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November 2, 2022 10:52 am
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Antisemitism Thrives On and Off-Campus as Threat Continues to Grow

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avatar by Alexander Joffe

Opinion

One of the campus buildings at the University of California, Berkeley. Photo: Max Pixel/Creative Commons.

October was characterized by a series of campus BDS and antisemitism incidents, which showed how deeply anti-Israel bias is embedded in organized student life.

The antisemitism crisis at UC Berkeley’s Law School expanded after the decision last month by nine student groups to ban speakers who support “Zionism.”

A group of law faculty condemned the “discriminatory bylaw,” and called for “free and open speech at the law school.” The group included Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, who had previously stated that only a small minority of student groups had endorsed the call to exclude Zionists.

The student call was also widely condemned by alumni and other observers, including the writers’ group PEN America, who called for the end of what some characterized as “Jew free zones” on campus.

A group of Jewish students also detailed the impact of the discriminatory bylaw, including growing difficulty in discussing pro-Israel positions. Students also pointed to another aspect of the bylaw, the requirement that student leaders attend a predictably tendentious “Palestine 101” training session.

Reports indicate that the student law groups who banned Zionists receive financial backing from major US law firms. These include Covington & Burling LLP, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Jenner & Block LLP, and Cooley LLP, which collectively employ thousands of lawyers nationally.

The role of law firms was similarly highlighted by reports that the White & Case firm was sponsoring a University of Chicago Law School program entitled “Apartheid: International Law in the Israel-Palestine Conflict.” The program, which featured several anti-Israel activists, including from ‘Human Rights Watch, was open to the university community.

In a second incident, White & Case provided funding for a panel discussion titled “Racism and the Crime of Apartheid in International Law,” featuring Human Rights Watch staffer and anti-Israel activist Omar Shakir, which was held at the International Law Association’s annual conference. When questioned, the firm acknowledging supporting the event, which it then condemned. It was unclear whether either panel in question qualified as Continuing Legal Education for lawyers.

Earlier this year, a report from White & Case had exonerated the investment ratings firm Morningstar, which had been discovered to have systemically downgraded Israeli firms. After significant pressure, Morningstar recently reversed that decision.

The role of college media in promoting and normalizing BDS was again highlighted in October. At Wellesley College, the editorial board of the student newspaper called for the “liberation of Palestine,” expressed support for the BDS movement, and demanded the school “divest from Israel and any entity that supports Israeli apartheid.”

The editorial also expressed support for the Mapping Project, which isolated and named Jewish entities in a way that could have encouraged attacks. The editorial claimed the “Mapping Project is providing a vital service. Collecting data about these institutions, tracing their financial and political activity and publicizing this information is incredibly important.”

The editorial provoked sharp criticism, including from the college president, who noted that “claiming that Jewish people and organizations are responsible for a host of societal harms and calling for action against them is, by definition, antisemitism.” The newspaper then distanced itself from the Mapping Project, but complained about “hateful comments and harassment online.”

At George Washington University, the appearance of a former Israeli intelligence official at Hillel sparked a protest from Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace activists. Flyers demanding “Zionists f*** off” were also distributed around the university over Sukkot. At least one report downplayed that incident, minimizing the extent of anti-Israeli bias on the campus, and attributing it to inflated student fears created by outside forces.

In the UK, a new report indicated that antisemitism on campus was having a chilling a effect on free speech as a whole, while a report in the US recorded 359 antisemitic incidents on campus.

Complementing BDS-related antisemitism was another spate of vandalism. Mezuzot were torn down from students’ doors, including at Stanford University and Indiana University, and swastikas were found in various spaces, including at the UC Davis, Ithaca College, the City College of New York, University of Toronto, Queens University, and others.

Outside of universities, antisemitic attacks continued, such as the New York incident, where individuals shouting “Free Palestine” threw eggs at yeshiva students.

In the cultural sphere, October was characterized by high-profile celebrity antisemitism crises. On a podcast, Kanye West railed against Jews, “Jewish media,” and later stated, among other things, that:

  • I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE The funny thing is I actually can’t be Anti Semitic because black people are actually Jew also You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.

West’s social media posting was then removed and he was barred from Instagram while various celebrities, platforms and brands, including Adidas, dropped their relationships with him. Condemnations were also quick in coming from Jewish and Black sources, as well as from political figures.

The author is a contributor to SPME, where a version of this article was originally published.

The opinions presented by Algemeiner bloggers are solely theirs and do not represent those of The Algemeiner, its publishers or editors. If you would like to share your views with a blog post on The Algemeiner, please be in touch through our Contact page.

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