Posted on 11/18/2023 8:30:04 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Over 100 Harvard faculty members signed a letter to the university president declaring that labeling Israel an "apartheid state" and accusing the country of committing genocide against Palestinians should not automatically be considered anti-Semitism.
The letter, published on Medium.com on Tuesday, accused Harvard University President Claudine Gay of enforcing a "one-sided" debate about Israel by preventing students and faculty from criticizing the Jewish state.
Harvard did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.
"As Harvard faculty, we have been astonished by the pressure from donors, alumni, and even some on this campus to silence faculty, students, and staff critical of the actions of the State of Israel," the document stated. "It is important to acknowledge the patronizing tone and format of much of the criticism you have received as well as the outright racism contained in some of it."
The faculty members wrote the letter in response to Gay's Nov. 9 directive, titled "Combating Antisemitism," which announced the plan to implement a program intended to educate Harvard students and staff about anti-Semitism.
In the directive, Gay condemned the phrase "from the river to the sea," noting that the phrase calls for the eradication of Jews and Israel, and is harmful to the Jewish community.
In their letter, the faculty members expressed understanding that Gay would want to highlight the importance of language following Hamas' Oct. 7 assault against civilians in Israel that killed over 1,200 people. The terrorist group has called for the murder of the Jewish people, and Hamas members have bragged about the Jews they killed on Oct. 7.
While the faculty agreed that certain language merits condemnation, they argued that it is not anti-Semitic to criticize the Israeli government or to compare it to "ethno-nationalist" governments, like dictator Robert Mugabe's government in Zimbabwe.
"Nor can arguments that characterize Israel as an 'apartheid' state or its recent actions as 'ethnic cleansing' or even 'genocide' be considered automatically antisemitic, regardless of whether one concurs with such arguments," the letter stated.
The letter asserts that the phrase "from the river to the sea, Palestine must be free" is a matter of debate, stating that the history behind the slogan is "complicated."
"Its interpretation deserves, and is receiving, sustained and ongoing inquiry and debate," the letter reads.
The faculty also cited numbers from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry to imply that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 11,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes and a ground invasion seeking to eradicate Hamas, a terrorist group that has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007.
Days before beginning its ground invasion, Israel urged the over 1 million civilians in northern Gaza to flee to the south. Israel maintains it has the right to defend its citizens from the threat of Hamas and is doing all it can to prevent civilian casualties. Israel has accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields.
The letter concluded with a list of steps for the Harvard president to support "intellectual freedom" at the university, including the creation of "an advisory group on Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism."
The faculty members requested Gay resist calls to suspend the Palestine Solidarity Committee for releasing a statement holding Israel responsible for the violence committed against it last month.
Several student groups that signed onto the letter — including Amnesty International at Harvard, Harvard College Act on a Dream and the Harvard Undergraduate Nepali Student Association — later withdrew their signatures.
A spokesperson for Act on a Dream claimed at the time that its board members were unaware that the organization had signed the letter, which does not reflect AOD's views on the situation in Israel.
On Oct. 10, Gay released a statement condemning Hamas and its terrorist actions against Israel. She also clarified that the views of students or student groups do not speak for the university as a whole.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy group, the phrase "from the river to the sea" calls for Palestine to extend from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, which would mean the elimination of Israel.
The phrase is often heard at anti-Israel rallies, explained the ADF, and calls for the removal of Jews from their ancestral homeland.
"Usage of this phrase has the effect of making members of the Jewish and pro-Israel community feel unsafe and ostracized," the ADF stated.
"It is important to note that demanding justice for Palestinians, or calling for a Palestinian state, should not mean, as this hateful phrase posits, denying the right of the State of Israel to exist."
The Harvard faculty letter contends it's wrong to single out the phrase as "necessarily implying removalism or even eliminationism" when "over a million Palestinians have been forced from their homes and over ten thousand civilians, including four thousand children, have been slain in Gaza."
Aha, we have a troll here. The Gaza Strip was NOT “owned” by non-Jewish locals for generations. Jews have occupied Israel for thousands of years. Considering their murderous history, I highly doubt that “M”s (muzzlimes) were force converted, ever. That’s THEIR schtick, to non-muzzlimes in their countries: convert or die.
Of course those Harvard turds reciting “From the river...” are antisemites. Hiding behind semantics won’t help the cowards.
That was outstanding, thanks.
If 100 Harvard azhos said it, it doesn’t mean jack.
The genocide is being used on Israelis by the murdering muzzies. This stupid moronic article is booschidt. It’s got everything confused.
BTTT
These Leftist universities are gaslighting America so much that the gas they emit would light the entire city of Boston. And that gas is not from Boston baked beans.
“removalism”
Is this a made up word? It’s a new experience for the 100 members of the faculty to be threatened to lose their cushy jobs. They’re trying to define what is anti Semitic language. The donors pressure is working.
I’m not a troll. I asked an honest question.
My now ex-fiancée was an ex-Muslim converted to Christianity before I met her. On her mother’s side, there is Jewish ancestry, force converted to Islam, possibly from the region (but maybe not) and then transplanted to Morrocco.
So my question was more related to the actual ancestry of the darker-skinned people who were of the 12 tribes, versus say ppl of Jewish religion of European stock. I haven’t studied it. But I want to understand.
No where did I say that I support *any* cause to remove ppl from their land.
What the leftists are reciting is despicable. They hate Jews and Christians. In fact, they hate anyone with traditional values, as we have seen from the response to parents rights groups.
Signatures:
Nikolas Bowie, Harvard Law School
Ryan D. Doerfler, Harvard Law School
David Kennedy, Harvard Law School
Marshall Ganz, Harvard Kennedy School
Liz McKenna, Harvard Kennedy School
Sandra Smith, Harvard Kennedy School
Also,to get to Cambridge I had to walk past the main campus of Boston University to get to the BU Bridge and there were clowns chanting support for the savages on the campus.
"Nauseating" doesn't even *begin* to describe it.
A SHORT HISTORY OF MID-EAST MUSLIM TERRORISM - THE US GOVERNMENT TEN STEP PLAN
- The USA gives billions of taxpayer dollars to muslim terrorists as "Humanitarian Aid"
- Muslim terrorists use the aid money to buy weapons and support terrorists
- Muslim terrorists attack Israel
- Israel retaliates
- Israel gains the upper hand
- Terrorist sympathizers in the USA accuse Israel of genocide, demand a ceasefire
- The US Government forces a ceasefire on Israel
- Once again muslim terrorists are saved from annihilation by the US government
- Israel military withdraws, muslim terrorists regroup to rearm and rebuild
- GO TO STEP ONE AND REPEAT
He refers to the Kennedy School of Government as "Camelot High".
In America 40 years ago, that would be 100 pink slips.
Accusing Israel of genocide would not be antisemitic if Israel were actually committing or supporting genocide. Since the accusation is false it IS antisemitic. Furthermore since these professors are supporting groups who openly admit they favor, promote and are attempting to exterminate Jews, the professors ARE antisemitic.
American academia has lost all credibility.
“...and accusing the country of committing genocide against Palestinians”
Someone pointed out that if Israel committed genocide against the Palestinians, they did a HORRIBLE JOB of it, considering that he Palestinians have the HIGHEST population growth rate* since WW2 of any group of people.
*or close enough
Mutual assured destruction. This is what war is about. Do don’t start a war if u you can’t Handel the results or outcomes .
Wow, I learned this morning that I am smarter than 100 Harvard professors. I was able to easily discern right from from wrong, good vs. evil.
I’m probably much more handsome too.
Now off to the garage to work with tools and make things, something else those professors cannot do.
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