Keffiyehs, Yarmulkes and “Belonging” at UVA

Here’s a cut/paste of the Parents’ meeting with President Ryan et al:

To President Ryan, Provost Baucom, Vice President Bonner, and Dean Acampora:
As a parent of two students here at UVa, who have both experienced antisemitism throughout
their lives, including here on Grounds, I appreciate the opportunity to address you today.
Anti Semitism refers to hostility or prejudice against Jewish people. Incidents have been steadily
increasing in recent years, with an almost 400% spike since the October 7th massacre in Israel.
My two and other UVA Jewish students have reported their experiences through the ‘just report
it’ system hoping that antisemitism incidents would be addressed. However, the responses
received have been generic acknowledgments via email, offering assurances of available
resources. Similarly, emails and letters sent to UVA administrators from concerned parents have
been met with generic replies leaving the hostile environment unaddressed.
Jewish students and parents are perplexed by the lack of action taken and the disparity in
treatment compared to other minority groups. Our inclination is that the reason strong actions
have not been taken and codes of conduct have not been enforced is because the administration
feels the incidents are a free expression of politics, which is not the case here. There is an
integral connection between Jewish identity and Israeli homeland that is being mislabeled as
political. Often, rhetoric mislabeled as political becomes protected as free speech.
It is crucial that you, the administrators understand that the antisemitic incidents reported are not
political and fall directly in line with UVA’s codes of conduct addressing discrimination. These
incident reports stem from genuine feelings of threat due to one’s identity and heritage.
I’d like to provide some often misunderstood information about Jewish identity, specifically the
ethno-national aspect of Jewish identity that will help in understanding the impact of the current
campus anti semitic climate. For most Jews, including ones who’ve never been to Israel, like my
family, Jewish identity includes a deep, identity-level connection to the ancestral Jewish
homeland of Israel, which includes a belief in the right of the Jewish people to live and thrive in
that land–that is Zionism. Much of the activity on Grounds (as on other campuses right now) is a
direct attack against that component of Jewish identity. Zionist Jewish students are being
discriminated against. They are being marginalized, demonized, and at times outright threatened
and assaulted because of this aspect of their Jewish identity.
For example, when their fellow students march through campus or bellow from bullhorns things
like “Globalize the Intifada!” or “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free!” – These
Zionist Jewish students do not hear mere political disagreement with Israeli practices or policies
as you may think (which would be legitimate political expression) but that’s not what these
phrases ACTUALLY mean. When you understand and accept that the term “intifada” refers to
violent terroristic uprising activity targeting Jews (first in Israel, then globally), or that “From the River to the Sea…” seeks to make the entire area that is now Israel – from the Jordan River to the
Mediterranean Sea – “free” from Jews (note: this would mean eradicating roughly half the
world’s Jewish population), then you can understand why Zionist Jewish students hear a clear
threat in such language that sends a chill down their spines.
When you understand that SJP received a “Toolkit” from the National SJP organization
reminding student chapters of SJP that they are not merely “in solidarity” with the so-called
“resistance” (i.e., terrorist) movement led by Hamas against Israel but are in fact “part of it.” Part
of “a terrorist group whose fundamentally immoral non-negotiable goal is eradicating Jews.”
When you understand this, you’ll understand why it feels so terrifying on Grounds
day-in/day-out for Jewish students. You’ll hear directly from some of them shortly.
I hope now you’re starting to know that when students report incidents, it is not “a political ploy”
as was stated in this past November’s Daily Progress letter signed by Professor Ogunnaike who
is part of UVA’s newly formed Religious Diversity and Belonging task force. Instead, they are
real threats of discrimination and harassment felt by Jewish students living in a hostile campus
environment.
I hope now you understand that a statement against Zionism such as “From the river to the sea,”
is palpable as it is heard as a direct personal threat.
Allow me to illustrate with a recent incident involving Boris, a Jewish UVA student who
encountered a poster in the Alderman library advocating for the destruction of the Jewish state
with “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” There was a QR code that linked to a
17-page document containing offensive disinformation about Israel and calling for the
eradication of the Jewish State where some of Boris’ friends and family live. Boris reported to
‘Just Report It” explaining the phrase is hate speech and promotes an unsafe intimidating
environment for Jewish students. In his words “I got a meeting with the general dean who told
me that the university will not do anything about it.”
Not do anything about it? We all know that if fliers mentioned threatening sentiments against
any other minority, there would be dire repercussions and codes of conduct would be enforced on
the creators of the offending document.
Imagine Jewish students who continue to hear chants and calls for Intifada wherever they go on
Grounds. And then imagine the hate speech targeting one’s own personal identity and homeland
is being normalized, and administrators are telling students like Boris, “The university will not
do anything about it.” According to UVA’s Student Rights, UVA is obligated to provide an
environment free from discrimination, an environment conducive to learning and of course a safe
environment whereby students can function in their daily activities without unreasonable
concerns for personal safety. Jewish UVA students are not feeling safe.They are feeling stressed,
discriminated against and unsafe which is not the environment promised to them.
Similarly, Matan, who is here with us today, endured verbal, emotional, and physical harassment
(such as being spat upon at least 3 times)) to the extent that he felt compelled to conceal his
Jewish identity by no longer wearing a yarmulke. Other Jewish students including mine, now
conceal their star of David necklaces. In essence these students are hiding–hiding their identity
reminiscent of the times in 1930s/1940s Nazi Germany. These acts of intimidation and threats of
violence against Jewish UVA students solely based on their national, religious, and ethnic
identity are disturbing , frightening and clearly go against the university’s anti-discrimination
policies.
Provost Baucom, you mentioned in an email that there have been few reported incidents of
antisemitism compared to other universities. First, a university finding themselves on a list of
anti semitism should be appalled as 1 is too many. Second, please consider the reasons behind
the under-reporting. 1) students have been encouraged by Annie and Truman at Hillel and in
private with UJC but students don’t b/c they fear retaliation from the perpetrators. 2) they’ve
heard from Jewish peers like Boris that UVA’s administration will not address their problems.
I’ve shared two incidents today and am leaving you with a list of antisemetic incidents we know
about which underscores the urgent need to END the disparate treatment and for appropriate
consequences to be enacted to ensure the safety and well-being of Jewish students here. Provost
Baucom, President Ryan, Vice President Bonner, and Dean Acampora, your leadership is
paramount in addressing these issues and to stop discrimination against Jewish students at UVA.

See above