College response to terrorism in Israel

I just want to point out that Reuters has consistently put out headlines that do not question narratives from Russian state media and has a partnership with Tass, so reliability is very much dependent on the topic.

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Since the beginning of the civil rights movement, we have learned from the black community what is and what is not bigotry against them. That’s why it is almost universally accepted that wearing blackface is bigotry. That’s why it is universally accepted that using the N word or calling someone “colored” is bigotry. Assuming that an Asian person is gifted at STEM is a bigoted assumption. They have told us that. Why do Jews not get the same benefit of the doubt to tell the world what is and is not bigotry toward Jews?

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That reminds me of Abe Simpson’s “my Homer is not a communist” tirade. :wink:

The bottom line is, accusing Israel of genocide (thus equating it with Nazi Germany) is the modern-day equivalent of blood libel.

Not only is it simply utterly false and deeply offensive, but it also fits the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which is used by the US Government:

“Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”

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How 'bout now? Bombshell much? :crazy_face:

I agree that specifically drawing comparisons to the Nazis is antisemitic. For example, a second grade teacher in my kids’ school district posted the following on social media; I consider this to be antisemitic (as well as offensive, etc), and I’m very glad my kids aren’t second graders in her class:

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However, simply uttering the word “genocide” isn’t the same as making a comparison to the Nazis. It is possible to discuss and criticize Israel and its policies and actions without talking about the Nazis, just as you could discuss the policies and actions of any other nation. Criticism of Israel as a nation, whether accurate or inaccurate, isn’t inherently antisemitic.

Of course!

But accusing Israel of genocide (a term whose history is covered in the Quillette article I provided above that was dismissed as “fake news”: it “was originally coined by the Polish-Jewish jurist Raphael Lemkin in his 1944 book Axis Rule in Occupied Europe”) is indeed antisemitic by the IHRA definition.

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Regardless of who coined the term, the word genocide has evolved far beyond any connections to WW2-I equate it with Cambodia, actually. Others might think of Bosnia or Rwanda first. Or with any massive murder of one set of people who have a common ethnicity, location, etc.

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And yet, Israel

Are you saying all of those deaths were the result of pitched battles between armored vehicles and rocket fire?


or to much of anything, really. Anything anyone doesn’t like they call genocide now.

“The Cambodian genocide 
 resulted in the deaths of 1.5 to 2 million people from 1975 to 1979, nearly a quarter of Cambodia’s population in 1975.”

Can you clarify what you equate with this - Nazi genocide or Israel’s war with Hamas? Or both?

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Ok. Let’s move on from defining genocide. Or indeed for making any posts not related to college. There are threads in the Politics Forum for such discussions

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Backlash to Barnard College of Columbia University having censored departmental websites, one of which had displayed the following statement:

The Barnard WGSS Department stands in solidarity with our students who have experienced a wide variety of emotions and reactions following the disturbing events that have occurred in recent weeks and over multiple decades. We support the Palestinian people who have resisted settler colonial war, occupation, and apartheid for over 75 years, while deploring Hamas’s recent killing of Israeli civilians.
As decolonial feminist scholars and educators, we encourage our students to learn about the larger historical context of US-backed and financed Israeli attacks on Gaza and to engage with a range of voices and perspectives analyzing the horrific genocidal violence and ethnic cleansing that we are now witnessing. We offer the resources below, which include webinars, scholarly articles, journalism, and also community spaces of support. We plan to add to this list with additional resources in the days and weeks to come.

According the NYCLU:

Some may find the statement that WGSS issued on its website last month to be objectionable. But, if so, the critics should express the basis for the objection rather than resort to censorship.

https://bwog.com/2023/12/new-york-civil-liberties-union-alleges-barnard-policy-change-violates-academic-freedom/

Colleges and faculty do have an important role in sorting through these arguments, cite and analyze original sources (such as international law, conventions, treaties, U.N. resolutions, etc.), to bring the emotionally charged public & campus conversation back to whatever can actually be supported.

The focus should be on educating students so that they have a factual basis for forming opinions, not suppressing their voices.

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As noted by another mod, this is the college response to terrorism thread. Please use the other thread in the political forum for general discussion about the situation. A number of posts hidden/deleted.

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Here’s a look at what is happening on some colleges outside of the Northeastern US.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/12/25/palestinian-protests-muslim-american-activists/

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Former executive director of Harvard Hillel (1993-2010)

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Best piece I have seen on the topic. Glad someone finally spoke up.

The rabbi makes some good points in respect of free speech, but if he believes that in the present moment antisemitism is the preserve of the alt-right, well, he needs to get out more.

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Best piece I have seen on the topic. Glad someone finally spoke up.

He doesn’t exactly sound neutral on Israel/Palestine.

Not sure he’s the best person to be arguing his position when its largely the people who support his positions that are the ones being accused of being anti-semitic.

And then to top it off with the implication that anti-semitism is most pressingly coming from the right is interesting indeed.

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Why would neutrality be required or even useful? His point is merely that we shouldnt confuse political positions with ethnic/religious bigotry, and he has a lot of credibility on that, given his former job on a college campus, and his personal qualifications.

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And here’s an opinion piece from Rabbi David Wolpe who stepped down from Harvard’s antisemitism advisory group this month.