By Amy Zewe—
I am going to start with some good news out of The University of Bristol in England. I mentioned a few weeks back that a professor there is quite antisemitic in the classroom and on his own time. David Miller, who calls for the end of Zionism, has been fired.
This professor did not simply have a political opinion about the modern state of Israel; he went much further than that. His disdain for the Jewish people was unabashed tangible.
As Dion Pierre of The Algemeiner reported on October 1,
The University of Bristol fired sociology professor David Miller who not only has called for “the end of Zionism” he also spreads conspiracies about British Jewish students. The decision to fire miller came at the end of September and “drew cheers from campus Jewish groups who had long raised complaints about his conduct.”
Complaints against Miller have been ongoing for about 2 years. The first publicity over his conduct came in November 2018, when he mocked Jewish students for feeling unsafe on campus, blaming their fears on “propaganda which they have been schooled with.”
It has been 2 years since UJS, CST (Community Security Trust), and the Jewish community raised their heads and their voices in protest at the harassment, targeting, and vicious diatribe shared by Professor Miller with his students.
-Jewish Advocacy Group statement
I count this as a small victory. Many professors vail their hate for Jews with the notion of free speech and academic freedom—trying to disguise antisemitism as merely a political viewpoint, often calling it anti-Zionism, as if that is somehow different. But outspoken agendas against Jews and Israel by professors or other college staff, faculty or groups is rarely about mere political differences. Those who oppose Israel far often have their ideas rooted in the opposition to if not annihilation of the Jewish people–Jewish people everywhere, not just in Israel. The diligence to which they hold their anti-Zionist perspective, usually results in hostility, threats, shaming, or shunning of all things Jewish or all things supportive of Jews. Even non-political, young Jewish students who hold no particular viewpoint just yet about Israel’s politics are lumped into the focus of the anti-Israel barrage. So, the firing of this Professor Miller from the University of Bristol is a victory for those on campus, and for those praying for those on campus.
Now for the bad news…on the US side of the pond, we have a continued battle in the CUNY system (City University of New York). Keep in mind that New York has the largest population of Jews outside Israel!
Dion Pierre of The Algemeiner also reported on October 1 this disturbing news that teacher union groups are now making one-sided proclamations about the state of Israel… a topic not normally part of their mandate or purpose.
A controversial resolution condemning Israel passed this summer by the City University of New York’s teacher’s union.
The June 10 resolution by the Professional Staff Congress CUNY union (PSC) had labelled Israel
an “apartheid” and “settler colonial” state responsible for the “massacre” of Palestinians during its conflict with Hamas in May, and advanced chapter-level discussions on supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
This resolution has sparked a new faculty group, opposing what they call “a climate of hostility” toward the Jewish state on campus.
Calling itself CUNY Alliance for Inclusion (CAFI), and operating since August, the group comprises over 2,700 community members, including over 400 faculty and staff who had signed a letter denouncing the June resolution as an inappropriate foray into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
We oppose the woeful distortion of so-called ‘human rights’ advocacy within the PSC that targets Israel for undeserved vilification while turning a blind eye to the actual abuse, torture, and killings of countless innocent victims by autocratic and terrorist regimes in the Middle East and around the world,
-CAFI, which includes Hillel’s Bratman and faculty representing John Jay College, Queens College, Hunter College and others.
Continue to be praying for our colleges and universities not just in the US or Canada, but also in Europe and around the world. Not only are Jewish students feeling the heat of these hostile agendas, but the agendas are also a blatant violation of any sound examination of history, current events, and proper human conduct.
Shavua tov, have a great week.