In a letter today to UC Regents, Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, urging them to recognize anti-Semitism as a serious 21st century threat.
The letter read, in part:
“Too many Jewish families with a spouse, daughter, son, or grandchild at a major university in California or outside have heard from a loved one who has experienced or witnessed the bullying, intimidation, and even hate crimes spawned by classic Jew-hatred or by campaigns to demonize and erase the state of Israel. Campus life is supposed to provide an open and safe environment for learning and debate on controversial issues. It has often failed to provide such an environment for young people who proudly and outwardly display their pride in being Jewish and voice their love for Israel. The Regents serve in a public capacity on a Board that under the law has the same rights as other government entities to express their opinions on moral issues such as the right of members of the university community to be free from intimidation or attempts to stifle their viewpoints. Without infringing on free speech rights under the First Amendment, the Regents can and should exercise their own right to accept a definition of anti-Semitism that meets the challenge of our times. Against this backdrop Gov. Janet Napolitano, president of the respected University of California system, has made an important decision that would help administrators, students, and other members of the community to better understand and oppose anti-Semitism: She has expressed her personal support for the U.S. State Department’s definition of anti-Semitism (http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/fs/2010/122352.htm) which includes ‘using the symbols and images associated with classic anti-Semitism to characterize Israel or Israelis’ or ‘drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.’ The Regents should respond to the current environment on campus by adopting a definition, which recognizes such odious speech and expression for what they are: anti-Semitism. By following President Napolitano and adopting the State Department definition, the Regents will provide UC administrators with moral guidance they sorely need in protecting the rights and identities of all students,” Hier concluded.
