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October 4, 2022 1:20 pm
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New York University Defends Record on Fighting Antisemitism After Critical Report

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avatar by Dion J. Pierre

Anti-Israel protest, c. 2014. Photo: Ted Eytan/Flickr.

New York University (NYU) on Tuesday defended its record of fighting antisemitism, following its receiving an “F” grade in the subject from a US-based nonprofit.

On September 21, StopAntisemitism, published a report arguing that antisemitism is a blindspot for college diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) bureaucracies across the United States.

The report’s findings were based on surveys of Jewish undergraduates, 45 percent of whom experienced antisemitism on campus and others who expressed concerns that DEI administrators are not as devoted to fighting it as strenuously as other forms of racism.

StopAntisemitism gave “report card” grades to university DEI offices derived from several criteria, including protection, “allyship”, identity, and policy. University of Pennsylvania received the highest mark of any Ivy League school, earning an A-. Yale University and Columbia University both received F’s.

So too did New York University (NYU).

Commenting on the grade to Washington Square News, university spokesman John Beckman Beckman pointed to the university’s hosting of an antisemitism summit sponsored in April and opposition to the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement as evidence of its commitment to making its campus inclusive for Jews.

“NYU — which has built what many consider to be the most prominent academic presence in Israel of any major U.S. research university; which has a long, unwavering, and very public record of opposing academic boycotts of Israel; and which has updated its non-discrimination and anti-harassment policy to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics, including antisemitism — utterly and unequivocally rejects antisemitism, and is a leader in combatting it on campus,” Beckman said.

While StopAntisemitism did note that NYU includes Jews in DEI initiatives and has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism it added that “students do not feel that the administration gives antisemitism proper attention.”

Responding to Beckman’s statement, StopAntisemitism told The Algemeiner that NYU’s grade may be higher next year if Jewish students feel that tangible steps were taken to improve the campus climate. It defended this year’s “F” grade, however, noting that it was not long ago that a student’s antisemitic social media threats forced the university to temporarily shutter its Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life.

“NYU’s adding Jews to their DEI efforts and adopting IHRA are great first steps that we hope will have a positive and long-lasting effect on on their campus,” StopAntisemitism Executive Director Liora Rez said. “Alas, the only reason they took those steps is because it was part of their recent Title VI settlement regarding discrimination against Jewish students.”

“In our second annual report next year we will be following up on the 25 schools graded in 2022,” she continued.

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