

UCLA Professor Loses European Fellowship Position

Hat tip Daily Bruin


UCLA Professor Gabriel Piterberg has resigned from a fellowship position with an Italian university. Piterberg is under fire over allegations of improper sexual advances with two co-eds at UCLA.


http://dailybruin.com/2016/05/26/professor-involved-in-title-ix-lawsuit-resigns-from-fellowship-position/

Piterberg, of course, has served as a director of UCLA's partisan and discredited Center for Near Eastern Studies, mostly noted for its opposition to Israel. I guess if the students succeed in their drive to force him out of UCLA over the sexual allegations, he can still get speaking gigs on campuses to trash Israel.

UCI Professor Calls Disruption "Robust Argumentation"

Hat tip New University


This past week, a UC Irvine student wrote an op-ed defending the disruption at UCI wrapped in academic, intellectual language. I added my own critical comment.

I have no desire to publicize my disagreement with the young man who wrote the op-ed on this site. He is, after all, a student, and I will let it go at that.

My comment did, however, elicit a reply from one Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, a professor of African-American studies at UCI. Ms Willoughby-Herard objected to my criticizing the writer's "brilliant essay" by referring to left-wing "loopy professors", whom she prefers to describe as thinking people. In her comment she refers to the disruption at UCI last week by Students for Justice in Palestine as "robust argumentation". Naturally, I have joined the battle.

http://www.newuniversity.org/2016/05/opinion/suggestions-of-civility-promote-campus-censorship/comment-page-1/#comment-104531


Here is the relevant thread:

gary fouse says:

May 24, 2016 at 4:02 pm

Wow. Where did you get that from-Foucault, Paolo Freire-or perhaps from one of your loopy left-wing professors?

Yes, we expect civility in a civilized nation. It is not something that belongs only to “white supremacist imperialists”.

What happened last week illustrates all too well the cancer that exists not only at UCI, not only in UC, but in campuses across this nation. It also illustrates which side is the right side in the dispute at issue.

(And it is not the Palestinian side.)

Tiffany Willoughby-Herard says:

May 25, 2016 at 5:53 pm

Funny to describe professors who would agree with such robust argumentation as “loopy”–does that imply crazy, or unstable, or ridiculous? Well, I guess all of us who can identify a well made argument that understands the actual stakes of its points are just “loopy”–but to tell you the truth I would prefer to be deemed “loopy” every day all day, as insulting as that name is meant to be if it means I can be an actual thinker and intellectual. Name calling though it reveals the terms that have been set for this discussion is not an intellectual position. At a university we come to conclusions through thinking. Please before you offer a reply to this brilliant essay by Miguel Olveras make sure you remember that a university we are committed to THINKING.

reply

• 
• gary fouse says:

  Your comment is awaiting moderation.
  

  May 28, 2016 at 12:20 pm

  Looking at your faculty profile, it seems your idea of thinking centers around ethnic studies, gender studies and Queer studies. You obviously live in the world of identity politics and theory. Me-I live in the real world.

  As far as the mantle of loopy left-wing professors, if the shoe fits, wear it.

  Happy thinking.

  reply
• gary fouse says:

  Your comment is awaiting moderation.
  

  May 28, 2016 at 12:40 pm

  Robust argumentation? When people try to crash into a room, block exits, scream and disrupt terrorizing young female students in the process, that is not robust argumentation. That smacks of brown shirt tactics.

  And you know what? I have been attended their (MSU/SJP) events for years. I never disrupt or try to shut down an event. I listen, videotape (which is my right), and ask questions during q and a. I respect their right to hold an event and speak their mind. I counter by speaking my mind but while following the protocols.

  What “thinking” was SJP et al exhibiting last Wednesday night?

  reply

Robust argumentation!!!

