It is false for anyone to posit that those who formulate a criticism of the State of Israel are anti-Semitic. Such accusations seek to demonize people articulating a critical point of view. The charge, which has gained traction at Northeastern, refuses to consider the view, debate its validity, consider its forms of evidence and derive a sound conclusion on the basis of listening to reason. Not only is it an attack on persons who hold views that some find objectionable, but it is also an attack on reasonable exchange and academic freedom. It is an attack everyone at Northeastern should take seriously.
Outside political forces are bullying Northeastern University into taking an increasingly punitive and aggressive stance towards student organizing around the issue of Palestine. In July of 2013, the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) wrote a letter to President Aoun, with the intent of highlighting “problems that Jewish students have been facing on your campus.” This letter represents a concerted effort by wealthy outsiders to silence speech critical of Israeli policies by demonizing the students and professors who champion Palestinian human rights.
What is evident from this letter is that the ZOA is intentionally and recklessly conflating legitimate pro-Palestinian speech with anti-Semitism. The letter weaves seamlessly, accounts of actual anti-Semitism, such as the desecration of a Menorah with legitimate political protest, like the posting of flyers on a public student bulletin board that read “Israel is an Apartheid State.” Comparisons between current Israeli policy and policies under South African Apartheid are legitimate political discourse, and have been made by prominent scholars including the South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and President Jimmy Carter.
The ZOA letter attempts to intimidate the university into suppressing speech and political activity that is pro-Palestinian or critical of Israel. The university already has a history of sanctioning students for legitimate political speech about Palestine, and our organization, Students for Justice in Palestine, is currently on administrative probation. Outside pressure by powerful organizations could exacerbate this trend and damage students’ rights on campus.
It’s worth mentioning that CC-ed on the ZOA letter to Northeastern is Dr. Robert Shillman, a substantial donor to Northeastern whose statue we pass on campus every day and who, coincidentally, has a fellowship named after him at the ZOA. We worry about what happens when student speech collides with the political interests of wealthy donors: sadly, students’ speech rights suffer.
Acquiescing to these bullying efforts will only serve to erode the academic freedom that makes an institution such as Northeastern University so great, and in the meantime will cheapen and insult claims of actual anti-Semitism. We, students, must unite under the banner of academic freedom and defend student speech rights from outside attacks.
-Max Geller & Tori Porell are Northeastern Students and members of Students for Justice in Palestine.
