"Anti-Semitism has never been acknowledged at UCSC"
- a Jewish student at UC Santa Cruz
Dear AMCHA Supporter:
After discovering a swastika drawn on the door of a bathroom stall at UC Santa Cruz last week, a Jewish student sent a photograph of the graffiti to UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, asking him to make a public statement condemning the graffiti as an anti-Semitic act. Later that day, the student received a response from the "Chancellor's Desk," informing him that steps would be taken to remove the "offensive graffiti" and indicating that no public statement would be forthcoming from the Chancellor about the anti-Semitic graffiti. Rather, the student was directed to a generic, campus-wide message that the chancellor had sent out earlier in the month, praising UCSC's Principles of Community and denouncing "hateful graffiti." The student was deeply disappointed that the Chancellor was unwilling to publicly acknowledge this -- or any other -- behavior as anti-Semitic and extremely hurtful to Jewish students.
Surprisingly, the next day UC President Mark Yudof, who had been copied on the correspondence between the Jewish student and UCSC Chancellor, sent his own letter to the student. However, instead of supporting the student in his attempt to urge Chancellor Blumenthal to acknowledge the anti-Semitic act, President Yudof applauded the UCSC Chancellor's "leadership in combating anti-Semitism and other abusive behavior."
Dismayed by the responses of both UC leaders to his serious concerns, the Jewish student wrote the following moving letter, which he sent to President Yudof and copied to Chancellor Blumenthal and members of the President's Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture, and Inclusion:
Dear President Yudof,
Thank you for your email! I am honored that you responded to me.
While I appreciate Chancellor Blumenthal's message earlier this month affirming UCSC's Principles of Community and denouncing "hateful graffiti," I am disappointed that he is not willing to make an announcement to the whole campus community, in which he specifically condemns this graffiti as anti-Semitic and states that anti-Semitic behavior violates our Principles of Community and will not be tolerated.
I am the grandchild of Holocaust survivors. A swastika is not a generic form of hate, it is a horrible and singular attack against Jews. When I see a swastika, I am reminded of 6 million of my people, who were slaughtered at the hands of the Nazis during the lifetime of my grandparents, simply for being Jews. In fact, I am not the only Jewish student on our campus whose grandparents were in concentration camps. A large portion of my family was murdered in the Holocaust, as is the case with the families of other students on this campus. A swastika is an unbelievably offensive and hurtful image. To call a swastika etched into a wall on campus "hateful graffiti," without identifying and denouncing it as an anti-Semitic act and acknowledging how offensive it is to Jewish students in particular, is extremely hurtful. The words "Never Again" mean a great deal to me; as I am sure they mean a great deal to you and to Chancellor Blumenthal.
As a matter of fact, anti-Semitism has never been acknowledged by UCSC administrators, and that is part of the problem. Many on our campus feel that there is a very hostile environment for Jewish students who identify with Israel, a hostility which is incited by their fellow students, professors, and administrators. Many have also complained about the problem to campus administrators, though our complaints have fallen on deaf ears.
I believe it is impossible to address the problem of anti-Semitism if you can't even acknowledge it. That's why I think it's very important for our chancellor to acknowledge and condemn this anti-semitic graffiti, as well as all other anti-Semitic behavior, whenever and wherever it occurs on our campus.
Sincerely,
[A Jewish Student]
******************
This Jewish student hit the nail on the head when he wrote, "anti-Semitism has never been acknowledged by UCSC administrators...[and] it is impossible to address to the problem of anti-Semitism if you can't even acknowledge it."
- a Jewish student at UC Santa Cruz
Dear AMCHA Supporter:
After discovering a swastika drawn on the door of a bathroom stall at UC Santa Cruz last week, a Jewish student sent a photograph of the graffiti to UCSC Chancellor George Blumenthal, asking him to make a public statement condemning the graffiti as an anti-Semitic act. Later that day, the student received a response from the "Chancellor's Desk," informing him that steps would be taken to remove the "offensive graffiti" and indicating that no public statement would be forthcoming from the Chancellor about the anti-Semitic graffiti. Rather, the student was directed to a generic, campus-wide message that the chancellor had sent out earlier in the month, praising UCSC's Principles of Community and denouncing "hateful graffiti." The student was deeply disappointed that the Chancellor was unwilling to publicly acknowledge this -- or any other -- behavior as anti-Semitic and extremely hurtful to Jewish students.
Surprisingly, the next day UC President Mark Yudof, who had been copied on the correspondence between the Jewish student and UCSC Chancellor, sent his own letter to the student. However, instead of supporting the student in his attempt to urge Chancellor Blumenthal to acknowledge the anti-Semitic act, President Yudof applauded the UCSC Chancellor's "leadership in combating anti-Semitism and other abusive behavior."
Dismayed by the responses of both UC leaders to his serious concerns, the Jewish student wrote the following moving letter, which he sent to President Yudof and copied to Chancellor Blumenthal and members of the President's Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture, and Inclusion:
Dear President Yudof,
Thank you for your email! I am honored that you responded to me.
While I appreciate Chancellor Blumenthal's message earlier this month affirming UCSC's Principles of Community and denouncing "hateful graffiti," I am disappointed that he is not willing to make an announcement to the whole campus community, in which he specifically condemns this graffiti as anti-Semitic and states that anti-Semitic behavior violates our Principles of Community and will not be tolerated.
I am the grandchild of Holocaust survivors. A swastika is not a generic form of hate, it is a horrible and singular attack against Jews. When I see a swastika, I am reminded of 6 million of my people, who were slaughtered at the hands of the Nazis during the lifetime of my grandparents, simply for being Jews. In fact, I am not the only Jewish student on our campus whose grandparents were in concentration camps. A large portion of my family was murdered in the Holocaust, as is the case with the families of other students on this campus. A swastika is an unbelievably offensive and hurtful image. To call a swastika etched into a wall on campus "hateful graffiti," without identifying and denouncing it as an anti-Semitic act and acknowledging how offensive it is to Jewish students in particular, is extremely hurtful. The words "Never Again" mean a great deal to me; as I am sure they mean a great deal to you and to Chancellor Blumenthal.
As a matter of fact, anti-Semitism has never been acknowledged by UCSC administrators, and that is part of the problem. Many on our campus feel that there is a very hostile environment for Jewish students who identify with Israel, a hostility which is incited by their fellow students, professors, and administrators. Many have also complained about the problem to campus administrators, though our complaints have fallen on deaf ears.
I believe it is impossible to address the problem of anti-Semitism if you can't even acknowledge it. That's why I think it's very important for our chancellor to acknowledge and condemn this anti-semitic graffiti, as well as all other anti-Semitic behavior, whenever and wherever it occurs on our campus.
Sincerely,
[A Jewish Student]
******************
This Jewish student hit the nail on the head when he wrote, "anti-Semitism has never been acknowledged by UCSC administrators...[and] it is impossible to address to the problem of anti-Semitism if you can't even acknowledge it."
To paraphrase Churchill: the two university officials are pretending anti-semitism does not exist, in the hope the muslamic crocodile will eat them LAST!!
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