The resignation of Undergraduate Student Government Vice President Rose Ritch on Wednesday is a scandal in its own right.
In her letter of resignation, Ritch wrote that she was “harassed and pressured for weeks by my fellow students because they opposed one of my identities,” namely, that she openly identifies as a Zionist and is a supporter of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.
Because of this identity, Ritch wrote, she was “accused by a group of students of being unsuitable as a student leader.”
But wait, it gets worse.
“I have been told that my support for Israel has made me complicit in racism, and that, by association, I am racist.”
Arguably the worst insult in America today—“racist”—is being weaponized against Jews who have the nerve to support the existence of a Jewish state. Apparently, the repudiation at the United Nations in 1991 of the “Zionism is Racism” trope is now in jeopardy, at least among some students on the USC campus.
Arguably the worst insult in America today—“racist”—is being weaponized against Jews who have the nerve to support the existence of a Jewish state.
And what kind of Jewish state does Ritch support? A multicultural Jewish state where the Muslim-Arab minority has more rights, freedoms and opportunities than they would have in other Arab states.
But never mind that inconvenient detail. What matters today is narrative, and the narrative that has been spreading in recent years on many college campuses is that being pro-Israel is an irredeemable sin.
This is not a microaggression against Jewish students — it is a macroaggression.
This is not a microaggression against Jewish students — it is a macroaggression.
According to the Daily Trojan, the fact that Ritch chose not to respond to Instagram posts accusing her of “racial misconduct” demonstrated her “complicity.” The student behind the drive to impeach Ritch, Abeer Tijani, believes “it is important to acknowledge the dissatisfaction of Palestinian students and amplify their voices on campus,” which she considers a “bigger issue that is greater than Rose [Ritch] and her personal affiliations.”
In other words, it’s a zero sum game. One cause must supersede the other.
Criticism of Israeli policies, of course, is more than fair game, and God knows the Jewish community indulges in plenty of it. But these attacks on Jewish students are not criticism of policies that can lead to constructive engagement.
No, they are punitive efforts meant to “cancel” Jewish students who don’t toe the party line. As Rabbi David Wolpe tweeted in the aftermath of Ritch’s resignation, “being a Zionist” is the “one impermissible identity for students.”
As much as I hold responsible Ritch’s fellow students for this discriminatory bullying, the leaders of USC are most responsible. That is the real scandal. The leaders should know better.
USC President Carol Folt and USC Chairman Rick Caruso have had ample opportunities to do the right thing. They have failed each time.
I’ve been told privately that President Folt has expressed an interest in “denouncing” the anti-Semitism.
As I write this, it hasn’t happened yet.
In coordination with supportive USC groups such as Hillel, Chabad, HUC, Casden Institute and the USC Shoah Foundation, I urge both Folt and Caruso to release a statement condemning the virus of anti-Semitism—especially the strain that hides behind anti-Zionism–before it gets out of hand.
I urge both Folt and Caruso to release a statement condemning the virus of anti-Semitism—especially the strain that hides behind anti-Zionism–before it gets out of hand.
They might take a page from the March 11, 2015 statement from UC President Janet Napolitano and UC Board of Regents Chairman Bruce D. Varner:
“Recent instances of anti-Semitism at University of California campuses compel us to speak out against bigotry and hate, wherever it might occur and whoever might be targeted,” they wrote.
“Anti-Semitic incidents such as these, as well as bigotry directed against any members of the UC community because of their faith, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, will not be tolerated. They deserve our condemnation. We applaud the UCLA and UC Berkeley student governments for unanimously passing resolutions condemning anti-Semitism.”
In her letter of resignation, Ritch wrote that she was “elected to represent all USC students. In fact, the values of social justice I ran on and hold dear are born out of my Judaism and Zionist beliefs. Through the teachings of Kavod Bariot, dignity for all, I understand we have an obligation to stand with our fellow humans to ensure an end to all injustices throughout our campuses and our communities.”
She never had a chance to fulfill her mandate.
For the sake of future students with similar aspirations, and for the sake of a safe environment for all students, USC leaders must no longer remain silent.
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