As I sit here today, only days away from graduation, I feel far removed from the protests that had been occurring on campus all year. Looking back, it is clear now that Cornell tragically treats anti-semitism differently from other forms of hate speech. In allowing the protesters to go unabated with their anti-semitic speech, Cornell exposed how anti-semitism is more tolerable on campus than other forms of hate.
Student Hypocrisy Abounds
Both students and the administration have displayed a level of hypocrisy that would make a politician blush. The same students sitting in tents who protested conservative judges and speakers for ‘hateful language’ now themselves employ hateful speech targeted at Jewish students. This includes chants of “from the river to the sea”, which has been condemned by the House of Representatives as an anti-semitic phrase. Protesters called for bloody violence against Jews in their chants for a world-wide intifada. They did this all while brandishing the First Amendment as an illegitimate sword to defend their reprehensible conduct. It is ironic that after systematically silencing dissenting speech, these same protesters, and those who hold similar views, are suddenly First Amendment crusaders.
The aforementioned students were apparently never taught that the First Amendment protects only against infringement of speech by the government. Private institutions, such as Cornell, are not bound by the 1st Amendment, therefore their hate speech was not protected on campus. Unfortunately, Cornell did little within its power to stop this particular form of hate speech.
Rules for Thee, Not for Me
The encampment has ultimately proved that if you are fighting for the right cause, rules can be bent, not broken. Cornell has consistently tolerated the anti-semitism of these protests due to the political bent of the people espousing it matching those enforcing the rules. For years, the University has condoned or encouraged the silencing of conservative voices on campus. 98% of Cornell professors and staff have a history of donating to Democratic politicians. This is an absurd tilt towards Democrats and left leaning thinking. This has led to the explicit and implicit encouragement of leftist ideology, including the idea that Israel is a settler-colonialist state, and that “resistance is justified when people are occupied.”
The unfortunate consequence of the pervasive left-leaning ideology is a tolerance for hate speech, specifically hate towards Jews. Examples of hateful speech by protesters and their supporters goes on and on. Encampment protesters chanted, “there is only one solution, intifada revolution.” For the overwhelming majority of Jews, this is a direct call to violence against Jews. Would Cornell tolerate direct calls to violence against gays? Momodou Taal, one of the protest leaders, stated that the protestors take their cues from the “armed resistance” in Palestine. This is the same armed resistance, Hamas, which in its charter openly calls for the killing of Jews worldwide. How would the school treat a student who said he and others take their cues from the white-supremacist resistance in America? The answer is self-explanatory. The school would hold no tolerance for it, in order to create an “inclusive environment.” This isn’t to say that having white supremacists on campus is in any way a good thing. But if you only condone hateful rhetoric towards Jews, that is anti-semitism. It is not enough to simply say you disagree or condemn the protesters’ speech. Actions speak louder than words. Protect all minorities against harmful language, or allow all forms of speech on campus.
There is more. Professor Rickford was “exhilarated” and “energized” by the brutal murder of 1,200 innocent Israeli civilians. If a Cornell professor had stated he was ‘exhilarated’ after the KKK stormed into a small town and cut babies out of their mothers, they would be fired for their inappropriate and offensive conduct. Period. Instead, Professor Rickford was back on campus this semester. Finally, if a group of Israeli students gathered on Ho Plaza and chanted “Palestine off the earth!” just as scores of Pro-palestinian protesters chanted “Israel off the earth!” last year, they would face severe consequences for their threatening rhetoric. This is not an argument for this type of speech to be present on campus, but rather to illustrate how Cornell tolerates some forms of hate, specifically anti-semitism.
In their proclaimed defense of free speech, Cornell throws Jewish students under the bus and allows for anti-semitism to not only be indulged, but encouraged. Some may argue that all speech short of direct threats should be allowed. In this case, Cornell must allow all speech of all kinds to flow unabated, not just anti-semitism. You cannot simply pick and choose which harmful speech is tolerable. Unfortunately, Cornell has been doing just that, with the result being an unfettered rise of anti-semitism on campus.
Zooming out, tensions need to be calmed on both sides, including the use of slurs and harmful rhetoric against fellow Cornellians. We must see each other not as adversaries, but as fellow Cornell students. We must also stop tarring and feathering those we disagree with, such as Talia Dror, who has been extremely courageous in standing up for her beliefs in the face of intimidation, online harassment, insults and threats. Similarly, doxxing a person we disagree with is not a productive way to advance your cause. All that results is intimidation and resentment.
Cornell has a long history of antisemitism in everything from admission quotas (it took my grandfather three separate applications to be admitted) and faculty hiring to extracurricular activities. During the Civil Rights movement, Jewish Cornellians led the fight for equality, not just for Jews, but for all disadvantaged minorities.
As a Jewish student, this has been one of the most challenging semesters. We witnessed, in real time, the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Some of our fellow students not only condoned these attacks, but openly cheered them. One student went so far as to post death threats on the Cornell greekrank.com forum.
Yet the Jewish community at Cornell is now stronger than ever. I myself developed a connection with the Chabad House, engaging in the 40 day tefillin challenge and developing a deeper connection to my religion. Jews from across the religious spectrum came together in defense of our united support of Israel and our beliefs, as well as defense for each other.
I am a proud American, Cornellian and Jew, and will continue to support the state of Israel in its existential fight against terrorism. Going forward, I would encourage Cornell to either protect all speech on campus in a content neutral manner, or protect all minorities equally from harmful language. There can be no in between. I would also encourage Cornell to continue to find ways to create a peaceful dialogue and foster respect for those we disagree with. My hope for the future is that both sides on campus can have a respectful discourse about what is going on in the Middle East, and learn from each other’s unique perspective in the ultimate pursuit of peace.
