Harvard surrenders to antisemitism
The once mighty Harvard University has been brought to heel. Kenneth Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), has forced Harvard Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf to surrender and offer Roth a fellowship. Roth and the leftist magazine The Nation set the narrative with a story about Harvard’s decision not to grant Roth a fellowship … Continue reading
Biden’s undiplomatic diplomat
This year started with a bang in Brazil’s capital. Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters protested election results by rioting, breaching government buildings and fighting police, leading to hundreds of arrests. And who’s there representing the United States? It’s the president’s new ambassador, who has made incendiary comments about Jewish and Cuban Americans. She is someone whose confirmation … Continue reading
Why did the FBI undercount antisemitic hate crimes?
In a typical year, the numbers are the story: Jews are about 2% of Americans but have topped the FBI’s religiously motivated hate crime category “since 1991, often registering between 9-13% of overall hate [crime] totals.” This year, though, the story is why the FBI’s data so undercounted antisemitic hate crimes that Congress wants revised statistics. Last week, … Continue reading
Harvard University ranks first in antisemitism
Harvard prides itself on ranking first in all things. And now they do—on three measures of campus antisemitism. The AMCHA Initiative, which tracks campus antisemitism, recently issued a report covering the 2021-2022 school year. It quantifies threats to Jewish identity, explained as the redefinition, denigration and suppression of Jewish identity. Amcha’s study shows a coordinated attempt to redefine … Continue reading
Berkeley Law’s anti-Zionism problem
Nine student clubs at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law announced in August they would not invite speakers who support “Zionism, the apartheid state of Israel, and the occupation of Palestine.” This concerned campus Zionists while following a now familiar pattern on American campuses: Progressive student groups that have nothing to do with the Middle East take … Continue reading
The new loyalty oath imposed on Jews
On college campuses, in progressive organizing spaces, in some professional contexts, and even among friends, Americans are increasingly being told their Zionism is disqualifying. For many Jews, that means an aspect of their own identity makes them persona non grata in spaces where left-wing views are paramount. For non-Jews, maintaining until-recently mainstream, pro-Israel opinions means … Continue reading
You can’t fight antisemitism while ignoring its supporters on the Left
Summarizing millennia of hatred in an hour is a tall task. But that’s what Dana Bash and CNN attempted with their Sunday special Rising Hate: Antisemitism in America. People should better understand antisemitism, which has been rising domestically. In this case, CNN’s intended audience appeared to be laymen without subject area expertise. The show offered a … Continue reading
A Paradoxical Moment for the Middle East
Blink and you might miss how rapidly the Middle East is changing. The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiated by President Barack Obama, better known as the Iran nuclear deal, created heightened instability. But that deal, along with Obama’s desire to disengage from the Middle East, prompted a willingness among Gulf Arab states … Continue reading
The Hidden Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Campaign
The anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement—which grew out of the U.N.’s 2001 conference against racism in Durban, South Africa—campaigns openly on college campuses and in progressive spaces. There are even members of Congress who voice the movement’s interests within the Capitol. But what if a significant contribution to its cause has actually been buried in social … Continue reading
melissa langsam braunstein 
A snapshot of American Jew-hatred
Headlines reverberate with news of rising antisemitism. But how widespread is Jew-hatred in the United States? The Anti-Defamation League has queried Americans about antisemitism since 1964. Its latest survey captured changes, including the virtual disappearance of the gap between traditionally tolerant young adults (ages 18 to 30) and older Americans. Beyond that, 39% of respondents believed American … Continue reading →
Filed under Clips, Cultural Commentary, Judaism, Politics · Tagged with Antisemitism, Jews