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.
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NewsTranscript
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.