On Tuesday’s NPR “Morning Edition” broadcast, Debbie Boettcher, an associate professor of sociology at Barnard College, said, “Leaders are telling Jewish students who support Israel’s war in Gaza that they are not safe. “It’s unfortunate,” he said, adding that while anti-Semitism should be taken seriously, “the university is collaborating with Republicans and Democrats, with immediate consequences in the form of firings, suspensions, and expulsions. It’s all about scoring points, not the well-being of the students. And it’s making things worse, not better. When a university wields this kind of disproportionate power for the benefit of one group, it’s probably against Jews. It would reinforce for them and their allies the idea that they have disproportionate power, which is a core belief of anti-Semitism.”
“Leaders are telling Jewish students who support Israel’s war in Gaza that they are not safe, and national news and some social media outlets are reporting that our campuses are filled with violence and protests,” Boettcher said. It’s unfortunate that they are reporting that there are.” Indeed, a pro-Palestinian camp in Colombia is currently in the spotlight, serving as a place of sharing and community-building. The students watched a movie there. They hold teach-ins. they study they eat together. Last night, I attended in the midst of Passover with about 75 Jewish students, a dozen Jewish faculty, and many non-Jewish students and faculty. …So what’s happening is that in the name of preventing anti-Semitism, the university has suspended more than a dozen Jewish students who took part in non-destructive and peaceful actions. Does their safety matter? What about the safety of Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, black, and brown students arrested by the New York Police Department at the request of Columbia University, or those kicked out of their dorms by Barnard College? Is it? ”
Co-host A. Martinez then asked, “By the way, Professor, what would you say to a student, a Jewish student, who feels that what’s going on is using anti-Semitic language?” ” he asked.
Boettcher replied: “I can say that anti-Semitism needs to be taken seriously. It’s everywhere. It’s not a tool in a political game. And for the past six months, it’s been used as a political tool by Congress and universities. Anti-Semitism That means we need to have procedures in place to investigate. The last thing we need is to panic or get depressed in response to external pressure. What we’ve seen is that Republicans and Democrats in Congress have gone along with the people who are panicking, and universities have gone along with the Republicans and Democrats and gotten instant results in the form of firings, suspensions, and expulsions. It’s political point-scoring, not student well-being, and it’s making the situation worse, not better. If they exercise power, they will likely reinforce to them and their allies the idea that Jews have disproportionate power, a core belief of anti-Semitism.”
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