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Anti-Semitism is gaining traction on many college campuses across America. Instead of an atmosphere where ideas are exchanged and intellectual curiosity is encouraged, there is bigotry, discrimination, and offensive commentary against the Jewish population. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a major contributing factor, considering the divestment and the anti-Israeli campaigns. There is a culture of targeting Israel that in turn targets Jewish students. As in general society, the perpetrators appear to be one particular group: the Islamic extremists and their supporters.
Ariela Keysar, who wrote a detailed "Anti-Semitism Report" with Barry A. Ksomin, found that more than half of American Jewish college students personally experienced or witnessed anti-Semitism last year. Two glaring statistics stand out: college students are five times more likely to have encountered anti-Semitism in the U.S. than other age groups, and 54% of Jewish students in the sample survey reported having been subject to or witnessed anti-Semitism on campus.
UCLA was recently in the news with the overtly anti-Semitic actions on campus. Rachel Beyda, a Jewish student, was going to be confirmed by the student council as an appointed justice to the Judicial Board. During the process, she was asked, "Given that you are a Jewish student and very active in the Jewish community… how do you see yourself being able to maintain an unbiased view?" This interrogation coincided with UCLA's annual Israel Apartheid Week. It was reported that after Rachel left the room, the discussion consisted of "forty minutes of unequivocal anti-Semitism." Even though all thought her amply qualified, half of the council did not want to confirm her because of "Rachel's Jewish identity."
In response to this and other actions, David Horowitz of the David Horowitz Freedom Center has initiated JewHatredonCampus.org. His organization placed posters at UCLA linking the group "Supporters for Justice in Palestine" with terrorist activities. For example, one poster depicted the body of a lifeless Palestinian civilian being dragged through the streets of Gaza by Hamas operatives while tethered to a motorcycle, with the bottom caption "#JewHaters." Interestingly, UCLA's chancellor, Gene D. Block, came out strongly against what he calls intolerance and bias on the campus. But the point to be made is that he wrote his condemnation only after the poster depiction of the Palestinians, which occurred days after the Rachel Beyda incident. He needed a tit-for-tat before he publicly spoke.
American Thinker interviewed David Horowitz and two UCLA Jewish student leaders regarding anti-Semitism at UCLA. The Jewish students wonder if Horowitz is an extremist who is just adding fuel to the fire, while David Horowitz questions if some Jewish groups on campus are appeasers. Although they differ in the tactics to be used to battle anti-Semitism, all are in agreement that a contributing factor is the "liberal" atmosphere at UCLA.
Horowitz told American Thinker, "The Muslim Student Association and Students for Justice In Palestine are hate groups whose only purpose is to demonize the State of Israel. They receive campus funding and campus support. There is this hypocrisy and double standard. Think about it: if they said these things against blacks, would there still be the same reaction? With the campaign 'Jew Hatred On Campus,' we are attempting to shift the conversation from the ludicrous, whether Israel is an apartheid state, to whether these groups are hate groups. We want to put forward the truth and present the propaganda of lies."
Rebecca is a UCLA junior who writes for UCLA's Jewish news magazine, Ha'Am. She decided to engage the students who put up the Israel Apartheid Wall Installation on campus. It is painted with different misfacts about the conflict. Her feeling is that this wall is an attempt to recruit support from the black and Hispanic communities on campus, associating their experiences with Palestinian issues. According to Rebecca, the discourse was respectful, with a give-and-take, until the Muslim representative saw her necklace that identified Rebecca as Jewish. From that moment she never looked her in the eye and refused to continue the conversation. Rebecca said, "I was really bothered, since she refused to talk to me only because I was Jewish. She utterly disrespected me. It became obvious it was not OK to have a dialogue with people who want to challenge the facts. They do not want any dialogue." NOTE: MUCH more to read by clicking HERE
Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/03/how_to_deal_with_antisemitism_on_campus.html#ixzz3VcC5yApi
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