Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Not Including Jews)

Hat tip Debbie.

May 2017: Students for Justice in Palestine disrupt pro-Israel event at UC Irvine

I am cross-posting an article from the Coalition for Jewish Values, an organization of over 2,000 Orthodox Jewish rabbis (based in Baltimore), in which they ask if university Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) departments (the exact name varies from university to university) might actually be contributing to anti-Semitism on campus. 

Linked in the article is a more extensive article, also linked here, by the Heritage Foundation, which points out some troubling results of a study they conducted that would buttress the above suspicion. The article is authored by Jay Greene and James Paul.

From my own experience teaching part-time at UC Irvine Extension from 1998-2016, I think that valid questions are raised. The UC Irvine Office of Inclusive Excellence was established a few years ago. I know for a fact that this office has condemned anti-Semitic expressions on campus and anti-Semitism in general. I am certainly not accusing anyone at that office of actually being anti-Semitic. The fact is, however, that after a swastika appears, or some anti-Semitic expression is uttered, most all universities will make the appropriate expressions of support for the Jewish students on their respective campuses. The question is what steps they are taking to combat the problem. The truth is that too many universities have allowed the problem to fester and grow over many years without taking corrective action.

One problem I see is that quite often, the perpetrators of anti-Semitic expressions are often found close to the DEI departments. In the case of UC Irvine, when I was working there, I personally witnessed students disrupting pro-Israel events marching out of the Cross Cultural Center (CCC) and back when their disruption ended. Indeed, the CCC at UC Irvine was basically a clubhouse for the Muslim Student Union (MSU) and their allies in the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) Many of these students belonged to both groups. (The SJP chapter at UC Irvine was formed after the suspension of the MSU for their disruption of Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren's speech in 2010.)

One question that must be asked is who makes up these DEI departments on campuses? Indeed, this is one of the biggest boom industries (Diversity) in America. Without trying to examine each and every campus, I think it is safe to say that these are hardly environments in which Jews who support Israel would find themselves comfortable. In my view, while the stated purpose of these offices is noble, in practice, it is often something else. There are victim groups and there are oppressor groups. Whites are the oppressors, and Jews are lumped in with the privileged, oppressing whites-largely thanks to the rampant propaganda in our universities that Israel is oppressing the Palestinians (a "victim" group).

It is also my view that DEI offices are often closely allied with the various ethnic studies departments on campus which generally portray their own group as victims. That is especially true of Middle East Studies departments, who are dominated by anti-Israel activists and professors. But for certain other groups, inclusion is not the case. Ask any College Republican, Trump supporter, or a Jewish student who supports Israel. Do they really feel that their campus DEI represents and welcomes them? I think not. 

As for those truly racist whites, they hold no sway on a university campus. Few (who have made it to college) would express their racist views openly on any campus. Yet, it is they who get most of the blame for anti-Semitism along with Trump supporters. It is all a canard. The prime perpetrators of campus anti-Semitism are to be found in the Muslim Student Association/Union chapters and in SJP. It is the anti-Israel rhetoric that dominates on college campuses and anti-Semitism is a direct result. I would love to see one of these DEI entities on any campus publicly call out the MSA or SJP for anti-Semitic expressions. I am not holding my breath.

In addition, the false theory of intersectionality has managed to convince many college students that Israel is responsible for many of the problems facing minorities in the US, for example, police shooting of black suspects since some American cops have received training from Israel. We saw that accusation hurled during the George Floyd episode because some Minneapolis police officers had received Israeli training in the past. And you wonder why Jews were attacked during riots across the country in the wake of George Floyd's death?

Rather than achieving their stated purpose, DEI departments in our universities are creating divisions between students. It's "us vs. them". "Inclusion for me, but not for thee." In my view, these departments are a waste of resources and money at best and have a negative effect on campus climate at worst. Looking at what is going on at campuses around the country, it is hard to argue that these DEI offices are having a positive effect.