University of California Campuses Roiled Over Claims Of Anti-Israel Bias

[Purveyor]

The politics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict keep seeping into campus life at the University of California.

In 2010, a group of Muslim student protesters disrupted a UC Irvine speech by the Israeli ambassador and later faced school discipline and criminal prosecution that their defenders considered overly harsh.

Last year, the UCLA student government debated whether representatives who took free trips to Israel sponsored by Jewish groups should face sanctions.

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Now UCLA is coping with the aftermath of an incident in which several student government leaders questioned a student’s eligibility for a campus judicial panel because she is Jewish. Those leaders later apologized and the Jewish student was unanimously approved for the position. However, some pain lingers from the situation along with questions of when legitimate protests can seem like bias, students and faculty say.

Rabbi Aaron Lerner, the incoming executive director of the UCLA campus Hillel organization, said he did not ascribe anti-Semitic motives to the student government officials who initially questioned whether a Jewish student could impartially review all judicial cases. The matter was more an extension of the anti-Israel stance of some campus groups, he said.

more...

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-allegations-of-anti-israel-sentiments-rock-uc-campuses--20150307-story.html

[Fred Sanders]

1. Campuses Roiled? 3 incidents in... 5 years is...not "roiled"! 5 years, a million students...roiled?

[BillZBubb]

2. There should be anti-Israel sentiment on all campuses.

Israel is an apartheid state, keeping millions under illegal occupation--and being bankrolled by the US. If that doesn't upset today's students, what will?

There should not be anti-Semitism. That is something entirely different and unacceptable.

[sabbat hunter]

4. The occupation is legal

under international law. The settlements are illegal however.

[MyNameGoesHere]

10. I don't think countries that violate

article 33 of the Geneva convention on occupation should be designated as occupiers. They should be labeled a rogue nation.

[PCIntern]

25. Your opinion MATTERS!

YEs indeedy!!!

[MyNameGoesHere]

32. I based my opinion on clearly

written article. "Article 33. No persons may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited."

Israel regularly engages in collective punishment. That is neither opinion or hiding my head in the sand. It's just the truth.

[PCIntern]

35. Yup. You surely did.

Too bad for you.

[MyNameGoesHere]

41. You're are correct.

I will stop now because I know how hard it is to interact with stupid. It is futile.

[WillowTree]

3. I saw the video of the student goverment meeting in question.

Both the questioning of the Jewish girl and the discussion afterward were dripping with anti-Semitism. One young woman wasn't even making a pretense of disguising it. It was really shameful.

And the apology came only after the meeting was reviewed by a faculty member who required it.

[sabrina 1]

5. I didn't see it. Was it anti-Israel policies towards the Palestinians, because that is pretty world

wide at this point, or anti-Semitic? There IS a difference. Anti Netanyahu would be even more understandable in a country where he had the gall to insult the President, as he did in France where he was shunned, and rightfully so, by that President.

Put it this way, Israel is a nation like every other nation. Either they are going to scream 'anti-Semitism' every time their policies are questioned, as are those of all nations, and ask the world to treat them differently, or they are a nation like every other nation, and can expect to be criticized when they do things that are not acceptable, such as their treatment of the Palestinians.

So which is it, do they want special treatment, or act like every other nation and accept the fact that a nation's leaders, see Bush/Cheney, lead that nation down a wrong path, the world is going to respond.

[WillowTree]

7. Yes. I'm well aware of the difference, thankyouverymuch.

It was all about questioning if the fact that the girl is Jewish and active in Jewish groups would prevent her from being "impartial". Try this question on for size

“Given that you are a Jewish student and very active in the Jewish community, how do you see yourself being able to maintain an unbiased view?”

No way in Hell that a Muslim student seeking to sit on the school's judicial board would have received similar treatment.

[sabrina 1]

9. You don't think Muslims are among the most discriminated groups in this country right now?

I would think, given the atmosphere re Muslims in the US, that if it had been a Muslim student, they would be background checked to make sure they are not a 'terrorist'. I mean it happens every day here. The harassment of Muslims of all ages, including even children.