DePaul Followup: Adding Insult to Apology

Hat tip The College Fix

As we eagerly await the arrival of Milo Yiannopoulos at UC Irvine on June 2, DePaul's president, a bratwurst weenie named Dennis Holtschneider, issued a half-hearted statement all the way from France for the disruption that took place at DePaul this week.


http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/27592/



Holtschneiders brats in action at DePaul (Yiannopulos in red shirt)

It gets worse. Writing from Normandie, no less, this boob even had the gall (Gaul?) to compare the protesters to the Americans who landed at Omaha Beach in 1944!

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/may/26/milo-yiannopoulos-protesters-likened-to-d-day-troo/

There must have been about 2,000 fallen turning in their graves as this dolt stood there and compared them to his spoiled brats (no pun intended) at DePaul.

Is Hillel Trying to Whitewash the SJP Incident at UCI?

"Iiiiiiiis it true Department"


Is it true that the Orange County Jewish Federation and Hillel are trying to keep the investigation into the disruption of a Jewish event last week at UC Irvine by Students for Justice in Palestine within the university?  Is it true that UCI, Hillel, and the Jewish Federation are coordinating their public responses to what happened? Is it true that Jewish students who were present at the event are being told by Hillel and the Jewish Federation not to speak to outside parties (like Campus Reform)?

Just asking.

College Republicans and Young Americans for Liberty at UCI Demand Security for Milo Yiannopoulos Event June 2

As previously reported, conservative gay pundit, Milo Yiannopoulos, is coming to UCI Irvine June 2nd. Just days ago, he was disrupted at DePaul University, and the micro and macro-aggressed at UCI are all in a twitter about his coming to UCI. I have already had an interchange  with the vice provost of equity, diversity and inclusion, Douglas Haynes, over this issue and the problem of anti-Semitism at UCI.

The College Republicans, who are co-sponsoring the event with Young Americans for Liberty, have gone on their Facebook page to demand that UCI provide appropriate security for expected disruptions.


https://www.facebook.com/collegerepublicansatUCI/?fref=nf

All I can say is that it is on my calendar and I will bring my video camera in case of disruptions.

Enough said.

Oh yeah. It is good to see UCI's College Republicans return.

Campus Reform Continues Investigation of UC Incident

Here is the latest from Campus Reform. Yours truly is mentioned prominently since CR has used information from my blog.

http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=7632

Before I comment, there is some housecleaning to do. There is a quote taken from one of my blog postings that contains a misprint, which leads to a small factual error. I highlighted two words (and/at) that led to the error.

"Fouse, who has carefully tracked Hillel’s activity at UCI, has his own theory about the event, arguing that the university is covering up instances of anti-Semitism in order to maintain its appeal to Jewish students.

“Hillel and UCI and the OC Jewish Federation, along with their money arm, the Rose Project, have a long history of being in bed with the university and downplaying any act of anti-Semitism at UCI, which has been documented on this site for years,” he wrote. “In my opinion, they have a conflict of interest in that if Jewish students decide not to attend UCI because of its perceived reputation for anti-Semitism then they have no reason for being involved on campus.”

Here is what I actually wrote in a blog posting which CR used:

http://garyfouse.blogspot.com/2016/05/hillel-and-jewish-federation-of-oc.html

"Here is what I think has occurred. Hillel at UCI and the OC Jewish Federation, along with their money arm, the Rose Project, have a long history of being in bed with the university and downplaying any act of anti-Semitism at UCI, which has been documented on this site for years. In my opinion, they have a conflict of interest in that if Jewish students decide not to attend UCI because of its perceived reputation for anti-Semitism (thanks to the Muslim Student Union and Students for Justice in Palestine) then they (Federation/Hillel) have no reason for being involved on campus."

So to clarify, while I stand by my belief that UCI has refused to acknowledge and confront anti-Semitism over the years, it is specifically the Jewish Federation and Hillel of Orange County (not UCI) that I believe want to downplay incidents of anti-Semitism because they fear that Jewish students will be reluctant to attend UCI. That I stand by. I have asked CR to make the appropriate correction.

