Why Don’t Universities Treat Anti-Semitism Like They Treat Racism And Sexism?
Original Article – Evan Gerstmann, Forbes
As many people know, Donald Trump’s executive order applying the anti-discrimination law known as Title VI to anti-Semitic acts on college campuses has generated enormous push back from the political left. I discuss that situation in a previous post.
As many people know, Donald Trump’s executive order applying the anti-discrimination law known as Title VI to anti-Semitic acts on college campuses has generated enormous push back from the political left. I discuss that situation in a previous post.
The fact that Title VI now applies to anti-Semitic hate crimes like painting swastikas on Jewish student’s doors is a very good thing. Anti-Semitics incidents are at near-record levels in this country and college campuses have been no exception. Much of the criticism of Trump’s order comes from concerns over potential censorship. The order refers to examples of contemporary anti-Semitism that were drafted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). They include perfectly reasonable examples like, “Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations.” However they also include such things as “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.”
It’s laudable that the political left is so sensitive to the possibility of censorship. It would have been much better if Trump’s order did not reference these examples. If only the left were half as sensitive to issues of censorship when it comes to speech regarding race and gender. When it comes to these issues, all that sensitivity to censorship flies out the window.