Campus Watch March 21, 2024

UPenn Faculty Members File Lawsuit Attempting to Stop University from Providing Documents to House Committee Investigating Antisemitism at Penn

A group of faculty members at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block the university from handing over documents to the House Committee on Education and Workforce, alleging that doing so would put pro-Palestinian students and faculty members at risk.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on March 12 that the lawsuit, filed on behalf of two faculty members (one of whom co-organized the “Palestine Literature Writes” Festival) and the Faculty for Justice, alleges that “the committee has eagerly joined billionaire donors, pro-Israel groups, other litigants, and segments of the media in accusing Penn of being a pervasively antisemitic environment (which it is not)” and that pro-Palestinian students and faculty have faced threats and doxxing. The lawsuit also argues that then-University President Liz Magill’s December House testimony about how it “depends on the context” if calls for genocide against Jews violate university policy was actually “a good-faith and honorable answer pursuant to the First Amendment and Penn’s commitments regarding academic freedom.”

CSU Long Beach President, Faculty Members Targeted With “Genocide Denier” Posters

California State University Long Beach (CSULB) President Jane Conoley and several other faculty members have been targeted with posters on campus calling them “genocide deniers.”

According to reports from The Daily Forty-Niner, Conoley sent out an email to the campus community on March 13 condemning a flyer on campus that accused Jewish Studies Professor Jeffrey Blutinger, with his picture on it, of being a “genocide denier” “Everyone involved in the conflict is hurting… But no one on this campus is bombing Palestinians or was involved in the horror of Oct. 7,” she wrote. “No one on this campus deserves to be seen as an enemy.”  The next day, flyers with the same template were put up on campus accusing Jane “Colonist” of being a “genocide denier.” Other flyers targeted Vice President of Student Affairs Beth Lessen and San Jose State University (SJSU) Professor Jonathan Roth; the latter allegedly was in involved in an altercation with a pro-Palestinian protester during a February event at SJSU where Blutinger was scheduled to speak.

Conoley called the flyers “cruel and cowardly” and that “the people behind these attacks are attempting to silence others,” per the Forty-Niner. The university is investigating the matter.

Hebrew University Announces Suspension of Prof Who Accused Israel of Genocide

Hebrew University announced on March 12 that they are suspending a professor who is accusing Israel of genocide and of lying about Hamas’s sexual violence.

The university said in a letter that the professor, Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, enaged in “incitement and hatred” with her “distorted statements.” Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) highlighted Shalhoub-Kevorkian’s recent statements accusing the “Zionist entity” of being a “killing machine.” She also alleged that Israel is lying about Hamas committing sexual violence and murdering babies on Oct. 7, per JNS.

Following Shalhoub-Kevorkian’s suspension, hundreds of students on campus held a rally urging the university to fire her altogether over her comments, according to Arutz Sheva.

“Free Palestine, AEPi Supports Genocide” Graffiti on Bradley University’s AEPi House

Graffiti stating “Free Palestine, AEPi Supports Genocide” was spray-painted on Bradley University’s AEPi house, as well as on the sidewalks nearby a couple of university buildings.

The graffiti is believed to have occurred sometime on the evening of March 14 or the morning of March 15, according to WMBD-TV. The university said in a statement that police are investigating the matter and that “these acts are completely against the fabric of who we are as a University. Bradley University has no tolerance for acts of bias, hatred, violence, or intimidation toward ANY member of our community.”

Harvard Hillel Announces New Executive Director

Harvard University’s Hillel announced on March 18 that they are hiring Rabbi Jason Rubenstein, who served as Yale University’s Howard M. Holtzmann Jewish Chaplain and senior rabbi at Yale’s Hillel for the past six years, as their new executive director.

According to a press release, Rubenstein wrote an open letter to the Jewish community guiding students on how to address antisemitism on campus following the Oct. 7 massacre, which received coverage in The New York Times. He will begin his new position on June 1.

“It is the honor of a lifetime to lead this community of boundless potential – students, faculty, parents, alumni, supporters, and staff – in together creating Jewish life at Harvard that will inspire the next generation of Jewish creativity,” Rubenstein, himself a Harvard alumnus, said in a statement. “The resurgence of antisemitism at Harvard and beyond since Oct. 7 has made the work of sustaining Harvard’s vibrant Jewish life that much more urgent.”