Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli penned an urgent letter to university leaders in the United States amid the ongoing campus protests which have taken a violent and antisemitic turn.
"I am writing to you with a deep sense of urgency and outrage regarding the alarming and dangerous radical rise of antisemitism spreading throughout college campuses across the United States. Just between the catastrophic October 7 2023 and February 2024, antisemitic incidents on American campuses have risen an astonishing 700% compared to the previous year. This surge of antisemitism echoes the cruel treatment of Jewish university students in Germany during the 1930s," Chikli opened in his letter.
Chikly proceeds to mention just a few examples of such antisemitism: "At Columbia University, protesters shouted at Jewish students, 'Remember the 7th of October? That will happen not one more time, but 10,000 more times!' 'Say it loud, say it clear; we don’t want no Zionists here,' 'Yehudim (Jews) go back to Poland.' At the University of Michigan, protesters hung a banner that read 'LONG LIVE THE INTIFADA.' At the University of Minnesota, protesters displayed PFLP flags, and at Princeton University, students displayed the flag of Hezbollah (these are just a number of examples from the past two weeks, there are hundreds more.)
"These tropes, slogans, and symbols are not only hateful, they are extremely dangerous. We have all seen how fast these words have escalated and transformed into violent actions. Among the increase in antisemitic incidents, dozens have been physical attacks, more than in the past 10 years combined. Just a few days ago, a Jewish young woman at UCLA was sent to the ER after being beaten by pro-Palestine protesters. As heads of institutions of higher education, you have the moral obligation to lead. It is your responsibility to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all students, regardless of their backgrounds. Yet, it is shocking to witness that this has not been the case. Jewish students and faculty are scared for their physical safety, they are harassed, isolated, and attacked; they are forced to hide or leave campus in fear."
The minister warned and demanded: "The inaction in the face of this growing threat is complicit in perpetuating this toxic environment. You must unequivocally condemn and immediately stop this antisemitic rhetoric and behavior. Free speech does not include the active support of terrorism, incitement, and harassment, or threats of violence against people.
"You must take urgent and decisive action to root out this hateful threat from your campus. First and foremost, the violent protests on university campuses must be shut down. It is not enough to simply issue statements of solidarity – you must pro-actively combat this vitriolic cancer with concrete decisions and the implementation of policies and measures – adopt and implement the IHRA working definition of antisemitism."
He added: "Furthermore, we expect you to provide robust support and resources for Jewish students. They deserve to be and feel safe and supported in their academic environments, especially now.
"I urge you to take a firm stand and demonstrate through actions that there is zero tolerance for antisemitism at your institution. The time is now!" the letter concluded.