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August 16, 2011

AJC repudiates staffer’s statement on campus anti-Semitism

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The American Jewish Committee repudiated a statement from a staffer who criticized efforts to use federal civil rights law to respond to anti-Israel activism on campus.

In an e-mail, the AJC’s executive director, David Harris, called the April statement by Kenneth Stern, AJC’s director on anti-Semitism and extremism, “ill advised” and expressed regret over its release. “Unfortunately, AJC’s internal system of checks and balances did not function well in this case,” Harris said in his Aug. 9 e-mail, as reported by the Forward.

Stern’s statement, which was co-signed by Cary Nelson, president of the American Association of University Professors, suggested that some supporters of Israel are distorting the provisions of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits federally funded institutions or programs from discriminating on the basis of race and national origin.

Some in the Jewish community have accused colleges of discriminating against Jewish students by allowing anti-Israel professors and activists to foster a hostile and anti-Semitic atmosphere on their campuses. Last year, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights clarified that anti-Semitic harassment of Jews based on shared ancestry or ethnicity was covered under Title VI.

In their statement, Stern and Nelson criticized the manner in which some have responded to allegations of campus anti-Semitism.

“Opposing anti-Israel events, statements, and speakers, they believe the only way to ‘protect’ Jewish students is by imposing censorship,” Stern and Nelson wrote.

Harris’s e-mail was sent to Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, a lecturer in Hebrew at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in response to a letter she had written to Stern criticizing his statement. She had previously filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education accusing her university’s administrators and faculty of fostering a hostile atmosphere toward Jewish students in violation of Title VI.

The Zionist Organization of America had also criticized Stern’s statement. The ZOA has accused universities such as Rutgers University and the University of California, Irvine of violating Title VI.

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Perhaps Stern believes Academic Freedom is never having to admit one is an anti-semite.

Comment by sternlight on 8/16/11 at 6:22 pm

I truly believe that a suit in Federal Court against Universities who are hiding behind free speech to promote anti-Israel, therefore anti-Semitism-is the answer.  Our Jewish students are being harassed and mistreated and it needs to stop.

Comment by Aaron on 8/16/11 at 11:54 pm

Stern should be fired!  He’s an idiot.

Comment by brynababy on 8/17/11 at 2:49 pm

Not sure I understand but I guess Stern believes freedom of speech protects unpopular speech.  How un-America… uh no, that is the freakin’ point of “freedom of speech,” morons.  Maybe the idiots who (mis)lead the Jewish community should try giving their children (and themselves) the tools to counter alleged “anti-Semitism” already.

Comment by theleviteline.com on 8/17/11 at 4:36 pm

College undergraduates are essentially children and generally do not have the power or authority to fight off the very in your fact anti-Jewish campaign at Universities today.  Speech is not the issue.  The issue is intimidation.

Comment by Aaron on 8/17/11 at 4:41 pm

The bottom line for me is that if the so-called leaders of the Jewish community say left, than right is probably the better direction.  If they say up, then down is probably wiser.  After (mis)leading 6 million clueless morons to gas chambers you are the last people I’d trust to guide me.

Conclusion: The main enemy of the Jew is the Jew (especially the Orthodox), with a 3,000+ year track record to back this up, of which these ugly 4-eyed creeps are proud.

Comment by theleviteline.com on 8/17/11 at 4:41 pm

Aaron,

There are many challenges and problems that children and adults face.  However, there can be no excuse for suppressing freedom of speech.  When threats are made then you respond accordingly.  Without free speech, all the hate is done in secret and surprise Nazis appear.  Well guess what children they were there all along.  If you want to live in pretend world, and I know many do, then suffer the consequences.  I prefer reality, even if reality bites or sucks, etc.

Comment by theleviteline.com on 8/17/11 at 4:47 pm

Hve you paid any attention to these campus acitivities.  This is not just opinion and free speech that’s objectionable.  The speech and the accompanying signs and screaming and tumultuous heckling- it is HATE speech, it is exhortation to violence, it is complete fabrication of events or non-events.  This kind of illegal and immoral behavior with Jews and Israel as the targets, is unacceptable and if it were meant for someone other than Jews, you would find it unacceptable as well!

Comment by brynababy on 8/17/11 at 4:51 pm

You are a naive idealist and people die because of this kind of avoidance of reality.  You are not speaking to some right wing nut.  I am an activist, liberal Democrat but I have been present at this kind of mindless attack against Jews.

Comment by brynababy on 8/17/11 at 5:12 pm

Only those deficient in civics education believe “freedom of speech” means speech is protected. It only means it is protected from GOVERNMENT interference. Private censorship is perfectly constitutional. There is no right to freedom of speech on another’s platform just as there is no right to freedom of the press on another’s press. As one wag put it, “freedom of the press applies only to those who own presses.”

Comment by David Sternlight on 8/17/11 at 5:22 pm

Following up, it means it is the editor of the Jewish Journal’s responsibility to refuse articles that are defamatory on their face, or known to be factually incorrect. To hide behind some notion of free expression just because it fits one’s prejudices (as in the case of many attacks on Glen Beck in the pages of the Journal) seems to me to be malfeasance in office and I continue to believe it is a firing offense.

Comment by David Sternlight on 8/17/11 at 5:28 pm

There is legal case law holding that a journalist has a duty to check allegations before publishing them. Willful neglect so to do has led to damage awards against journalists, and in egregious cases even the “public figure” defense won’t protect, as we have seen in notorious court cases, Perhaps, given some recent articles it’s long past time for the editor to (re)take advice of Counsel.

Comment by David Sternlight on 8/17/11 at 5:38 pm

Levitline’s position is that the language has no fixed meaning; it is not possible to tell the truth from lies or good from evil:  all conduct is he same same. Kill gays or stone women, it is just a cultural expression.  Hitler was not a bad man, he has a right to dislike Jews, who were responsible for the holocaust because they refused to believe that he was evil and they did not leave Germany: the fact no one wanted them is ignored in this scenario.

Comment by Aaron on 8/19/11 at 12:21 am

I’m sure the many deaf and dumb mutes produced by the Jewish community will allow you to put words into their mouth.  Actually I cannot stop you.  Just be assured, once again, none of you creeps will ever, ever, ever speak for me.  And whatever little box you try and put me in for your little brain-washed, brain-dead heads to feel so smart, said box will not contain me.

The fact that no one wanted them (the Jews) might give you morons a clue about your standing in this world.  However acting like you know everything, yet actually being clueless is another of your ways to feel smarter, while actually being dumber.  You twisted (Ashke)nazis, professional victims.

Comment by theleviteline.com on 8/21/11 at 9:13 am

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