Opinion
GUEST ROOM | An Open Invitation to Jewish Students
|
Listen to us: Anti-Zionism doesn’t mean anti-semitism.
The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/jewish/)
Listen to us: Anti-Zionism doesn’t mean anti-semitism.
Chairman Jason Smith (R-M.O.) of the Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Cornell President Martha Pollack that called into question the University’s tax-exempt status, citing what he deemed as Cornell’s “failure to adequately protect Jewish students from discrimination and harassment.”
International Holocaust Remembrance Day falls on Jan. 27 every year, a date that marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest of the Nazi concentration and death camps. There are many ways to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day, such as attending commemorative events, lighting candles and, most importantly, learning about and educating others about the Holocaust. With antisemitism rising at a staggering rate internationally, it is critical that Jews and non-Jews alike take the time to remember the Holocaust. Given recent campus events from last semester, it is incredibly important that Cornellians especially take the time to think about this form of hatred and make sure it does not return to our campus.
This message, at once simple and profound, has never been more important, and not just at Cornell.
In high school I was considered a “dirty jew, a penny-pincher,” and I thought I’d be safe from that hatred when I left for Cornell. I was wrong.
Threats against Jewish students and the Center for Jewish Living were posted to Cornell’s Greekrank forums on Sunday, Oct. 29. CUPD is actively investigating and the FBI has been notified of a potential hate crime.
The Israel-Hamas war has been raging for two weeks. For many, including myself, time has stopped.
In reality, though, time never stops.
Just over a week later, Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority condemned Hamas’ actions, stating that they do not represent the Palestinian people. The same day, on Sunday, Oct. 16, Cornell University Prof. Russel Rickford, history, called Hamas’ actions “exhilarating” and “energizing.” Instead of condemning acts of terrorism, Professor Rickford celebrated Hamas’s actions as they “changed the balance of power” in Israel. Professor Rickford’s words stand in stark contrast to the values of Cornell University’s ideal of “free and open inquiry and expression.” We cannot stand idly by as students are traumatized by hateful speech from a professor, as this creates a culture of fear of presenting alternative perspectives, lest their academic standing suffer.
Over the last fifteen years, Sal, an olive-skinned Arab man alongside whom I’ve grown up, has taught me to see into his world. His world is one where TSA doesn’t let him leave the country without pulling him out of the security line for extra security screening. It’s a world where, when his parents try to pass through Israel to see family in Palestine, airport security drills holes in the soles of their shoes to check for explosives.
During a speaker event on Wednesday held by Cornell Hillel, Mary Salton shared how Nazi Europe and the Holocaust impacted her family.