Maybe the question simply meant that if someone is extremely busy with other activities, they might not have time for the duties of the position.

[WillowTree]

11. Nonsense. Did you even read the question that I quoted?

That's not concern that she might be too busy. That's concern that the fact that she's Jewish would make her unable to be unbiased. Geez! That question itself showed the questioner's own ignorant bias against this girl based on her Jewishness. Perhaps you can envision a Muslim student being treated with such blatant disrespect on a college campus, but I can't. Not in a thousand years.

[ND-Dem]

12. If you can't imagine a muslim student being treated similarly, especially in these times when

we're at war with 'Islamic terrorists,' you have no imagination at all.

It's a ridiculous claim, in fact.

[WillowTree]

16. OK. For the sake of argument, let's say that they *would* have treated a Muslim student that way.

Would that be acceptable? Because you seem to think that it was OK to take a discriminatory attitude toward this girl when you try to make excuses for the totally biased way they questioned her. So it would be OK to cop that manner of attitude toward someone based on the fact that they are Muslim and are active in Muslim groups?........or Buddhist?.......or Catholic?.......or Wiccan?

The whole point is that questioning about her religion, or as I said elsewhere, about her political views, had no place in this and should have had no measure in the decision as to whether or not she was qualified for the position that she sought.

(And if you can really envision a bunch of college students at UCLA behaving as they did toward this girl toward a Muslim peer, you are in possession of quite the active imagination.)

Believe what you want.

[sabrina 1]

24. You don't have to 'imagine 'anti-Muslim bias in the US. Three Muslim students were murdered

recently in Chapel Hill eg. We have members of Congress demanding that Muslim students be denied visas.

Other members of Congress demanding, publicly and to standing ovations, the all Muslims be 'removed from this society'.

We have an entire TV channel, not to mention all the talk radio shows, attacking Muslims daily.

And our government agencies, see NYC, spying on entire communities of Muslim Americans.

I could go on, but if you don't already see it, you probably won't anyhow.

The ACLU among others, have expressed dire concerns in the rise of dangerous anti-Muslim rhetoric and hate speech since 9/11.

As for the student you are concerned about, no one should be subjected to any kind of bias in this country.

But they are. African Americans, Muslims, Mexicans especially.

There are haters everywhere. But to claim that Muslims are not on the hate lists of many Americans, is simply wrong.

[Jake Stern]

19. If she were a Muslim

Her hearing would be attended by protesters calling her a "terrorist" or worse.

Politicians would try to have her selection quashed.

Right wing alumni would threaten to withhold donations if she's selected.

Local yokels would write LTTE saying her name should be run through DHS.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

23. What does all that have to do with them keeping a qualified young woman off a judicial panel ...

What does all that have to do with them keeping a qualified young woman off a judicial panel because she was Jewish?


This board would be hyperventilating if a Republican senator tried to keep a qualified judge off the federal courts because he or she was jewish?

[sabrina 1]

26. I guess I, and the other poster thought your concern was bias in general.

If not, then ignore my comment above also.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

27. Too many issues are being conflated here

Israel, Zionism, Jewishness...


My overriding point is this young woman was almost excluded from a university judicial council because she was a Jew and that's alternately sad and scary.

[sabrina 1]

28. Of course no one should be excluded because of their religion or ethnicity.

My question initially was to try to determine if it had anything to do with something other than pure bias against the person.

The poster to whom I responded, then stated there was no bias against Muslims in this country.

No point in continuing a discussion with someone who claims 'they cannot imagine a Muslim student being subjected to bias'.

[cali]

29. not on most college campuses. and there are Muslims on that board.

[cali]

22. Let's put it this way: Israel wasn't mentioned. Just her Jewishness. Clearly anti-semitic

so bad the faculty adviser had to step in and tell them so.