Now let's get back to business. Taking another quote from the CR post:

“The people who know us best—virtually all members of our tremendous Jewish student body, the leaders of our local Hillel and Chabad chapters, and our community partners such as the Jewish Federation and Family Services of Orange County and the Rose Project would disagree with this characterization,” he continues, even saying his school is “consistently praised for [its] efforts at creating an outstanding environment for [its] Jewish students,” even though watchdog organizations have listed a number of anti-Semitic events on campus for years."

(-Chancellor Howard Gillman)

I have no opinion about Chabad, but this seems to lend weight to criticisms of the relationship between UCI, Hillel and the Jewish Federation. Maybe UCI should take a step back and consider the long-standing allegations of Hillel and The Federation clamping down on Jewish students who speak out. If those allegations are true, the university is tarnishing itself by its continued close relationship with these entities. (Hillel and the Rose Project are essentially subsidiaries of the Jewish Federation.)

* Update (May 28) : Regarding the above two paragraphs: The reader should not infer that CR is charging collusion between the university, Hillel and the Jewish Federation because of my above comments following the CR quote by Gillman. They are not. My comments in the above paragraph are based on my own observations over the years independent of this latest issue.

In addition, the CR post indicates that there may be an effort by Hillel and the Jewish Federation to keep the investigation of last week's incident in-house-that is those Jewish students involved are possibly being told not to cooperate with Campus Reform. I am not prepared to make that accusation yet as to last week's incident. 

"Fouse also told Campus Reform that he thinks Orange County Hillel encourages its students to stand down from intimidation. A few students who Campus Reform initially contacted have either ignored or declined requests for comment after initial publication."

Of course, I stand by the first statement in that above paragraph. While I don't know if such is the case now, I would not be surprised.

State Dept. IG Report Damns Hillary Clinton

Now even the mainstream press is having to report developments in the Hillary Clinton email scandal. There is this from the New York Times reporting the release of the State Department's IG report, which is damning.


http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/26/us/politics/state-department-hillary-clinton-emails.html?_r=0

"The report, delivered to members of Congress, undermined some of Mrs. Clinton’s previous statements defending her use of the server and handed her Republican critics, including the party’s presumptive nominee for president, Donald J. Trump, new fodder to attack her just as she closes in on the Democratic nomination."

No, the report strengthens the FBI case against Mrs Clinton and makes it more likely that the FBI will recommend prosecution. The actual report is linked on the NY Times story or can accessed below.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/05/25/us/politics/state-dept-emails-evaluation-hillary-clinton.html?version=meter+at+1&module=meter-Links&pgtype=article&contentId=&mediaId=&referrer=&priority=true&action=click&contentCollection=meter-links-click

Meanwhile, the State Dept. spokesman, Mark Toner, was having a bad week. On Wednesday during his regular press briefing, he was clearly not prepared to discuss the report. (Hat tip Mediaite)

http://www.mediaite.com/online/in-tense-briefing-on-clinton-audit-report-state-dept-spokesman-cant-seem-to-speak/


But that wasn't the worst of it. Toner also told reporters that classified information was not compromised. After being corrected by a reporter who said that the IG report did not say whether or not classified information had been compromised, Toner had to apologize and admit he had misspoken. (Hat tip Washington Free Beacon) Clearly flustered he then told reporters they would have to consult with her (Clinton's team) to determine if compromise had occurred.

Clinton's team.

That would be campaign manager Brian Fallon who even as the IG report was released, is lying to the media about the findings.

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/state-department-cant-definitely-say-clinton-server-wasnt-hacked-successfully/

This report basically drops a ton of damning information into the lap of the FBI, much of which-if not all of which- they have already learned and corroborated through testimony and evidence.

The hacks of the State Department has been guilty of covering up for Hillary Clinton's abuses. They have stonewalled FOIA requests as well as federal judges. They have been forced to produce documents every step of the way. The IG, apparently, is an exception to all that.

I suspect the mainstream media, which desperately wants Clinton to become president is figuring it out that they cannot continue to ignore or downplay this story.

