ADL: We Are ‘Deeply Concerned’ About SJP Conference

The Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Los Angeles office released a statement on Monday saying they are “deeply concerned” about the upcoming National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) conference at UCLA.

The statement says, “ADL is deeply concerned about the potential impact the SJP conference might have on the campus climate at UCLA, and most particularly, on the safety and security of all students on campus.”

“We are also concerned that this event, like those held at other universities in the US, will lead to a hostile environment for Jewish and pro-Israel students, leading them to feel isolated and under attack,” the statement reads.

However, the ADL acknowledged that the challenges that universities face in respecting freedom of speech and events that create “alienation and hostility” like the NSJP; they also praised UCLA Chancellor Gene Block for condemning anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism in his Los Angeles Time op-ed stating that the NSJP conference would not be canceled.

“We continue to call upon the UCLA administration to strongly condemn the divisive and hateful rhetoric and the aggressive tactics attributed to SJP and ensure that UCLA is a safe and inclusive space for those who are Jewish and/or pro-Israel,” the statement reads.

The ADL Los Angeles office added, “The UCLA administration needs to take whatever steps necessary to ensure that all UCLA communities are treated with respect, free from vilification and harassment, and to continue to denounce messages coming from SJP that are to the contrary.”

Block wrote in his op-ed that UCLA can’t cancel the NSJP because they have to abide by the First Amendment, even if SJP’s rhetoric is “personally hurtful.”

The conference will take place from Nov. 16-18.