This piece should be published in The New York Times beside the one I just read by Lauren Hirsch. Hirsch highlighted the role played by the law firm involved in the prep for testifying. To your point, the extent to which higher education has become corporatized presents a serious problem. Although, I must say it was stunning to watch all three presidents as they were unable to use common sense by saying, in that moment, what they said in the days after the hearing before diving into the nuances that govern speech on campus. I disagree with Hirsch. We can't just blame it all on WilmerHale.
Thanks for this thoughtful piece. I appreciate the insights throughout. However the evidentiary context that you evoke here is the violence of 10/7 but not of the last 70 years. One need not believe 10/7 was justified (and I do not) to understand that the present moment must be thought in relation to that long history of violence, yes some of it even state terrorism. I’m disappointed to read a thoughtful scholar such as you claim that the long brutal history of antisemitism was a “foundational reason” for Israeli statehood, ignoring that it was a concept that proved useful for geopolitical positioning. Considering this long history of violence I hope would make it harder to make claims like that you “don’t buy” that anti-Zionism can (and must) be separated from antisemitism. In fact this is precisely the type of thinking that we need at this time – to address the crisis in Israel-Palestine, and the one on our campuses, where we must help our students develop historical awareness, and critical capacities to attack ideas & ideologies, not people & identities.
Thanks for this comment. As for this "I’m disappointed to read a thoughtful scholar such as you claim that the long brutal history of antisemitism was a “foundational reason” for Israeli statehood, ignoring that it was a concept that proved useful for geopolitical positioning" I would reply yes, and. The two aren't mutually exclusive, and they were political imperatives that propped each other up. The importance of a Jewish nation immediately following a decade in which Jews were stripped of nationality and thus became exponentially more vulnerable to extermination cannot be overstated, and the desire to find all answers in the "settler colonialism" paradigm is a kind of intellectual presentism I would push back against.
When an article begins with proven lies I find it hard to continue reading. Hamas is not a terrorist group any more than the what became the American colonists were called when choosing to fight the
British for independence. It is also fallacious to call this a 'war' which implies 2 equitable parties. Israel has been an illegal, brutal Occupier for 75 yrs following Zionism, a political ideology a major tenet of which was always ethnic cleansing of the native population. This has been a slow but distinct form of genocide for 100 yrs beginning with Jewish settlers as far back as the 1920's and perhaps even earlier. The State of Israel, a political entity, has been ruthless and has made no secret of its rageful hate of the Palestinians destroying their cultural and religious institutions showing open hatred for them. As Ilan Pappe notes Oct 7 is what happens when people have tolerated the increasing abuse of a very powerful State that has had the support of the US financially as well as politically.
As for the Jewish students on campus who claim fear, I have to note how vile some of these Zionists are to anyone who disagrees with them. In fact the number of Jewish people on campus and off that supports the Palestinians, opposes the Occupation and rails against this flagrant massacre of that population is quite huge and they have been assaulted by these 'frightened' students that are claiming center stage.
Your article today is the typical unbalanced reporting on this issue mouthing the Israeli lies and propaganda. When I stnad vigel in support of the Palestinians we have many who are Jewish. They have great fear, too, as Zionists and real antisemites are quite threatening but you do not write about that real fear which is coupled with moral and ethical commitment that brings them out in the public to protest Israeli brutality and US support for it.
Campuses need to keep perspective and stop supporting the efforts of some who use every change they get to try and claim fear and antisemitism when often they need to be made conscious of what they are supporting and the need for them to understand those they rail against. When they get push back it is quite insincere that they claim fear in order to get other silenced.
Tanya, I think this comment is really out of touch. I don't mind disagreement, but I am not living in an alternate reality, nor do I print obvious lies. This isn't a space for ranting.