What a President Sanders Would Mean for Israel

Think having Bernie Sanders, who would be our first Jewish president would be good for Israel? Think again. Sanders is one who clearly tilts to the Palestinian side. That is evidenced by his platform wishes and some of his newly-discovered political allies. The Zionist organization of America has issued a statement of concern.


http://zoa.org/2016/05/10324192-zoa-appalled-by-bernie-sanders-nominees-for-drafting-democratic-platform-on-middle-east/

That pretty much says it all.

UCI Hillel Says Jewish Students "Not Disrupted"

UCI/Orange County Hillel has come out with a series of questionable statements regarding the disruption of a Jewish event at UCI last week. On May 20, 1:42 pm, they put this beauty up on their Facebook page. According to this statement, Students for Justice in Palestine did not disrupt the Jewish film event or shut it down.

https://www.facebook.com/HillelAtUCI/

"Correcting the record regarding inaccuracies reported in Campus Reform. The Students Supporting Israel event was not disrupted or shut down by protestors. Students watched the film until the credits rolled and left when they decided to leave." (emphasis mine)

Not disrupted?

The event may not have been shut down in that the film was allowed to continue until it was concluded, but I think we can say with authority that it was certainly disrupted.

UC Irvine Response to AMCHA Letter

The Orange County Register today is running an article about the letter  sent to UCI by the AMCHA Initiative in the wake of last Wednesday's disruption of a Jewish event by Students for Justice in Palestine.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/anti-717238-uci-students.html

"UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman responded that the university is taking the May 18 incident “very seriously.” But the characterization of pervasive anti-Semitism on campus is wrong, he said."

“We are consistently praised for our efforts at creating an outstanding environment for our Jewish students,” Gillman said. “Our Jewish students have become so frustrated by the false and malicious characterizations of their experiences on our campus that they have posted their own YouTube video to try to correct the record.”

That video which is linked above was produced by the Rose Project and their parent organization, the Jewish Federation of Orange County, which has always been embedded within the university and has always taken the public position that, in their own words, "Jewish life is thriving at UCI." However, they have historically tried to downplay the problems of anti-Semitism. It is hardly surprising that UCI would respond with a video produced by the Federation/Rose Project. Similarly, UCI has responded to an avalanche of letters since the disruption by linking the (2nd) statement of Hillel/Jewish Federation about the incident (which was roundly criticized for downplaying the disruption) in their (UCI's) standard response letter. It is another example of the unhealthy relationship between the university and the Jewish Federation and Hillel.

In a sense, Gillman is correct when he says anti-Semitism is not pervasive on the UCI campus. As I have always said, 99% of UCI's students have nothing to do with this. There are long stretches of time when all is well and quiet. But because of the Israel-Palestine conflict, which has been orchestrated into such a hot button topic on all the UC campuses, sooner or later, something happens-usually when anti-Israel speakers come during the annual May "hate week" or when an Israeli or pro-Israeli speaker comes as happened last week. Jewish life was not thriving at UCI last Wednesday night, and these incidents have gone on too long on too many UC campuses (as well as other campuses across the nation).

Chabad at UCI Responds to SJP Intimidation

Today, in response to last week's despicable disruption of a Jewish event at UC Irvine by Students for Justice in Palestine and other student groups, Chabad at UCI held a 2-hour rally on campus to affirm their Jewish identity and support for Israel as well as to say that they will not be intimidated.

* Chabad is an orthodox Jewish branch that has a presence on campus. They are currently led by Rabbi Zevi Tenenbaum, who was the master of ceremonies. There was dancing and music was provided by Rabbi Blue (pictured below).

Altogether, there were some 40-50 people who came mostly from the community to show their support for Jewish students. Several students stopped by the watch and listen to the Israeli-Jewish themed music. There was a small campus police presence as well as several top university officials who observed (probably to see if any disruptions occurred. There were none.)

During the event, Rabbi Tenenbaum spoke and affirmed that they would not be intimidated by last week's event from showing their Jewish pride and support for Israel. I took a few pictures and brief videos.

