Cyber-hate: illustration
Cyber-hate: illustrationFlash 90

The acting president of Florida Atlantic University (FAU) is fighting back against claims that the institution is not doing enough to counter anti-Semitism and racism on campus, by launching a new website.

The website, which comes in responses to a series of anti-Israel demonstrations, describes describe the Boca Raton-based university as one that embraces Jewish students and those of all faiths, The Sun-Sentinel reported.

FAU has received complaints from the Florida chapter of the Anti-Defamation League, which contends FAU has been too accommodating to the group Students for Justice in Palestine.

The ADL met with university officials last week and "is committed to working with the administration" further to reduce religious tensions, ADL regional director Robert Tanen said.

The new website, launched by acting president Dennis Crudele, is also meant to counter videos posted on YouTube that claim FAU permits anti-Semitism.

Noor Fawzy, who heads Student for Justice in Palestine, claimed that the allegations are baseless.

"I think it's unfortunate that the university has to go out of its way to start up this website as a way of defending itself against baseless and empty claims of anti-Semitism," she claimed.

In a letter posted on the website, FAU student affairs Vice President Charles Brown says the state-run institution "allows constitutionally protected free expression, but it has not and will not tolerate anti-Semitism."

Boca Raton Jewish activist Alan Bergstein called the website " a pathetic response" that still fails to condemn the actions of the anti-Israel student group. HIs video on the subject can be seen at www.exposingfau.com.