Campus Watch September 14, 2023

High School Students in Sacramento Pictured Doing Nazi Salutes

A photo of four high school students from the Sacramento area were pictured doing Nazi salutes and wearing Hitler-style mustaches in a photo that has gone viral on social media.

The Jewish News of Northern California (The J) reported that the photo was posted on September 3 and that the students are from Delta High School, which is located in the town of Clarksburg in Yolo County. A spokesperson from River Delta Unified School District told ABC10 that the district has launched a “thorough investigation” into the matter. “We absolutely will not tolerate such horrific behaviors and actions and appropriate disciplinary actions will be assigned immediately as these behaviors are in direct opposition to the values, beliefs, and goals of our schools and the district as a whole,” the spokesperson said. “We wholeheartedly will only accept actions and behaviors that respect, protect and celebrate the wonderful diversity of our student population and the community and world at large.”

Harvard Dean Heckled By Student Accusing University of Supporting “Israeli Apartheid”

Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana was heckled by a student on September 7 who accused the university of supporting “Israeli apartheid.”

The Algemeiner reported that Khurana was speaking at a ceremony welcoming new students to campus when the heckling occurred. “Dean Khurana, you talk about equity, you talk about justice, you talk about truth,” the student reportedly yelled. “Here’s the real truth — Harvard supports, upholds, and invests in Israeli apartheid, and the oppression of Palestinians.”

A university spokesperson told The Harvard Crimson regarding the incident: “Freedom of expression is essential to a liberal arts and sciences education.”

Swastika Found in Sacramento County Elementary School Bathroom

A swastika was found in the bathroom stall of an elementary school in Sacramento County on August 30.

KCRA reported that a student at Del Dayo Elementary School in Carmichael found the graffiti during lunch and brought it to the school’s attention; the graffiti was subsequently removed. A spokesperson for San Juan Unified School District told KCRA that the student was a fifth grader. 

The day after the swastika was discovered, students put up posters stating, “Stop the Hate” and “Del Dayo Is an Inclusive School” written in paint, per KCRA.

Court Rules That Lawsuit Accusing CUNY of Antisemitism Can Move Forward

New York Supreme Court Judge Gina Abadi ruled on August 23 that a lawsuit accusing the City University of New York (CUNY) of antisemitism can in fact move forward.

The College Fix and Legal Insurrection reported that the lawsuit was filed by five Jewish professors alleging that the Progressive Faculty Caucus (PFC) at Kingsborough Community College, which is part of the CUNY umbrella, “denied entry to every observant Jewish applicant” and purposely scheduled an anti-discrimination event on a Friday evening with the intent of excluding observant Jewish professors. One of the plaintiffs, Professor Jeffrey Lax, is alleging that he was “badgered” by five PFC members at an event held by CUNY’s faculty union. 

Per The College Fix, both CUNY and the union “denied the allegations and claims of harboring a hostile work environment” in their unsuccessful attempt to get the case dismissed.

Poll: 57% of American Jewish Students Say They Have Experienced Antisemitism

Jewish on Campus (JOC) and the World Jewish Congress (WJC) released a survey on September 11 finding that 57% of American Jewish students have said they have experienced antisemitism both on and off campus.

The survey, which was conducted from March 19-May 24, queried a little more than 3,000 college students, both Jewish and non-Jewish. The survey found that 29% of Jewish students say they experienced antisemitism on campus, half of which involved hate speech. Twenty-one percent of Jewish students who experienced antisemitism on campus say they witnessed people “wishing death and/or genocide on Jews,” according to a press release on JOC’s website. Fifteen percent of college students in general said that they “found the historical reality or death toll of the Holocaust not very believable, not at all believable or were unsure.” In total, 84% of Jewish students said they view antisemitism as a threat, while only 64% students in general said as such.

“Our new analysis of the antisemitism Jewish students face – measured on an unprecedented scale – underscores the urgency of our mission to elevate the voices and experiences of Jewish students,” JOC CEO Julia Jassey said in a statement. “As the new school year begins, these findings provide key evidence of the breadth and depth of antisemitism students face, and we will continue urging university administrators, campus leaders, and non-Jewish students to meet this moment and take antisemitism seriously.”