Anti-Semitism at US universities: A dangerous trend

Recent incidents at the Universities of California and its neighbor Nevada resuscitate images of the public burnings of books by student mobs in 1933. The book burnings took place at 34 universities in Germany. Most German professors watched in passivity, while others supported the students. The few professors that protested the book burnings disappeared from public life.

February 19, 2024

“A lecture at the San Jose State University, California, by a Jewish Studies professor, Jeffrey Blutinger, about ‘How to achieve peace between Israel and Palestine’ was cut short by the university, and the police evacuated him from the classroom and navigated him through an intense pro-Palestine protest in the hallway. A San Jose State University history professor, Jonathan Rott, who attempted to film the protesters with his phone, was put on administrative leave by the university.”

February 26, 2024

“A seminar at the University of California, Berkeley, by an Israeli lecturer, Ran Bar Yoshafat, about the subject of international law in a conflict zone, was cancelled by the university when a mob of protesters, appeared in front of the Zellerbach Playhouse theatre, where the event was supposed to take place, banged violently on the glass doors of the building, breaking them, and threatened students wishing to attend the event. Several attendees reported to the campus police that they were physically assaulted and called antisemitic slurs by the protesters.”

February 27, 2024

“A lecture at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada, by an Israeli physics professor, Asaf Peer, about Black Holes, was cut short by the university. The professor was told to leave the conference room after only fifteen minutes of his talk: Palestinian protesters had burst into the room and continuously and vociferously interrupted the lecture. The physics professor – who did not agree with the University’s decision – was escorted off campus for his own safety.”

[As reported by a variety of news organizations]

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If you want to learn about the Arab-Israeli conflict, check my book “The root of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the path to peace” (March 2024 edition). The book is available for free download to all at:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/364057784_The_root_of_the_Arab-Israeli_conflict_and_the_path_to_peace