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Harvard, M.I.T. and Systemic Antisemitism

(New York Times) David French - A legal complaint about antisemitism against Harvard states, "Harvard permits students and faculty to advocate, without consequence, the murder of Jews and the destruction of Israel, the only Jewish country in the world. Meanwhile, Harvard requires students to take a training class that warns that they will be disciplined if they engage in sizeism, fatphobia, racism, transphobia, or other disfavored behavior." I spent virtually my entire legal career defending free speech on campus, including the free speech of Muslim students and staff members. During those decades of litigation and my subsequent years in journalism, I have never seen such comprehensive abuse directed against a vulnerable campus minority group as I've seen directed at Jewish students and faculty since Hamas' terror attack on Oct. 7. What's happening to Jewish students and faculty at several elite campuses is so comprehensive and all-consuming that it can only be described as systemic antisemitism. The Harvard complaint details an incident at Harvard Law School where campus police allegedly observed passively as a mob of protesters "stormed Harvard Law's main building, marched down the length of the building's primary first-floor hallway, and blocked the hallway outside the study room where [Students Against Anti-Semitism and a visiting speaker] were hiding. Fearing a violent attack, students in the study room removed indicia of their Jewishness, such as kippot, or hid under desks." Think about that for a moment. In 2024, Jewish students felt the need to hide under their desks for their physical safety. Universities and schools demonstrate far greater tolerance for antisemitic speech and behavior than for virtually any other kind of offensive speech or behavior. They bend or break the rules to accommodate pro-Palestinian protests. Jewish students then face intimidation and even assaults.
2024-03-15 00:00:00
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