USC's Jewish Problem

I am cross-posting an op-ed in the (Los Angeles) Jewish Journal by my friend Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, former professor of Hebrew at UC Santa Cruz and co-founder of the Amcha Initiative, an organization dedicated to fighting anti-Semitism on college campuses. 

The University of Southern California has experienced a series of anti-Semitic incidents recently. After months of protests and letters, the university has announced a couple of steps designed to combat anti-Semitism. They are cosmetic, in my view, and don't go nearly far enough to tackle the problem.

First, Tammi's op-ed:

 https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/344333/campus-double-standards-and-the-need-to-protect-jewish-and-zionist-students/

"For while the university professes that all students should be free from harmful behaviors that threaten their safety or deny them opportunities to fully participate in their college experience, the school’s policy only affords protection to victims of “discrimination and harassment based on protected characteristics.”

"What this means is students who don’t fit into certain identity groups cannot rely on any of the policy’s protections, even if they fall victim to behavior that exceeds the policy’s threshold for “hostile environment harassment.”

Fousesquawk comment: Tammi is spot on in pointing out where USC falls short of remedying the problem. Jewish students don't fit into any of the categories of "protected" groups. In essence, they are considered whites-privileged whites, in fact. 

So the practical result is that beleaguered Jewish students who are bullied, harassed, and threatened by pro-Palestinian elements on campus get no help from the university. To be specific, their tormenters are generally part of a so-called protected group-Muslims from the various chapters of the Muslim Student Association/Union and their sister organization, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a Brown Shirt organization open to membership for anyone who hates Israel. Basically, SJP is made up of Muslim students and their leftist allies-including misfit Jews.

So the practical result-as I have personally witnessed on campuses-is that disorderly conduct, disruption, and anti-Semitic speech by anti-Israel forces is protected by the university. If Jewish students were to respond in kind against the right of speech for MSA/SJP (which they don't), the university would crack down.

But there is good news.......

"The Jewish community deserves kudos for getting President Carol Folt and the USC Board of Trustees to commit to addressing the problem, including through the establishment of an Advisory Committee on Jewish Life and ensuring Jewish representation in DEI efforts." 

And the Nazis established those infamous Judenrats-Jewish Councils. A lot of good they did. As for having Jewish representatives within the department of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), they are not exactly walking into friendly territory, and they can count on being a (non-protected) minority. University departments of diversity, equity, and inclusion, or whatever they call themselves, are friendly ground for the very folks who are dedicated to destroying Israel and harassing Jewish students who support the Jewish state.

It is good that USC President Carol Holt has made a formal statement acknowledging the problem. As to the actions she has announced, I am skeptical, but it's a first step. There is no need to wait for the next steps. There should be no double standards as to who is or isn't a "protected" group. 

The bottom line is that I concur with Tammi that much more needs to be done at USC. Students, professors, and outside speakers should be put on notice that anti-Semitism and incitement or threats of violence or death directed at Jews are not welcome at USC, just as such behavior toward any other group is not welcome.