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Direct Headline: UC Berkeley Law School's 'Jew Free Zones': the Latest Progressive Trend
By Laura Rosen Cohen 10/2/22 at 10:13 AM EDT
For several decades, Jewish college students have been sounding the alarm about rising antisemitism on college campuses....This can be seen most acutely in a move made recently by law school students at one of America's most progressive university networks, in one of America's most progressive states. At the beginning of the current academic year, nine law school student groups at the University of California at Berkeley's School of Law amended their bylaws to ensure that nobody who supports Israel or Zionism is invited to speak. Given that the vast majority of Jews worldwide support the state of Israel, these student groups have in essence created a Jew-free zone in the hallowed halls of Berkeley Law.
The ruling would bar the law school's own dean, Erwin Chemerinsky, who identifies as a progressive Zionist—increasingly an oxymoron, if the progressives have their way.
Banning Jews, or members of any other religious group, from participating in a civil activity such as speaking at a publicly funded university is discriminatory and immoral. And if it becomes acceptable and normalized in America to ban a Jew from speaking on a college campus because of an opinion held about Israel or Zionism, what is to stop the next step from happening, i.e the normalization of banning Jews from attending that same or other institutions of higher education or other other entities?
Just a few weeks ago, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) laid out the argument for effectively barring pro-Israel Jews from progressive spaces. "I want you all to know that among progressives, it has become clear that you cannot claim to hold progressive values, yet back Israel's apartheid government," Tlaib said during a livestreamed "Palestine Advocacy Day" conference. "We will continue to push back and not accept this idea that you are progressive, except for 'Philistine,' any longer."....Is it any surprise that law students think it's ok to bar Jewish speakers when a member of Congress feels comfortable doing the same thing for the progressive movement writ large? This isn't something progressives are ashamed of, but something they are proud of. Which is why society more broadly must firmly reject this discrimination when it comes for Jews.
There are those who might think that antisemitism is a Jewish problem. Alas, that is not the case. History clearly shows that tolerance of antisemitism is a very clear signal as to the general decline of a given civilization.....The anti-Jewish climate at Berkeley, on college campuses, in the hallways of Congress, and on the streets of New York is not "just" a Jewish problem—because what starts with the Jews never ends with the Jews. ..... And if not addressed and defeated in America, it will, in hindsight be recognized as one of the clearest warning signs of the impending and irreparable decline of the American Republic.
https://www.newsweek.com/uc-berkele...ones-latest-progressive-trend-opinion-1748218
https://nypost.com/2022/09/30/uc-be...ewish-free-zones-with-pro-israel-speaker-ban/
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Direct Headline: There Are No ‘Jewish-Free’ Zones on the UC-Berkeley Campus
By Erwin Chemerinsky October 1, 2022 at 8:28 PM
Erwin Chemerinsky is the "current" Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley School of Law.
....An opinion column in the Jewish Journal, which is titled, “Berkeley Develops Jewish-Free Zones,” paints a grossly misleading picture of what happened at Berkeley Law....To state it plainly: There is no “Jewish-Free Zone” at Berkeley Law or on the UC-Berkeley campus. The Law School’s rules are clear that no speaker can be excluded for being Jewish or for holding particular views. I know of no instance where this has been violated.
....At the beginning of the school year in late August, a student group at Berkeley Law, Law Students for Justice in Palestine (LSJP), asked other student groups to adopt a by-law condemning Israel. LSJP called for the student groups to pledge not to invite speakers who supported Israel’s “apartheid” policies, to support the Boycott, Divest, Sanction movement, and to participate in training about the plight of Palestinians.
As the dean, I quickly responded with a letter to all student organizations strongly objecting to this....My letter said, “It is troubling to broadly exclude a particular viewpoint from being expressed. Indeed, taken literally, this would mean that I could not be invited to speak because I support the existence of Israel, though I condemn many of its policies. Chancellor Carol Christ has also spoken about how the boycott, divest, and sanction movement ‘poses a direct and serious threat to the academic freedom of our students and faculty, as well as the unfettered exchange of ideas and perspectives on our campus, including debate and discourse regarding conflicts in the Middle East.’”
