The moral rot within the University of California system goes on without missing a beat.
On October 10, 2023, three days after the Hamas massacre in Israel that many in the US academic world celebrated, an assistant professor at UC Davis named Jemma Decristo reportedly posted the message on her social media, which you see below. Now, after a two-year investigation (!), UCD has decided to allow Decristo to remain at the university. Here is an article by the California Post (NY Post) from last January.
-NY Post
I can't imagine that the UCD campus newspaper, The Aggie, wouldn't have reported something on this. Since the news dates back to January, I entered Decristo's name into the Aggie search block and it came up negative.
Decristo claims that it all was in satire. Maybe so, but I dare say if a professor at any university had posted similar language, even in satire, regarding African-Americans, gays, or transgenders (Decristo classifies her/himself as the latter), that professor would be fired, and not after a two-year investigation. And I would support that firing.
Her comment was dumb, but you need to stop equating Judaism and Zionism.
ReplyDeleteJudaism goes back five thousand years.
Zionism is a 19th Century political movement.
So no, her post isn't the equivalent of singling out a race or gender identity.
Still dumb, but not the same.
Her comment was more than dumb; it was threatening and despicable.
ReplyDeleteAs for comparing or contrasting Judaism with Zionism, first of all, most Jews have an emotional connection with Israel based on sound historical reasoning. Having said that, Jews are not monolithic, and I have encountered Jews who, because of their leftist leanings, or because they have bought the Palestinian Kool Aid, are on the Palestinian side. They are misfits, as far as I am concerned.
Furthermore, I know from my personal experience and observation that Zionism is being used as a dog whistle, meaning Jews in general. If you ever watched Amir Abdel Malik Ali spit out the words, "Zionist Jew," much like Julius Streicher spit out the word, "Jude", you would know. It is more convenient to say Zionist than Jew in front of an American audience. Yet, there are still some who are not shy about condemning Jews. Google Mohamed al Asi and what he said at UC Irvine in 2002. It's on video, just like Amir Abdel Malik Ali is on video. Certain mosques in N America have featured sermons attacking Jews and Christians and calling for their destruction.
Finally, if it's only about Zionists, why are Jews being attacked on the streets of places like New York and Los Angeles, let alone Europe? Why are pro-Palestinian protests being held in front of synagogues and Jewish schools?
Sorry, Lance, but Zionism is an excuse, a cover for attacking Jews as people.
You are absolutely right when you say that "Zionist" is often a dog whistle for anti-Semitism.
ReplyDeleteBut what you're not seeing is that when you equate Zionism and Judaism, then you're engaging in the same thinking. In your effort to defend Jewish people, you give truth to the lie that somehow Zionism is inseparable from Judaism. This, of course, is not the case. Just as not every Jewish person is a Zionist, not every Zionist is even Jewish (fundamentalist Christians seem to be the most devout believers in Zionism).
Anybody who wants to defend Jewish people needs to stress the differences between the two because those who want to attack them sure aren't.
Lance, You either didn't read my last comment, or our disagreement isn't that big. I am not saying every Jew is a Zionist. I said that most-most-Jews have an emotional attachment to Israel. I am all-too-familiar with Jews who do not support Israel and fully support the Palestinians. I wouldn't say that Zionism is inseparable from Judaism, though many Jews would disagree. There is an old saying among Jews: "Put 10 Jews in a room, and you will have 11 opinions". Jews are not a monolithic community, including when it comes to Israel. I would also stress that I am not Jewish and don't claim to be an expert on Judaism. I am just a Christian, but not a fundamentalist) who believes Israel has a right to exist and defend itself, and I hate anti-Semitism, which I believe is at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
ReplyDeleteI read your last comment, but where we're talking past each other has to do with the initial post that you made. You equated Zionism with race, gender identity, etc. Maybe that's not what you meant to do, but that was the implication.
DeleteThe equivalent to her post would be to target people of a particular political position. It would be like saying "Republicans should fear us" or "Democrats should fear us" or something along those lines. Which, as I said, doesn't make it any less of a stupid thing to say.