Hatred of Israel, and its close cousin, hatred of Jews, have been commonly held and expressed sentiments on college campuses in the US, Canada, and Europe in recent years. Anti-Israel speakers are invited to speak, paid handsome fees, and draw large audiences of enthusiastic students, faculty and administrators. Anti-Zionist groups, often dominated by Arab or Muslim students, proliferate and ally with groups representing other minority groups in an effort to create an intersectionality of interests, where various minority groups all rally in support of any of the causes any of the individual identity groups support. Groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine and the misnamed Jewish Voices for Peace, regularly taunt and harass pro-Israel students, disrupt meetings and talks by pro-Israel groups, and try to prevent pro-Israel speakers from appearing on campus.
Even at schools with a large percentage of Jewish students, university administrators appear to endorse actions directed at Jewish students or pro-Israel students though they never would allow similar activities directed against other minority groups they care to protect or favor.
Recently, Emory University gave its administrative stamp of approval to the posting of eviction notices by SJP on student dorm rooms (many of them with Jewish residents), meant to scare students and attempt to link the eviction threat to actions taken by Israeli authorities they falsely claim are routine in Israel and the West Bank. In one of the lamest defenses ever offered for blatantly anti-Semitic activity on a college campus, a high-ranking Emory administrator offered this defense of the school’s approval of the eviction notice posting:
“Emory interim vice president and vice provost Paul Marthers issued the initial statement. In justifying the posting of the flyers, Marthers stated they were "posted as part of a communication campaign by a student organization concerned with human rights in the Middle East."
At New York University, another school with a substantial population of Jewish students, an award was given to SJP for its “positive impact on the community.” Evidence of their positive impact must include this:
In addition to posting mock eviction notices across campus, Jewish students at NYU have seen Israeli flags destroyed, swastikas painted in dorms, and anti-Israel BDS resolutions passed by student groups. They have faced screams of "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" – a crystal-clear expression of the desire to eliminate the State of Israel –as they walk past "apartheid walls" covered with hateful anti-Israel propaganda. If that is considered a positive model for the school community, we are certainly living through Orwellian times – which are looking more and more like pre-WWII German times.
Two other incidents on college campuses in recent days suggest that a new hurdle has been raised for those who might want to be part of a group that supports the state of Israel or attempts to defend it – namely, that speaking or writing in favor of Israel, or even organizing a college club for those who are committed to support for Israel, shall not be allowed.
Williams College, a high scorer in many ratings of small liberal arts colleges, seems to have gone the furthest in its commitment to shutting down expression of a point of view that is opposed by the loudest, least knowledgeable, and most abrasive campus voices. The Williams student council voted 13-8 to deny the formation of a pro-Israel club, the first club rejected by students in over a decade .
Some of the students who spoke against the club at a council meeting made no bones about their reasons. Your “club is pro-Israel, which means you support a state that is built on Palestinian land,” said one and made it clear that “believing in the right of Israel to exist” was a red line that no registered student organization should be permitted to cross. Israel is a “fascist state” said another. The “existence of Israel is built on the killing of Palestinians,” said a third.” It is verboten to believe at Williams College that the state of Israel has a right to exist.
The 20-year-olds, who are certain they know all there is to know about any complex subject, remain steadfast that no one shall offer a counter viewpoint.
Why the fear of an alternative viewpoint? When the argument that prevails is due solely to intimidation, shouting, shutting off discussion, and the perceived need to support fellow “marginalized student groups,” the truth or even debate are dangerous to the zealots.
The events at Williams and DePaul suggest that hatred of Israel and anti-Zionism may now be at the top of the grievance tree at American universities. It does not seem to matter whether one gets mis-educated at an elite private college or an urban Catholic university. The idea that students challenge orthodoxy during their college years and grapple with great ideas seems to be rather foreign in the current campus environment. The debate over Israel and the Palestinians is not one where there can be only one view allowed to be expressed on a campus. If we are at that stage, and if those who seek to shut off debate are triumphant, then we are at a stage where higher education is in fact a key driver in the closing of the American mind.
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