[ND-Dem]

34. however, the context is: the recent student body vote for the university to divest its

investments in Israel and the overturning of that vote by some committee (not sure which one).

there's a bit more to this story, and we don't have the pertinent details.

but it's pretty clear it's not just about this individual.

[cali]

44. it doesn't matter what the context was.

It was baldly anti-semitic. We damn well do have the story. There's a video and a transcript. You sound as if you're defending this bigotry. sad.

[Midnight Writer]

6. Skepticism towards the State of Israel and anti-Semitic not the same thing

The state of Israel routinely violates it's treaties with the US (such as no new West Bank settlements), they spy against our government and our country, they undermine our peace negotiations in the Mid-East, and they interfere in our internal politics. I just watched the Israeli Ambassador to the US on HANNITY, and he didn't seem to mind at all that Hannity was comparing Obama to Chamberlain, or questioning our President's loyalty.

The students at US college campuses know that the next war in Israel's interests will be fought by young Americans.

[WillowTree]

8. The young woman was seeking a seat on the student judicial board.

Her religion.......or even her political views.......have no place whatsoever in determining her qualifications.

[Midnight Writer]

13. Agreed. But three events are linked here.

My point is they are not the same. A protest against the speech by the Israeli ambassador is not the same thing as anti-Semitic discrimination against a young woman seeking a seat on the student judicial board.

[ND-Dem]

14. Having read a bit more about the background to this controversey, reading between the

lines, it's clear that religion and politics -- both hers and the other students' -- has *everything* to do with it.

[WillowTree]

17. But it shouldn't have.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

18. The discrimination against the young woman was right out of "Gentleman's Agreement".

Some struggles are never over.

[cali]

30. it was patently anti-semitic and it was a religious test which is obviously unconstitutional

and that's what the little morons were told by the faculty adviser.

[philosslayer]

33. So what if she was a conservative Christian

Would not questioning of her view of LGBT rights in light of her religious beliefs be considered appropriate?

[ND-Dem]

36. if the student were very involved in anti-lgbt christian organizations i think it would be pretty

appropriate.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

38. But she wasn't...

I feel like an onion is being peeled in this thread. It's enlightening.

[cali]

45. it's ugly is what it is. it doesn't surprise me, but it's ugly.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

48. In another poster there's an oblique reference to her stature.

i saw a photo of Rachel Beyda and she appears to be of average size.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

15. What does that have to do with denying a young Jewish woman a seat on a judicial board ?

Should justices Ginsberg, Breyer, and Kagan be removed from the Supreme Court because their Jewishness prevents them from administering justice fairly?

[Fiftyone]

42. The student in question is not "the State of Israel"

Just so you know.

[cali]

21. weird headline- inaccurate. (I know it's not yours, P)

The charge was anti-Jewish. Israel wasn't mentioned- just her Jewish affiliations.

[ND-Dem]

31. the context of the whole controversy was a recent vote for the university to divest

and the activities of the boycott, divest, sanction movement on campus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycott,_Divestment_and_Sanctions

it's not all about people picking on one nice little jewish student.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

37. '" ... it's not all about people picking on one nice little jewish student. "

Showing more than a little leg there, ay!

[ND-Dem]

39. i think you are, by ignoring my point. it's not about an individual student, it's about the

politics surrounding the divestment vote, understand?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

40. They were reviving ancient anti-semitic tropes...

They were reviving ancient anti-semitic tropes by suggesting the' "nice little jewish student" couldn't put aside her Jewishness and dispense justice fairly.

[cali]

47. bzzzt. fail. it was about flat out bigotry. duh.

[tritsofme]

43. The context of this incident is very ugly.

The way that one nice little Jewish student was treated really does shine a bright light on the true motivations of many in the BDS "movement"

[cali]

46. wow. that's quite a statement. and sorry it's just ugly disgusting illegal bigotry

they were called on it and reversed themselves, but that hardly makes it better. Nice to know (NOT) that some DUers have no problem with religious tests.