Campus Watch Oct. 27, 2022

Amherst College Student Paper Publishes “In Defense of Hamas” Piece

A student newspaper at Amherst College is under fire for publishing a piece titled “In Defense of Hamas” in their second Fall 2022 issue.

The Amherst Contra piece, which does not appear to be online yet although a print version of it has gone viral on social media, called Hamas “the perennial boogeyman of discussions on Israel-Palestine” and that while they may very well be a terror group, “Israel and the U.S. government are equally as violent and less justified.” The anonymous piece argued that Hamas’ violence is “a drop in a pool” compared to the U.S. and Israel, accusing the latter of murdering and torturing Palestinian civilians. It goes onto say that Hamas violence against is “far more morally justified” than Israeli actions against Hamas because “violent resistance groups” are the result of “constant human rights abuses.” The anonymous author concluded the piece that by stating that discussions about Hamas are merely attempts to obfuscate from Israel’s “decades of systematic apartheid and oppression.”

Amherst College said in a statement to the Journal, “This anonymous student publication represents the opinion of its author, and it does not purport to be a statement on behalf of the College or the larger student body. Amherst prizes and defends freedom of speech and the freedom to dissent in a respectful manner.”

UC Davis Student Paper Editorial Criticizes University’s Response to Antisemitism

In an October 21 editorial, UC Davis’ student newspaper The California Aggie criticized the university’s response to recent antisemitic incidents on campus as being insufficient, The Algemeiner reported.

The editorial noted that after a few individuals hung antisemitic signs on a nearby highway and “intrusively followed” a university employee who called them out, Chancellor Gary May denounced the individuals’ actions and announced a partnership with the city of Davis and Yolo County to fight hate speech.

“General condemnation and a vague plan of action does not sufficiently address the discriminatory threats or provide genuine support and relief to the Jewish community,” the editorial stated. “Neither does a single link to Student Health and Counseling Services, provided at the end of the statement, as these counselors may not be specifically trained to support students in the event of a hate incident. Clearly, the university’s and the local police’s response to antisemitic hate incidents on campus and in the city of Davis have done little to prevent the recurrence of such events. It is necessary for the university to be more transparent in their efforts to discipline students involved in the on-campus incidents.”

“Hitler Rocks!”, Swastika Graffiti Found on Harvard-Westlake Desk

The words “Hitler Rocks!” as well as multiple swastikas were found carved onto a desk at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles on October 7, The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle reported.

School President Rick Commons wrote in an email to community members, “These hateful words and symbols should cause all of us to feel pain, fear, and anger. This is an offense to all of us, not just our Jewish students and community members, for whom we feel special concern as we condemn both this disturbing incident at HW and the awful rise of anti Semitism around the world.”

Indiana University Student Charged for Allegedly Stealing, Burning Mezuzah

A student at Indiana University is being charged with criminal mischief after allegedly stealing and burning a mezuzah on September 29.

The Indiana Student Daily reported that the student, 19-year-old Jeremy Chung Ho Park Patzelt, allegedly stole the mezuzah from a Jewish home in Bloomington. He faces up to 180 days in prison and a $1,000 fine.

Swastika found on refrigerator in Canadian student residence building

A swastika was found on a refrigerator in one of the lounges in the Ontario-based Queen’s University’s Albert Street Residence on October 1.

A Jewish student in the building told The Queens-University Journal that the graffiti “makes him feel less comfortable expressing himself as a Jew out of fear of being judged and discriminated.” Queen’s Hillel Director Yos Tarshish told the outlet they were “horrified” at the swastika, but were thankful that the university acted quickly to clean it up. “Year over year, the Jewish community is the most targeted religious minority for hate crimes in Canada,” Tarshish said. “These incidents underscore why education on antisemitism is fundamental to tackling this issue.”

Swastika found on City College of New York Bathroom Stall

A swastika was found on a bathroom stall in City College of New York. Jewish on Campus tweeted out a video of the graffiti on October 21, prompting the college to respond in a tweet that they are “a diverse learning community and stands firmly against antisemitism and all forms of discrimination or bias.”