Oberlin sounds like a wonderful college, with excellent academic programs and extracurricular/social offerings. But reading about it on-line has raised a question. It seems there is an especially strong pro-Palestinian BDS movement there. Of course colleges will and should have students with strong opinions. But are other viewpoints tolerated as well, or do militant students harass their peers who support and visit Israel? And does the anti-Israel sentiment ever verge into overt anti-Semitism?
Oberlin is hyper liberal and Israel is very politically incorrect nowadays.
And yes I know that to use the term politically incorrect is very politically incorrect these days.
Oberlin is 25%-30% Jewish and has a Jewish president. There is a Hillel which tends to be pro-Israel, and a group called Oberlin Zionists. However, there is an active Students for a Free Palestine group.
I define anti-semitism as either direct attacks upon Jews for being Jewish, or support for conditions to be imposed on Israel, the world’s only Jewish-controlled state, which would not normally be imposed on other states. In my view, one of the major anti-semitic organizations is the United Nations which wants Israel to unilaterally withdraw to the pre-1967 war borders, without any conditions. It is controlled by the Moslem countries with their large numbers and oil. No other country would be forced to do this.
SFP wants divestment by Oberlin from Israel(which was turned down by Oberlin’s board of trustees), wants the same thing the UN wants, wants the wall on the West Bank torn down( which has been effective in curtailing Palestinian terrorists), and wants Israel to end all sanctions and the blockade against Gaza, so that the Gazans can continue to import and launch missiles against Israel, snipe at farmers and others at the border, and infiltrate(by tunnel or otherwise) to kill soldiers and civilians. They seem to think that if Israel does these things, Israelis and Palestinians will gather around a campfire, make peace, and sing Kumbaya (first recorded and publicized by an Oberlin alumnus). SFP regards anything that Israel does to defend its citizens as aggression or a war crime.
Unfortunately, these positions are not confined to Oberlin. It is now radical chic to attack Israel on most of the other campuses in this country, and this has even been adopted by some U.S. church groups. Unfortunately, many Jewish students join in this to express their solidarity with a so-called oppressed people which, besides terrorism, has a history of murdering dissenters, maintaining a territory free of Jews(and some people claim Christians), and discriminating against women and gays. With respect to the actions of Assad in Syria, ISIS, or Putin in Ukraine, these do not appear to be radical chic yet, and there is silence on college campuses.
So, there is anti-Israel anti-semitism, but it is not limited to Oberlin. There have been reports of slurs against Oberlin’s Jews, and some Jews feeling uncomfortable there. Someone reported a rock was thrown through a window bearing an Israeli flag. A group of 200 alumni recently sent a letter to the president, bringing these things to his attention.
What is needed, I think, are more pro-Israel students at Oberlin, and a more evenhanded discussion of the problems in the region which should be funded, if necessary, by alumni and national Jewish groups.
If you have read my other comments about Oberlin on this site, you will see that I am very pro-Oberlin, besides being pro-Israel. I still think Oberlin is one of the best colleges.
It is very difficult to be a Zionist at Oberlin. It is difficult to express any kind of nuanced view affirming the legitimacy of a Jewish state in the historical Land of Israel, or about the legitimacy of a Jewish identity that includes features of territorial and national self-definition. If you believe the government of Israel, or the IDF, to be anything less than inhumanly monstrous, at all times, in all forms, you will be taken for either a moronic dupe or an enabler of evil, by most other current Obies - certainly by most other politically active Obies.
Additionally, staffing for Jewish Studies-related courses (including Hebrew language) has been moribund. There is only one permanent faculty member who currently teaches (1) Jewish Studies course; the rest of what is offered is taught by a 2-3 visiting professors. The Hebrew language classes in particular were worthless a few years ago (when they were taught by a different unengaged and unprofessional visiting faculty member) - don’t know what they’re like at the moment. The above-mentioned permanent faculty member does not live in Oberlin, but commutes from a Cleveland suburb (which is increasingly true for many other Oberlin faculty, and which represents a real change in the nature of campus life available to students).
Hillel leadership - there is an interim Executive Director who is an MBA, the faculty advisor is David Dorsey, who is not Jewish - to say they’re floundering would be an understatement. Friday night dinners happen, and were relatively well attended the few times we’ve spent a weekend at Oberlin, but had no Jewish content.
Johnson House (Hebrew Heritage House) - misnamed. Zero percent Hebrew-oriented activity; occasional student-led Jewish-oriented programming.
There is a Chabad House. Considering the death-spiral of Oberlin Hillel, if your student is looking for Jewish life on campus, you should probably check them out.
I think that it has become increasingly hard to be an engaged, open-minded, committed, inquiring, maturing Jew at many elite LAC’s over the past 4 years, for many reasons. Oberlin is not alone in having these problems, but I have more direct knowledge of conditions at Oberlin, so that is where my focus is. The limits at Oberlin on what is an acceptable opinion to have on many issues relevant to Jewishness and Judaism are real.
Joy Karega, assistant professor of rhetoric and composition has posted on her Facebook and Twitter pages allegations that Israel was behind the Twin Tower bombings and responsible for the 2014 downing of the Malaysian jetliner over Ukraine. She’s obsessed with the Rothschilds, and has posted a graphic of Jacob Rothschild with the caption, “We own your news. The media. Your oil. And your government.”
Besides the totally delusional stuff about Israel, this last piece is simply about Jews, repeating one of the oldest anti-Semitic tropes in history.
Oberlin’s sniveling president has responded that these comments reflect her views, not those of the college. But CAN YOU IMAGINE if she’d posted something similar about African-Americans, gays, or Muslims? Methinks that there would be a tad stronger reaction. But it’s just the Jews. Move along, nothing to see here.
Notably, when black activists submitted their list of demands to President Krislov this December, one demand was that Karega be granted tenure.
If you’re Jewish you’d have to be nuts to go to Oberlin. Outright hostility simply because you’re Jewish. Your position on Israel is irrelevant.
You couldn’t make this stuff up.
Professor Karega, per her faculty profile, specializes in “Black political and protest literacies, translingual composition, rhetoric and composition historiography, social justice writing, and writing pedagogy.”
This is what passes for scholarship at Oberlin.
It could be scholarly; that is not the point. The college would not tolerate a member of the KKK spewing anti-black rhetoric online, teaching at Oberlin. Similarly, they should not tolerate a professor making anti-Semitic posts teaching there. My understanding is that Karega does not have tenure, and she can be terminated. But, nowadays, you have to be very careful when you terminate an employee because she could sue for wrongful discharge and racial discrimination. Probably, they should not renew her contract at the end of the school year. They should consult with labor law counsel about the timing. As an alumnus who loves Oberlin, it breaks my heart that this is happening. But, Oberlin will deal with it.
It gets better and better. Karega has also posted that the Paris Charlie Hebdo attack was an Israeli Mossad operation, and that there’s enough evidence out there supporting this claim that any member of the general public could figure it out. Not only that, but for a college professor her spelling stinks.
How can anyone who’s supposed to be intelligent and discerning enough to be on the faculty of Oberlin make a claim like this? Again, a similar crazed allegation like this against any other ethnic group would be prosecuted by the college as creating a hostile environment. But not this one.
According to The Tower.org, Karega recently stated that the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was a tool of oppression, and that Hurricane Sandy and Winter Storm Jonas were deliberately engineered by people in the government. It is beginning to look like the woman might be mentally ill.
@gratefulalum – Well, at least readers of this thread who end up at Oberlin will know to steer clear of her courses. Or if they end up in one they should go to class wearing a tin foil hat.
She sounds not only anti-Semitic, but unbalanced and paranoid. Unfortunately, as long as she is on the faculty, my son might actually end up in one of her classes. He loved AP Eng. Language and Composition, earned a rhetoric credit, and is interested in taking a college rhetoric class. I hope he has some choice of prof if he chooses to do this.
@TheGreyKing, @gratefulalum, @AsleepAtTheWheel
Oberlin has finally started to take a look at Joy Karega’s hateful posts. Below is the text of a message Oberlin parents received yesterday afternoon. (Note: I also posted this on the Parents board here.) I have no idea if any good will come of it, but at least they are paying attention now.
"Statement by Clyde McGregor on behalf of Oberlin College Board of Trustees
At our quarterly Board meeting yesterday, the Trustees of Oberlin College discussed postings on social media by an Oberlin faculty member.
These postings are anti-Semitic and abhorrent. We deplore anti-Semitism and all other forms of bigotry. They have no place at Oberlin.
These grave issues must be considered expeditiously. In consultation with President Marvin Krislov, the Board has asked the administration and faculty to challenge the assertion that there is any justification for these repugnant postings and to report back to the Board.
From its founding, Oberlin College has stood for inclusion, respect, and tolerance. We still do.
Clyde S. McGregor ’74, Chair, Oberlin College Board of Trustees"
In my opinion, most anti-Semitism in the united states is born out of paranoia and delusional beliefs from Jewish Americans themselves, I’m not sure if it’s anything to worry about or serious at all. A lot seems to be related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is completely normal for people to have differing views on this topic. Some of the intolerance and bigotry I see often is from Jewish students themselves. I attend a sixth form college in North London in a Jewish neighbourhood(we even have an Israeli restaurant next door which sells delicious falafel wraps), a large percentage of the students there are Jewish. I’ve heard pretty abhorrent discussions with regards to goyim and plain racist views against Muslims. The principle even invited a reform Islamist that explained just how horrible the religion is and how it is in need of major reform. I’m not Muslim myself but a lot of my class mates and friends at sixth form are and were pretty offended to say the least.
Also, I can’t understand why Jewish students would want other students to be Zionists in the first place or even sympathetic to the Zionist cause. Of course, Israel is a legitimate state and a U.S. ally but this doesn’t mean people should agree with everything Israel does as a state. I always thought the concept of Zionism was having a safe haven state for Jews, somewhere they can escape to and feel safe, a Jewish utopia if you will. The reality is that Israel has violated international laws and committed war crimes on a grand scale which is why it gets criticized so much. You don’t have to be pro-BDS or even pro-Palestinian to realize this, it’s all over the news. I believe the issue here is trying to define other peoples goals and motives. Is someone criticizing Israel because they have a grudge against Jews or is it honest critique? I don’t think anyone can answer this question unless they claim to have psychic superpowers and read other peoples minds. I personally don’t support BDS as I can’t define their motives, I’m not sure if they aim to have a two state solution, a one state solution or just want to get rid of Israel? As a result, I don’t believe I can Judge the group but concerns may be justified.
Finally, A reassurance that most Americans have favourable opinions with regards to Jews even more than Catholics in this country:http://www.pewforum.org/2014/07/16/how-americans-feel-about-religious-groups/
Americans are also very pro-Israel: http://www.gallup.com/poll/181652/seven-americans-continue-view-israel-favorably.aspx
I can argue that Jewish Americans in this country are the least likely to be victims of discrimination in comparison to other demographic groups. Not to say there isn’t any bigotry in the united states, however,according to polls it is near non-existent. Stop worrying, stop being paranoid and stop deluding yourselves.(No offense intended and I say this in the friendliest way possible.).
Do you think that the Holocaust and what most of the Arab countries and Iran want to do to Israel and the Jews is delusional? You do not understand that love for Israel is a basic precept of Judaism, for a people that was exterminated and driven out of their homeland. I will continue later.
@gratefulalum This is the issue, it can’t be psychologically healthy to feel threatened all the time. I just don’t think this is a particular time in history were Jewish Americans should be alarmed and fear for their lives. The Nazis have been dealt with, the Arabs have been defeated by Israel in the past and Iran has signed a deal that would destroy any route to a nuclear weapon. I understand the importance of supporting Israel for individuals that are Jewish, I’m not telling anyone whether they should or shouldn’t support Israel, Israel is a U.S. ally and a recognized state. However, people that harshly criticize Israel aren’t necessarily irrational bigots. Some of the criticism is justified and shared by countries all over the world and even international human rights organizations, they can’t all be wrong??!!
I don’t believe the teacher in this case was antisemitic, at worst she is a paranoid conspiracy theorist but I don’t believe she meant to be deliberately hateful towards Jewish Americans. I return to my previous point, it is impossible to define someones motives so I don’t think anyone really knows whether her comments on Israel were truly born out of bigotry. Jewish students shouldn’t get worked up over trivial comments. I’m a recent admit to Oberlin and I get concerned when I read of perceived discrimination. This doesn’t help reduce Jewish students anxiety at all and only serves to make their experience a hundred times worse.
Ali1302, there is rightfully much anxiety among Jews around the world. There are anti-Semitic trends throughout the world. There are neo-Nazi movements in Germany and eastern Europe. There are large numbers of Muslims who have left their countries and have settled in Britain, France, and the US. They left countries that were controlled by kings, strongmen, and juntas, which swept up most of the wealth among themselves, and left little opportunity for ordinary people. They are almost unanimously anti-Israel, and do not like the Jews because of their support for Israel. Because of their large numbers, they can threaten any support for Israel that those countries give, even to prevent another holocaust occurring in Israel. In France, they have attacked Jews and Jewish establishments to such an extent that there is now an exodus of Jews from France to Israel.
The Muslim countries control the UN when it comes to Israel, and it continually issues negative pronouncements about Israel. They and the press do not condemn the Palestinians for their terrorist activities, for operating territories which do not tolerate Jews, for the lack of rights for women and gays, and the fact that the Palestinian junta in control of a particular area liquidates its opponents. I guess they expect the Palestinians to act this way. If an Israeli, on the other hand, shoots a Palestinian who is about to stab someone, that is labeled excessive force or a war crime. When Israel unilaterally hands over Gaza to the Palestinians, in what it thinks will lead to peace, it gets thousands of missiles and terrorist attacks against it in return. When it is forced to invade Gaza to stop these attacks, its actions are labeled war crimes. No other country which takes the same steps would be criticized.
You do not appear to be versed in anti-Semitism. The pronouncements by Professor Karega about the Jews controlling the financial world repeat many of the things stated by Henry Ford, a fierce anti-Semite. Other statements about Jews plotting the 9/11 attacks are completely untrue, and have similarly been stated by anti-Semitic groups. It is clear that she is biased against Jews, and should be removed from her position.
When it comes down to it, you have two groups of people in the US who dominate: those who follow a religion only culturally, and those who don’t follow a religion. The rest of the people who follow a religion and inculcate their life with it will feel out of place in many public arenas, and should think about whether they can be tolerant, or whether they can’t be tolerant.
Concern about being a victim of a hate crime should be a different concern than whether a student will feel uncomfortable and unsupported by the general population.
Two other items:
- the assistant professor’s views are not unique, and some aspects are proven: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123885&page=1 However, UIUC fired a professor for anti-Israel social media posts: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/06/15/university-of-illinois-censured-after-professor-loses-job-over-tweets-critical-of-israel/ but then got censured for it.
- use sites like this to find colleges that are appropriate: http://www.hillel.org/about/news-views/news-views---blog/news-and-views/2014/09/04/2014-top-60-schools-by-jewish-student-population
If you seriously are worried about pro-Palestinian groups on campus, find colleges who have turned down such groups. There are over a hundred chapters of SJP at colleges in the US and a few other countries. Many chapters have gotten in trouble with college officials.
I also have never heard the word “Zionist” to describe anything other than a terrorist, but that might be unique to me living in the NYC area where perhaps the Jewish population (about a third around here, with a third Catholic and a third Protestant and a smattering of others) is generally more liberal than other areas of the US.
I love when people proclaim how edgy they’re being by using the term “politically incorrect.” No one cares.
It’s amazing how people have been led by the media, with the help of Palestinian supporters, to create the impression that Zionism is the same as terrorism. Zionism was a movement by Jews, principally from Europe in the 19th century, to leave anti-Semitic Europe and the pogroms to resettle in Palestine. A similar movement is the one by US slaves and freedmen in the 19th century to return to Africa. They had financial backers who bought land in Palestine on which they settled. Unlike the Turks and Crusaders, they were not conquerors of Palestine. They helped turn what was then deserts and badlands into forests, farmland, and modern cities which is what Israel is today. Zionists today are Jews and non-Jews who share a love for Israel, and include those who are still settling there.
@gratefulalum Your part of the reason a lot of Jews are distancing themselves from Judaism or seeking reform/liberal forms of the religion. I mean the fear mongering and you suggesting that there could be another Holocaust just clearly demonstrates the problem here. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that American Jews should fear for their safety or have that much anxiety at least in the United States. I can argue that Jews are safer in the United States than in any other country in the world even Israel that claims to be the safe haven state for Jews globally.
I’m not going to get into a debate about the Palestinian and Israeli conflict. What I know is that every country in the world except for Israel regards the settlements in the country illegal and a barrier towards peace or a potential two state solution. Also, every single international human rights organization has condemned the Israeli attacks in Gaza that disproportionally killed civilians. It’s very hard in this case to defend Israel when you have the whole world on one side and Israel on the other.
Finally, I reiterate the professors comments may have been false and illogical but this doesn’t necessarily mean she’s anti-semitic. She’s a paranoid conspiracy theorist that is in the same category of people who believe that lizard people living underground in California rule the world. In this case, Jews just happen to fit her global conspiracy theory but I honestly don’t believe her statements were really from a place of bigotry or hate. Let’s not create hysteria among Jewish students and parents alike over trivial comments, let’s not assume that the professor has bad intentions or is bigoted just misinformed or paranoid as well as very delusional. I also disagree with your bizarre accusation of Henry Ford of anti-Semitism, I’ll have you know I don’t share your beliefs here and that currently Ford has a Jewish CEO Mark fields leading it’s company.