Marty Levine
July 15, 2024
In the last month, Harvard University released preliminary reports from two separate Presidential task forces chartered with the task of measuring hate and bias on its campus. But each task force’s mission was narrowly focused separating one stream of bias from another although they are inextricably intertwined in this difficult moment.
Harvard’s Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism was formed in January of this year with the mandate to:
…examine the recent history of antisemitism and its current manifestations on the Harvard campus. It will identify causes of and contributing factors to anti-Jewish behaviors on campus; evaluate evidence regarding the characteristics and frequency of these behaviors; and recommend approaches to combat antisemitism and its impact on campus.
Harvard’s Presidential Task Force on Combating Anti-Muslim and Anti-Arab Bias had the same mandate, just a different target with its mandate to examine:
…the recent history and current manifestations of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias, identifying the root causes and contributing factors to such behaviors on campus, evaluating the characteristics and frequency of these behaviors, and approaches to combat antisemitism and its impact on campus.
Both resulted from the heated political and emotional fallout from Hamas’ October 7th strike on Israel and Israel’s powerful and still ongoing assault on Gaza. For Israel’s supporters, the 1,200 lives lost constituted a crime almost as great as the Holocaust. For Palestinian supporters, the response constituted a genocide and a brutal continuation of the, (catastrophe) referring to the expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians from their homes as the state of Israel was formed.
Both task forces in their preliminary reports found big problems on their campus. Jewish Students feel threatened, attacked, and marginalized. Palestinian students feel threatened, attacked, and marginalized.
The listening sessions revealed a deep-seated sense of fear among students, staff, and faculty. Muslims, Palestinians, Arab Christians, and others of Arab descent as well as pro-Palestinian allies described a state of uncertainty, abandonment, threat, and isolation, and a pervasive climate of intolerance. People of color from other groups and identities — often Black and South Asian students – shared experiences of racism and hatred because they were allies, or because they were misidentified as Arab, Muslim, or Palestinian.
Many Jewish students (and especially Israeli students) have been subjected to shunning, harassment, and intimidation.
The same process with the same results was just reported from a campus on the opposite coast, Stanford University’s campus. Here’s how a NY Times reporter described the results of that University’s separate but equal anti-hate task forces:
Stanford released on Thursday dueling reports — one on antisemitism and the other on anti-Muslim bias — that revealed mirroring images of campus life in recent months that may be impossible to reconcile.
One report found that antisemitism has been pervasive at the university in both overt and subtle ways, while the other stated that the school had stifled free speech among pro-Palestinian students and faculty. They were emblematic of the rift between Jewish and Muslim groups on campus and showed that any kind of accord between the two groups and the university were distant.
Same process, same results.
Two groups of students feel threatened and feel that their university’s leadership is not standing behind them. Two groups of students claim a personal connection to the tragedy of Israel/Palestine and feel they are being discriminated against because of how others are judging their position in this moment.
What differs is the political power of those who have rallied around their plight and how these forces have chosen to use their campus experience. Jewish students who have found this time troubling have powerful allies to support them and to make their experiences part of the larger effort to bolster support for Israel. These forces have seized the disruptions on campus as another way to weaponize their claim that pro-Palestinian voices are antisemites, that the very act of protest against Israel is a hostile attack on Jewish students.
The ADL(Anti-Defamation League) describes itself as:
The leading anti-hate organization in the world…its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” … ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all.
Making these words sadly laughable, the ADL has been for years the leading effort to deny Palestinian history and reality, support Israel and demonize those who disagree with them. In this moment of great concern, they seem to have ears for only the concerns of one impacted population. It publishes a one-sided view of bigotry on college campuses, its Campus Antisemitism Report Card which it describes as having:
The goal is to serve students and their families looking for information about the current state of antisemitism on campus and how particular universities and colleges are responding. ADL produced this Report Card during a time of incredible volatility on college campuses. It takes the temperature at a moment in time and provides a roadmap for improving campus climate…
Despite the findings that tell us that another group of students feels threatened there is not corresponding ADL Campus Islamophobia Report Card. If you look hard enough through the ADL’s website you will find a section on Anti-Muslim Bias and Acting as an Ally. But it speaks with the tone of an academic article and not with the sense of urgency that it is reacting to its worry about antisemitism on campus.
MAGA Republicans have joined in this attempt to vilify pro-Palestinian students as well. The Chairperson of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, Representative Virginia Foxx has held a series of hearings at which she and her fellow Republican members have pilloried University leaders for their not taking strong action against campus antisemitism, often defined as being pro-Palestinian. Her Committee established an email hotline to capture information about incidents, dedicated to college students, faculty, and concerned community members who are interested in reporting cases of antisemitism on campus. (Report.antisemitism@mail.house.gov.)
“In the wake of the December 5 hearing with the presidents of Harvard, UPenn, and MIT, Committee Members have received dozens of messages from across the country from those interested in sharing cases of antisemitism at their respective institutions,” said Chairwoman Foxx. “Having a centralized reporting system allows the Committee to more effectively review and act on credible cases of antisemitism. I believe this resource will play an important role in helping the Committee conduct its investigation and bring real accountability to institutions that are failing their students and faculty.”
The spotlight on antisemitism shown by these powerful voices to the exclusion of other forms of hatred and bias reflects their political strength. That Universities have been unable to recognize that antisemitism does not sit apart from other forms of discrimination reflects their ability to threaten and coerce University leaders to separate and elevate antisemitism above all others.
As much as these voices tell us that they are doing this to protect Jewish students and the larger Jewish community, they are making this a more dangerous world for those they claim to be protecting. When one demonized groups separates itself from others who are also being attacked they are all weakened and the overall danger increases. This is the warning we often invoke when we remember the Holocaust and cite the words of Pastor Martin Neimoller’s poem, “First They Came”.
The conflict in Israel/Palestine is not easy. It has difficult issues for everyone. It raises challenges to core beliefs, challenges that are unsettling and may seem to be attacked.
I know as a Jew who once believed in a mythological Israel that was the beacon of democracy and human rights that what is occurring on that land is assaulting and left me shaken and feeling attacked. I imagine that Jewish and Israeli students may feel similar emotions as pro-Palestinian protestors challenge their vision in Israel and demand it be radically changed, even eliminated. I can imagine that Palestinian students and those who stand with them feel the pain of decades of displacement and oppression, as the African National Congress felt about life in South Africa. I can imagine how they feel when attacked for supporting Palestine and told there is no place for their voices.
The pain of that has occurred in Israel/Palestine makes these challenging times for two peoples. But the voices who see only one pain hurt us all. The voices that demand Jewish supremacy, in Israel/Palestine or on campuses threaten us all. If there is a way out of this moment it can only be through a recognition of our shared humanity and our ability to recognize that my pain is not more important than your pain.
University leaders do not make things better by focusing only on one group’s perspective, particularly at a moment when the other group is part of the equation. The longer we keep our shared humanity apart the longer the pain will remain and the greater the risk we face of making the chasm so wide we cannot bridge it.
