We need a Jewish “rebellion” to fight anti-Semitism on campus

Whenever we hear terms like “rebellion,” we assume they come from the oppressed Palestinian victims of Israeli aggression.

However, on US college campuses, the oppressed victims are not Palestinians, but Jewish faculty and students, and the oppressors are not Jews, but the vast majority of faculty who sympathize with Palestinians and instill hatred of Israel in students.

This became clear to me when I saw AMCHA’s latest initiative to combat faculty anti-Semitism. To give you an idea of ​​how widespread anti-Jewish oppression is, AMCHA’s first target will be the Faculty of Justice in Palestine (FJP), a network of 170 faculty departments founded after the Hamas massacre of October 7, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed.

Consider this: Israelis are being killed in Israel, and in America a movement is starting on 170 college campuses whose sole purpose is to attack Israel.

“FJP’s primary mission,” AMCHA said in a statement, “is to use their academic positions and departmental resources to actively promote an academic boycott of Israel (academic BDS) by participating in actions to rid their campuses of Zionism and Zionists, to close reduce educational opportunities and suppress freedom of speech.”

The growing power of the FJP and other anti-Israel groups is no coincidence. This can be traced directly to the huge influx of foreign money into these universities. According to a 2022 study, for example, Qatar gave $4.7 billion to dozens of academic institutions in the United States between 2001 and 2021.

In an ongoing research project launched in 2012 called Follow the Money, ISGAP investigated “the illegal funding of United States universities by foreign governments, foundations, and corporations that adhere to and promote anti-democratic and anti-Semitic ideologies associated with terrorism and terrorist financing.” .”

The study found “the existence of significant Middle Eastern funding (mainly from Qatar) to US universities that was not reported to the Department of Education (DoED) as required by law.”

The point is this: the movement to oppress Jews and undermine Israel on college campuses is large, widespread, and mainstream. Groups like AMCHA oppose such power, not just activists, but die-hard insurgents, a term I first heard from a friend of mine, Professor Judea Pearl of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Indeed, another active faculty group is The Jewish Faculty Resilience Group (JFrg) at UCLA, which calls itself “a community of faculty, graduate students, and staff, both Jewish and non-Jewish, who are committed to supporting the Jewish community on campus.” .

Given what they’re up against, it’s going to be a tough job for these groups.

FJP, which has 170 branches and is growing, has a lot of support. According to AMCHA, he is “affiliated with the American affiliate of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), which has ties to terrorist organizations, including Hamas.”

It’s easy to see all those names, acronyms, and numbers and forget the daily impact on Jewish students and faculty. An AMCHA study found that the presence of FJPs on campuses “significantly increases the risks to Jewish students, increasing the likelihood of physical attacks sevenfold and the likelihood of threats of violence threefold.”

The FJP also contributed to the length of the protests in the camps, “which likely lasted four and a half times longer on campuses where FJP faculty were free to influence and provide logistical and material support to students. And calls for an academic boycott were nearly 11 times more likely in student demands on campuses with FJP chapters, indicating that academic BDS campaigns are being led by faculty.”

In short, the widespread oppression of Jewish students and faculty on college campuses originates from powerful and major power centers fed by foreign money.

Against such an overwhelming force, the Jews need a revolutionary spirit.

The first crucial step is to expose the breadth and depth of oppression. For example, according to AMCHA, “FJP’s academic boycott extends beyond Israeli institutions, targeting pro-Israel students and faculty on US campuses for expulsion, closing educational and research opportunities, denying dialogue with Jewish organizations, and intimidating pro-Israel students and faculty. »

Influential Jewish groups and activists must support this bold and youthful “rebellion” by exposing the disturbing web of forces directed against Jewish students and faculty. Condemnations and letters signed by supporters are not enough. There should be consequences for discriminating against Jewish students and faculty, not to mention intimidating and intimidating anyone who expresses support for Israel.

Just as Israel’s every little action is scrutinized, we must do the same to this widespread movement that not only normalizes hatred of Jews, but undermines the ideals of higher education by replacing education with ideology.

Modern Jews are not used to being rebels and revolutionaries. We are used to being influential, with rich donors and powerful lobbyists, part of the “privileged” class.

However, on campuses, Jews who face oppression are not privileged. They are the new rebels and they need our help.