Antisemitism on Campus: Panel with Five College Students 

Good job, everyone. Here are my thoughts: It is very sad to see people come out against the genocide in Gaza. We believe as Jews that we should have no accountability whatsoever for what we do. From making settlements to killing the native population or at least applying a system that treats the so-called Palestinians as second-class animals. And we do not approve of the Palestinians resisting and fighting back because we are the chosen people. Furthermore, the encampments are also very hurtful to our ego because they hold us accountable. So, they are anti-Zionist, or I mean they are antisemitic, whatever they are, they are Jew-phobic, even though a large portion of those in the encampments are Jewish, but who cares. I think the main reason why those students are so self-hating is that they have not gone on their Birthright trip. They need to go to the land and see the operation and hatred of the Jews towards the natives firsthand. They might also take their Palestinian friends with them to Israel. Oh, actually, they are not allowed; this is only for the Jews. Lastly, remember God does not forget the wrongdoings you do.

We're safe thanks. I was safe last night with my "Never again for EVERYONE" sign among the Palestinian supporters. It's Zionists who should feel uncomfortable, as they promote their hatred and violently act on it for so many years with impunity.

Hi Ethan, I’m not Jewish but I’d suggest you educate yourself on this topic because your community is greatly outnumbered. Traveling Israel explains issues related to this conflict in a simple and clear way.

@@claucemicro1080 Thank you for the recommendation. I've really started to educate myself more on it. I don't feel comfortable enough speaking about what the right solution is, but I do know how to identify when things are wrong. I've also learned over the years how to stand up to people who express hatred to Jews, and respond in clear ways without the need to antagonize.

@@ethanstechworld207 I wanted to share my perspective as someone who is not Jewish and not Israeli, From my perspective, human rights are not something we each individually demand and try to get the best deal on. Human rights are a fragile agreement we all undertake as a responsibility; because it’s only when we all engage with human rights in a genuine way that they have any meaning. I make three recommendations about things you may or may not already be doing: 1) become familiar with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and, in safe spaces, have frequent, robust philosophical debates about how each of this articles may apply when facing specific tragic dilemmas (Article 29 is fundamental to my firm anti-terrorism position. Knowing that this article makes it clear that none of us can claim our own human rights in ways that violate the human rights of others). 2) when studying the history, reading newspapers that predate the formation of Israel by a few years can provide shade to the geopolitics of history books; similarly Corey Schuster’s Ask Project gives some real insight into current social dynamics and diversity of opinion. 3) Equivocation and ambiguity fallacies underpin many of the arguments against the legitimacy of Israel (see philosophyterms.com/fallacy-of-equivocation/ if you’re not familiar with this terminology). With these tools of both formal logic and a solid familiarity with the UDHR you will be much better equipped to see when people are arguing in bad faith because the main purpose of ambiguity is to maintain plausible deniability. Finally - and this ain’t so much as ammunition, but so that you’re aware of the nature of those you’re up against; spend some time watching translated content on MEMRI dot org and reading criticisms of international media at CAMERA dot org. This will demonstrate for you that duplicity can often be found when comparing the humanitarian and social justice language used in statements made by Palestinian leaders in English, with translations of the incitement language made by those same people when speaking in Arabic to a Palestinian or international Arabic speaking audience. It’s worth also noting that afaik the only criticism of these orgs is that they cherry pick, however my response to that is leaders should not ever be making genocidal statements in any language and should be condemned when they do. This will make it clear to you that duplicity is a feature of an opposing argument, not a bug; and I find that this knowledge helps me avoid the frustration that comes with trying to explain my logic to someone who is deliberately trying to misunderstand me, I know that’s a long read.. I suppose my intention is just to encourage you to have faith in your ability to discern, and know that there are people who do see what is happening and who are prepared to do the hard work alongside you. This is a challenge we face as a human family; and we have a lot of work to do to make these topics as familiar to young people now they were to my generation that grew up hearing, in detail, about the Holocaust,- or in my case, the resistance,- so that these concepts are not vague and emotion based, but well founded in hard work thinking. My Jewish friends seem to be very comfortable with this approach.

@@freedahlogic8368 Thank you for the very informative reply. I really appreciate all the details you provided. I read the article on equivocation that you recommended in #3 and I can definitely relate to encounters I’ve had when having a conversation/debate with someone; whether it’s this issue or another. Equivocation a lot of the time is a key reason why conversations start somewhere but then end up going in circles. The person you are talking to says one thing that they believe but then contradicts what they said while not acknowledging that.

They are smart and beautiful, however they're on the wrong side of this. They have enjoyed the limelight given to them by organizations like Birthright. They have enjoyed leveraging the police against their fellow students when they could, so in the sense that they've been able to use the spectre of antisemitism as a weapon against free speech, they are powerful, since the US government stands with them. But no, antisemitism is not endangering American Jews on college campuses.

@@matthewpeterson1784 This is an example of blaming Jews just to do so. Antisemitism in itself endangers Jews. Why would you think otherwise?

@@ethanstechworld207 What do you mean blaming Jews just to do so? Explain more please. Or do you feel it is unnecessary to explain more? Is your point so obvious it doesn't require any detail?

@@matthewpeterson1784 None of us are against free speech . Don’t twist their message here. What we are all against, is the bullying, threats, physical assaults and preventing students from attending their classes. You can stand for what you believe, but calling this free speech is outrageous!

@matthewpeterson1784 Why are you saying Jews are leveraging the police against fellow students? Why are you saying they use antisemitism as a weapon against free speech? That literally makes no sense. The reason I say blaming Jews is because so many people blame Jews for what's going on in the world even if it has nothing to do with an Israel-Palestine topic of conversation.

The World failed the Jews for centuries, and they are doing it again. We all need to stand up for the right of the Jewish people to thrive - not just survive in their ancestral land.

Agree. This time the Jews should not stand alone! In times of its greatest needs only 9 countries including the USA stood with Israel of which 3 small Pacific Island States while Aust and NZ went with the crowd! It tells a lot about whom your real friends are when it comes to challenging like this!

​@@jonahtisamphd.6101ashamed of New Zealand.

And strong allies among atheists.

@@jonahtisamphd.6101 yes, very sad to have seen my country play this as politics. It’s been a huge disappointment as I was very happy with this government when they were elected, and with their approach on most aspects of international relations. But I think the single most important thing I want from our leaders is unequivocal, unapologetic commitment to fight against terrorism, and not be perturbed by name calling and other aggressive forms of campaigning.