Rabbi Blue

Hillel and Jewish Federation of OC Issue Third Statement on Last Week's Disruption

The Orange County Jewish Federation and Orange County Hillel have issued yet another statement on the ugly disruption of a Jewish event on the UCI campus last week by Students for Justice in Palestine and other student groups. In contrast to their second statement, which made it sound like it was just a routine protest handled efficiently and quietly by campus police, this one acknowledges that there was intimidation and violation of the free speech rights of the Students Supporting Israel. It acknowledges that there was an "aggressive, screaming mob" attempting to force its way into the room of Jewish students.

http://www.elabs10.com/functions/message_view.html?mid=4266734&mlid=116679&siteid=2010001851&uid=b853607687

"Hillel Foundation of Orange County, which operates Hillel at UCI, along with the Rose Project of Jewish Federation & Family Services, condemn in the strongest terms the verbal and physical harassment and intimidation of Jewish students, and the assault on their First Amendment right to assemble by the UCI chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace and their supporters. We state clearly and unequivocally that we support the right of all students to exercise their First Amendment rights, but no student or student organization has the right to  infringe on the rights of others or to instill feelings of insecurity, anxiety or fear.  The attempt that night by an aggressive, screaming mob to force its way into a room of Jewish students, and the pursuit of a Jewish student that forced her to hide in the dark in terror, are unconscionable acts that have no place on a university campus or in American society."

That is quite a contrast from their second missive. In that statement, they took issue with the article that Campus Reform posted based on eyewitness statements. The below link has that statement plus the first statement the OC Federation and Hillel  issued.

http://garyfouse.blogspot.com/2016/05/hillel-statement-on-uc-irvine-disruption.html

"There are several critical inaccuracies in the Campus Reform (CR) account of what happened at UC Irvine on the evening of Wednesday, May 18 when a group of protesters demonstrated outside an event sponsored by the student organization Students Supporting Israel (SSI).

The Students Supporting Israel event was not, as the Campus Reform article implies, shut down. According to eyewitnesses, including local Hillel professionals, the Jewish students were not in any way forced to retreat. When the police arrived, they ensured the SSI program could continue. One officer remained in the classroom with the students until the film was over and they concluded their program. 

The protestors were allowed to remain outside of the building.

When the SSI students were ready to leave, the officers moved the protestors to an area sufficiently distant from the exit, so that neither group was visible to one another. The police then escorted the SSI students to their cars and an Assistant Vice Chancellor stayed to assist the students. 

Hillel is working with the university police and administration to ensure this incident is appropriately resolved." 

And just what were those "several critical inaccuracies"? The only one that is mentioned is that CR "implied" that the event was shut down and could not be completed. Here is the CR report.


http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=7605

"A spokesperson for Hillel International, which had a representative on hand at the event, elaborated on the officers' involvement, saying that while the protest was allowed to continue outside the venue, one officer was stationed inside to ensure that the SSI students could complete their program without interference." (emphasis mine)

So where are the critical inaccuracies in the CR article?

Here is what I think has occurred. Hillel at UCI and the OC Jewish Federation, along with their money arm, the Rose Project, have a long history of being in bed with the university and downplaying any act of anti-Semitism at UCI, which has been documented on this site for years. In my opinion, they have a conflict of interest in that if Jewish students decide not to attend UCI because of its perceived reputation for anti-Semitism (thanks to the Muslim Student Union and Students for Justice in Palestine) then they (Federation/Hillel) have no reason for being involved on campus.

So now we have the spectacle of these Jewish organizations tripping over themselves to amend previous statements. As they say in all of their statements, they are working hand in hand with UCI. Of course they are like fleas on the back of a rhino.

Here is another thought: When they came out with their second statement, which was a call to the community that "all is well", they were contradicted and called on it not only by this site, but by others, including the Orange County Independent Task Force on Anti-Semitism.

For years, these two organizations have worked to obstruct our efforts to inform the local Jewish community of the problems at UCI.  I am not prepared to make any accusations at this point, but we are watching closely. If it comes out that they are trying to sweep this latest outrage under the rug, we and others will report it. The reaction to their second statement may have convinced them that it would not be a good idea.