Is UC Berkeley Really Countering Anti-Semitism?

“Incoming students received expanded antisemitism education at Berkeley’s Golden Bear Orientation. RAs receive a “more intensive orientation process” for their education, while registered student organizations’ signatories “do a series of online trainings” that includes education on antisemitism and Islamophobia.”

Campus Reform has an article on the efforts of UC Berkeley to counter anti-Semitism on campus. It largely centers around an interview with Gregg Drinkwater, director of the UCB Anti-Semitism Education Initiative by The Center Square. That includes a video on anti-Semitism, its history, and definitions of what constitutes anti-Semitism. Not surprisingly, anti-Semitism is coupled with Islamophobia for the sake of political correctness.

As for the video, while there are many positive points made, it skirts around the biggest problem in connection with anti-Semitism today. Yes, it discusses the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yes, it mentions, almost in passing, how Europeans spread anti-Semitism in the Middle East as part of their colonization. Yet it ignores Islamic anti-Semitism. Centuries before the Europeans were meddling with Arab countries like Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and others, hatred of Jews (and Christians) was embedded in Islamic teaching, including the Koran. This dates back to the 7th century.

Similarly, there is no discussion of who is primarily responsible for the problem of anti-Semitism on university campuses, including UC Berkeley. There is no mention of Students for Justice in Palestine. There is no mention of the Muslim Students Association. There is no video of pro-Palestinian brownshirts disrupting Jewish events. There is no video of people like Amir Abdel Malik Ali screaming about “Zionist Jews” on campus and glorifying violence against “Zionists”.

Just days ago, I posted an article questioning the makeup of the UC Irvine Center for Jewish Studies. I know less about Jewish Studies at Berkeley, but I have seen time and time again, a reluctance by entities like these to name the biggest purveyors of campus anti-Semitism, that is the pro-Palestinian rowdies.

They can have all the orientation and educational programs they want, but they will have limited effect. As long as UC Berkeley continues to allow the campus presence of Students for Justice in Palestine, as long as Jewish events are being disrupted by pro-Palestinian students and outside activists, as long as Jewish students are being bullied, insulted, and intimidated on campus, as long as invited speakers cross the line from mere criticism of Israel into out and out Jew-hatred, as long as professors like Hatem Bazian continue to teach at UCB, I have no faith in these so-called measures to counter anti-Semitism. UC President Michael Drake has announced measures against encampments and masks. That is well and good as long as it is enforced. I should note here that last year a lawsuit was filed against UC Berkeley for failing to protect its Jewish students on campus. For years, Jews on campus have complained about anti-Jewish harassment. What is long overdue is the removal of violent students and the professors who egg them on (i.e. Faculty for Justice in Palestine). This is not about free speech or lawful demonstrations. This is about violence, disruption, occupation, destruction, and the fomenting of Jew-hatred. You don’t get to do that. 

The resumption of pro-Palestinian disruption this week at Columbia has clearly shown that now is the time to remove the troublemakers from campus permanently. It is now time to make our campuses, including UC Berkeley, safe for Jewish students and all students who are trying to study in a very difficult environment. It’s time for them to be universities again.