'What Was The College Admin.'s Response To Those Antisemitic Incidents?': Stefanik Questions Witness

2 months ago

At today's House Education Committee hearing, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) spoke to Professor Dafna Golden, Geography Professor at Mt. San Antonio College, about how her college handled antisemitic attacks on her.

Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:

https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript

Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com

Transcript

00:00The representative from New York, Ms. Stefanik,

00:02is recognized for five minutes.

00:03Thank you, Chairman Kiley.

00:04Professor Golden, thank you for being here today.

00:07You describe in your written testimony

00:09the anti-Semitic harassment that a professor and students

00:13have directed towards you and how it has caused you

00:16to want to leave academia.

00:18Could you describe the overall atmosphere

00:20that Jewish faculty and Jewish students

00:23are facing at your college?

00:24And specifically, what was the college administration's

00:27response to those anti-Semitic incidents directed specifically

00:31to you?

00:37Thank you.

00:40The administration has chosen the path of least resistance,

00:46doing the bare minimum to appear to take anti-Semitism

00:49seriously.

00:50They've refused to adopt the widely accepted IHRA

00:54definition of anti-Semitism, which

00:58could help them better identify and address these incidents.

01:03While I commend them for not capitulating

01:05to divestment demands, their overall response

01:08has been mostly lip service.

01:13Professor Keating, I understand that UCSD

01:16had its own anti-Semitic encampment on campus

01:19for five days before it was dispersed by the police.

01:22It is reported that 64 individuals were arrested,

01:2540 of whom were students.

01:27Could you describe this encampment and the anti-Semitic statements

01:30made by protesters there?

01:34Yes, thank you, Congresswoman.

01:35The encampment sprung up over a period of five days.

01:40It tripled in size in just a few days.

01:42The protesters were allowed to have their freedom of speech,

01:46their First Amendment rights recognized.

01:48In fact, there have been 2,500 attendees

01:51to pro-Palestinian slash anti-Israel protests

01:54on our campus alone, which have been majority peaceful.

01:57But this one was different.

01:58This one resulted in continued refusal

02:01to allow inspections by campus fire marshals.

02:04There were weapons found there, including

02:06a 3-foot long ninja sword that I displayed during my testimony.

02:09There were flammable materials found there.

02:12They would not let in inspectors.

02:13They would also not let in Jews or anybody

02:15identifying as a Jew wearing, for example, a Star of David

02:19or a high symbol, anything of that nature.

02:21And it was incredibly intimidating.

02:23There were chants there of globalizing the Intifada.

02:26There were leaflets passed out by the Revolutionary Socialists

02:30of America that said that freedom for Palestine

02:33means death to America, as I displayed in my oral testimony

02:36as well.

02:37So this was an incredibly hostile environment,

02:39not just for Jews, but for Americans and students

02:42who wanted to just have a peaceful day

02:45about their lives on campus and study or their employment.

02:49I also want to ask you about policy changes that

02:52would address the rise of anti-Semitism on campuses

02:55across the country.

02:56Would banning the wearing of masks

02:58so that individuals at encampments

03:00can be identified help in this regard?

03:02And what other policy changes would help protect

03:05Jewish faculty and students?

03:07I think so.

03:08I think banning masks is one step to doing so.

03:11I think it's appropriate to wear religious

03:14garb, of course, but to completely cover your face.

03:16There's absolutely no need to do that

03:18unless you're involved in some activity

03:20that you're either ashamed of or do not want to participate in.

03:23And so wearing masks and wearing full headgear

03:25and covering up your entire human personhood is demeaning

03:29and it creates a barrier.

03:31Also, I should note that in the Students for Justice

03:33in Palestine Constitution, they adopt a strict policy

03:37of not negotiating with anyone who

03:38supports the State of Israel as a sovereign nation.

03:41They refuse to negotiate or dialogue

03:43with, quote unquote, Zionists.

03:45This organization currently is operating under a cease

03:47and desist order on campus.

03:49It didn't prevent them from organizing a complicity walking

03:53tour where they targeted individual professors by name

03:56due to their national origin or the fact

03:59that they were Jewish and doing research on studying, say,

04:02the biblical flood story.

04:04It had nothing to do with politics

04:06just because they happened to be Jewish

04:07and or conducting research in Israel.

04:10And the most reprehensible thing to me as a faculty member,

04:13it's fine for students to exercise their rights.

04:14We all should do that.

04:15It's part of our constitutionally granted rights.

04:18But for faculty to take a paycheck from a university

04:21that they claim is committing acts of genocide,

04:23is complicit in genocide, and to continue working there

04:26and encourage students to get arrested

04:28and call students themselves complicit in the genocide

04:33themselves.

04:34And when students express their fear to the Academic Senate

04:37Chair, John Hildebrand, he ignored them,

04:39the Jewish students.

04:40And other people on an open call compared Jewish students

04:43fearing for their safety.

04:45He compared them to students during the segregation period

04:48who supported the KKK.

04:50This is unacceptable in a place of learning, in my opinion.

04:53Thank you for your bravery being here today.

04:55Thank you for standing up what is morally right,

04:58standing up for Jewish students, Jewish faculty,

05:01Jews around the world.

05:02And with that, I yield back.

05:05The representative from California.

'What Was The College Admin.'s Response To Those Antisemitic Incidents?': Stefanik Questions Witness

Category

Transcript

Recommended