(JNS) Mitchell Bard - The campus protests following the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7 were resounding failures in achieving their stated objectives. At the same time, they revealed disturbing truths about higher education, bringing the virulent antisemitism of students and faculty to the forefront, and scaring Jewish students. A Washington Monthly study found that of 1,421 public and private nonprofit colleges, 318 (22%) had protests and 123 (9%) encampments. None of the 78 historically black colleges had encampments, and only nine had demonstrations. Protests were primarily concentrated in California and the U.S. Northeast. No universities agreed to boycott Israel. When the president of Sonoma State University in California caved to pressure, his decision to boycott Israel was quickly reversed, and he was out of a job. Colleges are the only place in America where antisemitism is tolerated and a double standard is applied to the treatment of Jews and other victims of prejudice. Far from achieving their aims, demonstrators provoked a backlash. Several universities established antisemitism taskforces and planned to require students and faculty to attend meetings to learn about the persecution of Jews and what behavior is impermissible. The Pennsylvania state Senate passed a bill to block aid to any university that boycotts or divests from Israel. Anti-mask laws are being discussed to prevent terror supporters from hiding from public view and evading accountability. Law firms and other companies declared they would not hire students who participated in protests. Donors withdrew support for institutions that failed to address antisemitism, and parents and students decided not to attend them. After eight months of glorifying terrorists who savagely raped and murdered Jews, protesters succeeded only in highlighting their hatred of Jews, including their fellow students. They failed to promote peace or aid a single Palestinian.
2024-07-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive