<p>New Mexico has detected a strange odor... rather offensive, of official bias against Israel. Funny thing ... the prevailing winds here are from the southwest, which means Vassar's stench has circled the globe, Not smart, Administration.</p>
<p>What are you talking about?</p>
<p><a href=“Vile at Vassar ”>Opinion - New York Daily News;
<p>Taking an anti-Israel stance doesn’t necessarily mean you’re antisemitic, and it definitely does not relegate you to a WWII Nazi Hitler-esque status. Arguing against zionism doesn’t make one an intolerant fascist bigot.</p>
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<p>Very true. However, if the NY Daily News article is accurate, do these actions mean you’re anti-semitic?</p>
<p>Consider that five days before Jacobson’s visit, Israel-bashers Ali Abunimah and Max Blumenthal stopped at Vassar on a national road show selling separate books calling for Israel’s destruction. Paid for by student activity fees and departmental funds, their event was sponsored not only by SJP but by Vassar’s departments of religion, political science, sociology, English and geography.</p>
<p>That’s more difficult to answer. The founding of Israel was advocated by Zonists, and I tend to regard them as “extreme Jews.” I’d think it unusual for a school to take a political stance on a specific issue like that though… in any case, I don’t think anti-semitism is the right word for this issue. I think to call it antisemitic would warrant explicit evidence that the actions stemmed from a perpetual hate of Jews, which in this case may not necessarily be so.</p>
<p>There is virtually no anti-Semitism on campus, if any at all… First, the NY Daily News is being fed information by a student known to spout inaccurate information, and it’s not exactly a reputable paper to begin with. Second, students who feel somewhat uncomfortable with some of the debate going on on campus have instead worded their feelings as “unsafe,” which is not only inaccurate, but insulting to those actually in the middle of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.</p>
<p>Huh?</p>
<p>AkLvKk regards Zionists as “extreme” Jews. What the heck is an “extreme” Jew? A religious Jew? Theodore Herzl was not a religious Jew? What about the Jews escaping persecution in Europe for Israel in the 19th and 20th centuries? They had no place else to go. Were they all “extreme” Jews? Are the Jews leaving France for Israel today because of anti-Semitism “extreme” Jews?</p>
<p>AkLvKk, you sound a teeny-weeny bit anti-semitic to me.</p>
<p>KGB, if a woman says she feels “unsafe” leaving her boyfriend’s dorm room on the Vassar campus at 3 AM to return to her own room in a dorm on the other side of campus, would it be okay with you if I tell her she’s being silly and that her comment is an insult to girls and women in Arab countries who are sometimes victims of honor killings? Also, is the Wall Street Journal also a non-reputable source? How about the Simon Wiesenthal Center? Another disreputable source? At what point does the ostrich pull its head out of the sand?</p>
<p>A Vassar grad from the late 1970s or early 1980s (a colleague of mine) told me it’s true that Jewish students at Vassar face anti-Semitism. He said an alumni group that had about 125+ members several months ago (probably more by now) has been documenting the problems. The alums go to events on campus, follow social media, write in the school newspaper, and more. Some have children on campus. They say their kids say it’s best not to tell anyone on campus if you are pro-Israel, or you will lose friends and be subjected to harassment and other demeaning behavior. </p>
<p>Sheesh. If the attitudes of AkLvKk and KGB are typical of students at Vassar, it’s no wonder that the campus is roiling with anti-Semitism.</p>
<p>From the article: “All too predictably, an overflow campus forum discussing the Israel trip then degenerated into a near mob, with Israel-haters hurling invective at Jews and backers of Israel.”</p>
<p>I wouldn’t feel safe in those circumstances. Academic discourse and discussion of opposing views is one thing. Mobs hurling invective doesn’t sound like a civil discussion to me. </p>
<p>Here’s an article about this from the Vassar student newspaper: <a href=“Preliminary org criticized for online image – The Miscellany News”>http://miscellanynews.org/2014/05/24/news/preliminary-org-criticized-for-online-image/</a>
Not surprisingly, it’s much better than the Daily News “article.”
And here’s an article about the forum: <a href=“http://miscellanynews.org/2014/03/26/features/is-trip-sparks-tension-debate-on-vc-campus/”>http://miscellanynews.org/2014/03/26/features/is-trip-sparks-tension-debate-on-vc-campus/</a>
Interestingly, there is a comment after the second article saying that the forum was more contentious than indicated in the article, including a statement that “two or three times” people shouted at one another.</p>
<p>@AntiOstrich
"AkLvKk regards Zionists as “extreme” Jews. What the heck is an “extreme” Jew? A religious Jew? Theodore Herzl was not a religious Jew? What about the Jews escaping persecution in Europe for Israel in the 19th and 20th centuries? They had no place else to go. Were they all “extreme” Jews? Are the Jews leaving France for Israel today because of anti-Semitism “extreme” Jews?</p>
<p>AkLvKk, you sound a teeny-weeny bit anti-semitic to me."</p>
<p>Um… Strawman much? It was just a sentiment that Zionists do not reflect the view of the Jewish population as a whole. Zionists are a subset of the Jewish population. There have been several incidents in which Holocause members disapproved of the actions of Israel’s bombing of Palestine/Gaza, which I also heartily disapprove. I wouldn’t consier them Zionists. This is the exact problem with people like you. Disagreeing with Zionists and/or disagreeing with Israel’s actions does NOT label someone as anti-semitic. I would try to explain more but I’m not sure if I could get it over your head.</p>
<p>I’m just wary of Israel at the moment because of its bombing of Gaza and civilians.</p>
<p>Edit: also I’m not necessarily pro-Palestine. It’s just that collateral damage (or, at least, I hope it’s collateral and not intentional) in that general area is pretty heavy and I hope it’ll resolve peacefully.</p>
<p>Also, I’m going to say it’s kind of unsettling that some people set up accounts at CC specifically to target this supposed anti-semitism problem at Vassar. Is your first and only post REALLY going to be about Vassar students not supporting Israel? Apparently @NoBigo and @AntiOstrich think so. Give me a break.</p>
<p>“This is the exact problem with people like you.( Disagreeing with Zionists and/or disagreeing with Israel’s actions does NOT label someone as anti-semitic. I would try to explain more but I’m not sure if I could get it over your head.”</p>
<p>I think I understand what you are saying. The students at Vassar aren’t anti-Semitic, they are just anti-Israel. Jewish students who are anti-Israel are welcome there. </p>
<p>It is only pro-Israel students that would be subjected to angry mobs insulting them. </p>
<p>You folks can keep on arguing, but it doesn’t appear to me that there were any angry mobs at Vassar.</p>
<p>Not interested in an argument. If there aren’t angry mobs, then that’s a good thing. My comment was in reference to the comment that Zionists are extremists, but it doesn’t seem that the students who went on the school trip were the ones upset about it. It was the SJP that took issue with it. While it is true that not all Jews are pro-Israel, I don’t think it is fair to assume that all people who are pro-Israel are extremists.</p>
<p>This thread makes me wonder how a student who is pro-Israel would feel at Vassar, and if they would feel uncomfortable there, then maybe this thread is a good thing if it informs them. If it is indeed an inclusive place, then perhaps some students can clarify this. </p>
<p>Vassar’s president sent out an email a while ago, since this concerns you so much:
“Another serious challenge for our community is being able to listen to each other respectfully when we have different viewpoints on complex and highly charged issues such as the conflict in Israel and Palestine. A diverse community, where we all feel included and supported, does not just happen. It takes a great deal of work. People from many different backgrounds will have deeply held views that can conflict or even clash with the views of others. When those clashes deny the rights of others, they damage relationships and what we stand for. Our commitment to free speech or expression does not protect harassment, discrimination, or hate-speech. These behaviors violate our policies, which include clear procedures for adjudicating such cases.”</p>
<p>So far I haven’t seen tension, or really any conflict at all. Everyone here seems happy, or at least amiable. Angry mobs are the least I’d expect–as in, there aren’t anti-Israel protesters walking around campus yelling at people that Israelites are going to hell or something. </p>
<p>Nah, not to worry. No angry mobs at Vassar. Just the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) posting horrific Nazi-era cartoons that were taken from right wing websites. When caught by President Hill (and getting a slap on the wrist), the rest of the students in SJP tried to distance themselves from the poster. Typical, typical. That’s the way the SJP always operates. Everything’s wonderful at Vassar. The president of Zaytuna College, the first Muslim liberal arts college in the US is coming to Vassar next week to speak. As long as the SJP is happy, everything is great at Vassar!</p>
<p>Vassar is a wonderful place… No sign of angst after 4 visits with son. Nice mix of kids. </p>
<p>My son is a Junior at Vassar. He is Jewish and has met many Jewish (and many other) friends. Last year was tough and tense. He was one of the few that tried to start a dialogue on campus with fellow students and professors about Israel from a historical and day to day perspective (after coming home from Birthright). He did not feel threatened, but he did feel extremely uncomfortable as a Jewish person for the first time in his life
(and we are quite secular). What was infuriating to him was that the anger was coming from self proclaimed Liberals. As a Liberals he really could not understand how people could be more concerned with whether the bathrooms were coed, than that there was no real discussion about the political situation in the Mid East. This year it is very different. And it seems like it is no more an issue than anything else. There is always going to be disagreement, especially at progressive LAC. That is one of the things that drew him to Vassar. The situation at Vassar might have received the most publicity and I do wish President Hill had reacted sooner and in a more “balanced” way. But overall, it was a learning experience for my son who wants to have a political career and will have to be able to learn how to craft his message so it will be heard. Vassar is a wonderful place and my younger son is applying this year</p>
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I am sorry but this is ridiculous. I am a Jewish Vassar alum from the 70’s and I never felt a drop of antisemitism. I also participate in several alum discussion groups. There was concern about this when the incident occurred last spring, but as post # 16 quotes, President Hill responded to it in a letter to the community last August. It was unfortunate, but the school does support students expressing divergent views, and sometimes that can have a negative outcome. I think the OP, a “new” poster when he/she signed on back in the spring and hasn’t been heard from since, is just wanting to be inflammatory. Lets drop this. Not sure who revived this thread.</p>