This was not a rant but a strong disagreement. I am so tired of Americans buying into the propaganda promoted by the government via the media. Given the amount of work eing done to counter this propaganda perhaps you will take the time to listen/read to the following:
This piece should be published in The New York Times beside the one I just read by Lauren Hirsch. Hirsch highlighted the role played by the law firm involved in the prep for testifying. To your point, the extent to which higher education has become corporatized presents a serious problem. Although, I must say it was stunning to watch all three presidents as they were unable to use common sense by saying, in that moment, what they said in the days after the hearing before diving into the nuances that govern speech on campus. I disagree with Hirsch. We can't just blame it all on WilmerHale.
Thanks for this thoughtful piece. I appreciate the insights throughout. However the evidentiary context that you evoke here is the violence of 10/7 but not of the last 70 years. One need not believe 10/7 was justified (and I do not) to understand that the present moment must be thought in relation to that long history of violence, yes some of it even state terrorism. I’m disappointed to read a thoughtful scholar such as you claim that the long brutal history of antisemitism was a “foundational reason” for Israeli statehood, ignoring that it was a concept that proved useful for geopolitical positioning. Considering this long history of violence I hope would make it harder to make claims like that you “don’t buy” that anti-Zionism can (and must) be separated from antisemitism. In fact this is precisely the type of thinking that we need at this time – to address the crisis in Israel-Palestine, and the one on our campuses, where we must help our students develop historical awareness, and critical capacities to attack ideas & ideologies, not people & identities.
Thanks for this comment. As for this "I’m disappointed to read a thoughtful scholar such as you claim that the long brutal history of antisemitism was a “foundational reason” for Israeli statehood, ignoring that it was a concept that proved useful for geopolitical positioning" I would reply yes, and. The two aren't mutually exclusive, and they were political imperatives that propped each other up. The importance of a Jewish nation immediately following a decade in which Jews were stripped of nationality and thus became exponentially more vulnerable to extermination cannot be overstated, and the desire to find all answers in the "settler colonialism" paradigm is a kind of intellectual presentism I would push back against.
When an article begins with proven lies I find it hard to continue reading. Hamas is not a terrorist group any more than the what became the American colonists were called when choosing to fight the
British for independence. It is also fallacious to call this a 'war' which implies 2 equitable parties. Israel has been an illegal, brutal Occupier for 75 yrs following Zionism, a political ideology a major tenet of which was always ethnic cleansing of the native population. This has been a slow but distinct form of genocide for 100 yrs beginning with Jewish settlers as far back as the 1920's and perhaps even earlier. The State of Israel, a political entity, has been ruthless and has made no secret of its rageful hate of the Palestinians destroying their cultural and religious institutions showing open hatred for them. As Ilan Pappe notes Oct 7 is what happens when people have tolerated the increasing abuse of a very powerful State that has had the support of the US financially as well as politically.
As for the Jewish students on campus who claim fear, I have to note how vile some of these Zionists are to anyone who disagrees with them. In fact the number of Jewish people on campus and off that supports the Palestinians, opposes the Occupation and rails against this flagrant massacre of that population is quite huge and they have been assaulted by these 'frightened' students that are claiming center stage.
Your article today is the typical unbalanced reporting on this issue mouthing the Israeli lies and propaganda. When I stnad vigel in support of the Palestinians we have many who are Jewish. They have great fear, too, as Zionists and real antisemites are quite threatening but you do not write about that real fear which is coupled with moral and ethical commitment that brings them out in the public to protest Israeli brutality and US support for it.
Campuses need to keep perspective and stop supporting the efforts of some who use every change they get to try and claim fear and antisemitism when often they need to be made conscious of what they are supporting and the need for them to understand those they rail against. When they get push back it is quite insincere that they claim fear in order to get other silenced.
Tanya, I think this comment is really out of touch. I don't mind disagreement, but I am not living in an alternate reality, nor do I print obvious lies. This isn't a space for ranting.
This was not a rant but a strong disagreement. I am so tired of Americans buying into the propaganda promoted by the government via the media. Given the amount of work eing done to counter this propaganda perhaps you will take the time to listen/read to the following:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8SdlzMuwsc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OcjOP8iUCU
https://www.globalresearch.ca/greater-israel-scheme-global-power-play-delusional-recipe-armageddon/5842416