Anti-semitism returns to the campus
Astorm of anti- Semitism awaits Jewish and pro- Israel students at colleges and universities this fall. With the Jewish New Year now upon us and students moving into their residences this week, we can expect another year of tension, anxiety and bigotry on campuses. While the Abraham Accords defused and undermined campus extremism last spring, the Hamas war against Israel in May provided renewed imagery with which to bash Israel. We saw this play out on city streets around the world over the summer. Now with an in- person return to campus, extremists will bring their propaganda to the lecture halls.
The hostile climate will no doubt worsen with attempts to boycott and delegitimize the Jewish State. Even as the war with Gaza was raging, extreme leftish campus groups began passing hostile resolutions and statements against Israel. Sadly, many of these groups believe they are acting in the cause of “social- justice” without fully understanding either the context of the conflict or that Hamas is a radical Islamist terrorist organization — not unlike the Taliban. Either way, this unfounded and radicalized behaviour on campuses ends up victimizing Jewish students and faculty, as it has for the past 20 years.
Of all places, a campus is no place for hate and intolerance. If as a society we are to uphold universal conventions of human rights and freedoms, anti- Semitism must be vehemently rejected and condemned by university administrations and faculty.
Yet, Jewish students are reporting attacks and threats of violence on online forums for standing up for their beliefs and defending Israel. During the height of the Gaza war, social networking sites were replete with hate- filled content against Israel that often pitted friends against friends, and resulted in police reports and allegations of hate speech nearing hate crime. As university groups bashed Israel, Jewish students felt marginalized and silenced by their own university communities. It turns out, free speech on campuses these days travels in one direction only — against the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel.
Despite the fact that Jewish college and university students have a history of rallying behind oppressed groups facing racism and discrimination, the campaign against the Jews manifesting as boycott campaigns and falsehoods like “Israeli Apartheid Week” has been met mostly by silence. Undoubtedly that silence has contributed to the fact that a new Alums for Campus Fairness survey found that nearly 100 per cent of the Jewish American college students polled attested to anti- Semitism and the demonization of Israel on campuses. A whopping 79 per cent of the more than 500 respondents had experienced or heard first- hand about another student making offensive or threatening anti-semitic comments.
Campus anti- Semitism has undoubtedly contributed to the rising tide of such behaviour throughout society. This week, the FBI revealed that Jews are the target of 58 per cent of all religiously motivated hate crimes in the U. S. despite constituting just two per cent of the population. These numbers are consistent with Canadian and international models of hate crime whereby Jewish communities continue to be the most targeted group even while they are relatively few in numbers. In other words, anti- Semitic bigots are nothing more than schoolyard bullies picking on a minority group.
Universal conventions on education dictate that education should be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Education, at its core, must promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups. Universities and colleges have an obligation under their own mandate to preserve, protect and defend the rights
JEWISH STUDENTS ARE REPORTING ATTACKS AND THREATS OF VIOLENCE ON ONLINE FORUMS FOR STANDING UP FOR THEIR BELIEFS ...
of students and faculty to function freely and without intimidation or feeling of victimization.
Disregard and contempt for historical degradation and violence against the Jewish people, such as anti- Semitism, boycotts and genocide is harmful to the well- being of humanity. Everyone is entitled to the rights and freedoms set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Administrators and educators must uphold these principles for Jewish students in as much as they are upheld for anyone else on campus.
If humanity has learned anything this past year, hopefully it’s to have a total reset, including on university and college campuses. As we approach the Jewish New Year and renew strength and faith, perhaps everyone can come together and draw inspiration from the foundational principles found in the sacred texts of most religions: love thy neighbour; pursue justice; repair the world; do not oppress the stranger and do not stand idly by. These basic human values must underpin the fight against anti- Semitism and intolerance on campuses and in society at large.