We are concerned about the latest reports of increasing verbal harassment and physical violence targeting Jewish students on college campuses. It is all the more alarming that some of the harassment uses references to the Holocaust. Jewish Americans hold a wealth of political viewpoints, backgrounds, and identities. It is antisemitic to assume that, by being Jewish, a person inherently has a position or responsibility towards the current conflict in the Middle East. Targeting Jewish institutions, events, neighborhoods, or individuals because they are Jewish is antisemitic, and further inflames conflict.
We appreciate the White House condemnation, which said that “While every American has the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous.”
