Cornell #2 on List of Top Ten Most Anti-Semitic Campuses of 2014

One-fifth of undergraduate students at Cornell are Jewish, yet somehow the University managed to end up on the David Horowitz Freedom Center’s list of the ten most anti-Semitic college campuses of 2014. In fact, Cornell landed at #2, just behind good ole rival Columbia University.

The list was compiled by a newly-formed wing of the Horowitz Center called “Jew Hatred on Campuses.” In a recent press release, the group’s founder David Horowitz wrote: “We made the decision to form ‘Jew Hatred on Campus’ to expose anti-Semitic student groups who support or are associated with known terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah, and which call for the destruction of the Jewish State.”

The list of colleges includes: Columbia University, Cornell University, George Mason University, Loyola University Chicago, Portland State University, San Diego State University, San Francisco State University, Temple University, University of California Los Angeles, and Vassar College.

According to the press release, the Horowitz Center plans to reach out to each campus “to discuss its findings and to offer assistance in helping them to rectify this serious situation.” The Center plans to compile a similar list every year going forward.

Despite the loudness of the campus’s anti-Israeli faction, many Jewish students do not agree with Cornell’s placement on the list.

Ethan Coy ’17, a Jewish student, told the Review, “I’m a bit surprised to see that [Cornell is on the list]. I don’t feel discriminated against, but I can’t speak for all Jews on campus.”

At the time of publishing, the president of Cornell Hillel had not responded to a request for comment.

Cornell administration also denounced Cornell’s placement on the list.

Vice President of University Relations Joel Malina told the Review, “The article posted by the David Horowitz Freedom Center’s campaign, Jew Hatred on Campus, identifies Cornell as one of the country’s most anti-Semitic campuses because of a set of related incidents generated by one group, Students for Justice in Palestine. The university managed these incidents while preserving the right to responsible free expression on our campus. The article does a great disservice to Cornell.”

It is often debated whether being anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic are distinct attitudes. Many anti-Israelis claim they are not anti-Semitic, and indeed many anti-Israelies are Jewish, or at least were born Jewish, themselves. However, seeing as though most of the anti-Israeli crowd supports Boycott, Sanctions, and Divestment–which seeks to end Israel and drive out the Jewish people from their land–it is hard to see the distinction.

One of The Cornell Review’s articles–Pics or It Didn’t Happen–was specifically cited by the press release. The Review has done a great deal more reporting about anti-Israeli acts on campus and locally, including:

– Leftist Student Mob Overtakes Cornell Student Assembly

– Students for Justice in Palestine at Cornell Stage Anti-Israel Protest

– “Zionist Scum” Scream Students for Justice in Palestine Professional Non-Student Protesters at Cornell

– Ithaca’s Anti-Israel BDS Crowd Urges GreenStar to Boycott Israeli Products

The Horowitz Center also referenced several Legal Insurrection articles that Review members helped contribute to in addition to reports by the Cornell Daily Sun.

Here’s the text from the press release concerning just Cornell:

II. CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Cornell’s SJP chapter has used open force to intimidate Jewish and pro-Israel students on campus, and has erected scores of anti-Israel signs across the campus in addition to interrupting a student government meeting and erecting mock “checkpoints” on campus.

A. Spring 2014: Cornell University’s active SJP, which receives support from extremists in the community, attempted and failed to pass a divestment resolution. http://cornellsun.com/blog/2014/04/15/glick-why-the-student-assembly-was-right-to-table-resolution-72/

B. April 10, 2014: BDS was introduced.

C. April 17, 2014: Direct action: interrupting a student government meeting. www.cornellsun.com/blog/2014/04/18/students-take-control-of-student-assembly-meeting

D. August 29, 2014: Protest: 30 SJP members showed up with signs and a loudspeaker. They read the names of those who died during Operation Protective Edge. http://cornellsun.com/blog/2014/09/02/cornell-students-for-justice-in-palestine%E2%80%88protests-israeli-actions-in-gaza/

E. Fall 2014: Anti-Israel activists erected scores of anti-Israel signs across the campus, stalked a student, harassed and threatened another, and defaced and destroyed his posters.www.legalinsurrection.com/2014/11/i-will-fking-slap-you-more-cornell-anti-israel-intimidation

F. October 31, 2014: Street theater with an art display and signs in a quad. http://blog.thecornellreview.com/2014/10/29/students-for-justice-in-palestine-carry-that-weight/

G. November 19, 2014: Verbal harassment at an anti-Israel rally. www.legalinsurrection.com/2014/11/i-will-fking-slap-you-more-cornell-anti-israel-intimidation

H. November 19, 2014: Physical assault: A pro-Israel student was splashed with water and had a sign torn from his hands.www.legalinsurrection.com/2014/11/i-will-fking-slap-you-more-cornell-anti-israel-intimidation

I. November 19, 2014: SJP organized a mock Israeli checkpoint at Ho Plaza, a central student gathering point on campus, between the Cornell Bookstore and Willard Straight Hall, where many student activities are centered. www.legalinsurrection.com/2014/11/cornell-pro-israel-students-taunted-fk-you-zionist-scums