Campus Watch July 27, 2023

Two UMich Frat Houses Vandalized With Antisemitic, Homophobic Graffiti

Two University of Michigan fraternity houses were vandalized with antisemitic and homophobic graffiti sometime between July 17 and 18, FOX 2 Detroit reported.

Stop Antisemitism tweeted out photos of one of the vandalized frat houses — which they identified as being the Jewish fraternity Sigma Alpha Mu house — showing a swastika painted on one of those windows as well as a homophobic slurs painted on the house. With school in recess, both of the vandalized fraternity houses are vacant until the fall. University President Santa J. Ono said in a statement, “The university condemns these acts of vandalism, which included broken windows and spray-painted messages that are vile, homophobic and antisemitic. These types of incidents are in direct conflict with the university’s deeply held values of respect and inclusion and have no place within our campus community or in the broader Ann Arbor community.”

American Anthropological Association Adopts Pro-BDS Resolution

The American Anthropological Association (AAA) announced on July 24 that their membership overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution endorsing an academic boycott of Israel.

AAA membership voted on the resolution from June 15-July 14; the final tally was 71% in favor and 29% against. Among other things, the resolution prohibits Israeli academic institutions from being listed in any AAA published material, participating in AAA events and republishing AAA articles in their journals. The resolution does not prevent individual Israeli academics from Israeli institutions from participating in AAA conferences or being published in AAA journals. AAA President Ramona Pérez said in a statement the boycott will “draw attention to the disproportionate suffering of the Palestinian people as a result of the Occupation.”

Academic Engagement Network President Miriam Elman said in a statement, “At a time when there are so many threats to academic freedom and campus free expression, it’s disappointing to see a faculty body contributing to these efforts to curb open inquiry and intellectual exchange.”

Letter Asks CA Legislative Jewish Caucus to Clarify Ethnic Studies Mandate

The AMHCA Initiative is asking people to sign a letter requesting that the California Legislative Jewish Caucus clarify if the state mandate for ethnic studies for high school graduation is currently active or not.

The letter argues that there is a push for various school districts to adopt a “liberated” ethnic studies curriculum containing “antisemitic biases” or contracting with authors of the first draft of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum that was scrapped over concerns that it supported the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and inadequately addressed antisemitism. But the letter points to a recent memorandum arguing that the ethnic studies requirement is not yet operational because, under an amendment to the law, the mandate becomes operative only after state funds have been allocated toward the requirement. Such funds have not yet been allocated since the amendment was passed. Consequently, districts would have more time to review the curriculum before adopting it, the memo contends, calling for the state legislature to withhold funding for the requirement until they properly address the spread of the “liberated” ethnic studies curricula.

Australian Jewish Students Experienced Antisemitic Bullying 

Three Australian Jewish students are alleging to have experienced antisemitic bullying in Melbourne public schools and that the schools are not adequately responding to it. Consequently, their parents are removing them from these schools.

Melbourne’s The Age newpaper reported that the students “encountered swastikas, Nazi salutes and even physical assaults and were called ‘Jewboy’ or ‘dirty Jew’ and sent memes involving Hitler” and that the students’ families allege that “the response from both the schools and Education Department did not go far enough to stamp out the behaviour, or treat the matters as seriously as they should have.” The Education Department told the Age that antisemitism in schools is “distressing and disturbing and taken extremely seriously.” 

Antisemitism Novel Challenged in South Carolina School District

A parent is seeking to remove a novel about antisemitism from the Beaufort County School District in South Carolina.

Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) reported on July 19 that the parent, who is part of the conservative group Moms for Liberty, is targeting Bernard Malamud’s 1966 award-winning book “The Fixer” and several other books as being inappropriate for children. “The Fixer” depicts a 1911 case in Tsarist Russia involving a Jewish man being imprisoned after being falsely accused of ritually murdering a Christian boy. BookLooks, a book ratings site cited as justification for challenging the book, states that the book contains violence, profanity and “hate involving racism.” JTA described the book as “an indictment of antisemitism and a powerful portrayal of human suffering.”

A district spokesperson told JTA that “The Fixer” and other challenged books were temporarily pulled after district employees were subjected to harassment.