I followed this up with a message to the entire Law School community: “The First Amendment does not allow us to exclude any viewpoints and I believe that it is crucial that universities be places where all ideas can be voiced and discussed. In addition, the Law School has an ‘all-comers’ policy, which means that every student group must allow any student to join and all student group organized events must be open to all students.”
....A handful of student organizations—fewer than 10 out of over 100—initially adopted the by-law. But the rest rejected it or ignored it. Some that quickly accepted it are now reconsidering that. Most importantly, no group has violated the Law School’s policy and excluded a speaker on account of being Jewish or holding particular views about Israel. Such conduct, of course, would be subject to sanctions.
At this stage, all some student groups have done is express their strong disagreement with Israel’s policies. That is their First Amendment right. I find their statement offensive, but they have the right to say it. To punish these student groups, or students, for their speech would clearly violate the Constitution....
What is the proper role of the university? To be a place where all ideas and views are discussed. At my Law School, the Law Students for Justice in Palestine bring in speakers and hold programs to express their views. At the same time, the Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies holds many programs. Just last week, Knesset Member Yossi Shain spent a week on the Berkeley campus and spoke of his recent book, as well as meeting with students and faculty.....
Freedom of speech, dissent, and debate is alive and well at Berkeley. And there is no “Jewish-Free Zone” at Berkeley Law or on the Berkeley campus. Period.
https://news.yahoo.com/no-jewish-free-zones-uc-032816129.html
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By Laura Rosen Cohen 10/2/22 at 10:13 AM EDT
For several decades, Jewish college students have been sounding the alarm about rising antisemitism on college campuses....This can be seen most acutely in a move made recently by law school students at one of America's most progressive university networks, in one of America's most progressive states. At the beginning of the current academic year, nine law school student groups at the University of California at Berkeley's School of Law amended their bylaws to ensure that nobody who supports Israel or Zionism is invited to speak. Given that the vast majority of Jews worldwide support the state of Israel, these student groups have in essence created a Jew-free zone in the hallowed halls of Berkeley Law.
The ruling would bar the law school's own dean, Erwin Chemerinsky, who identifies as a progressive Zionist—increasingly an oxymoron, if the progressives have their way.
Banning Jews, or members of any other religious group, from participating in a civil activity such as speaking at a publicly funded university is discriminatory and immoral. And if it becomes acceptable and normalized in America to ban a Jew from speaking on a college campus because of an opinion held about Israel or Zionism, what is to stop the next step from happening, i.e the normalization of banning Jews from attending that same or other institutions of higher education or other other entities?
Just a few weeks ago, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) laid out the argument for effectively barring pro-Israel Jews from progressive spaces. "I want you all to know that among progressives, it has become clear that you cannot claim to hold progressive values, yet back Israel's apartheid government," Tlaib said during a livestreamed "Palestine Advocacy Day" conference. "We will continue to push back and not accept this idea that you are progressive, except for 'Philistine,' any longer."....Is it any surprise that law students think it's ok to bar Jewish speakers when a member of Congress feels comfortable doing the same thing for the progressive movement writ large? This isn't something progressives are ashamed of, but something they are proud of. Which is why society more broadly must firmly reject this discrimination when it comes for Jews.
There are those who might think that antisemitism is a Jewish problem. Alas, that is not the case. History clearly shows that tolerance of antisemitism is a very clear signal as to the general decline of a given civilization.....The anti-Jewish climate at Berkeley, on college campuses, in the hallways of Congress, and on the streets of New York is not "just" a Jewish problem—because what starts with the Jews never ends with the Jews. ..... And if not addressed and defeated in America, it will, in hindsight be recognized as one of the clearest warning signs of the impending and irreparable decline of the American Republic.
https://www.newsweek.com/uc-berkele...ones-latest-progressive-trend-opinion-1748218
https://nypost.com/2022/09/30/uc-be...ewish-free-zones-with-pro-israel-speaker-ban/
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Direct Headline: There Are No ‘Jewish-Free’ Zones on the UC-Berkeley Campus
By Erwin Chemerinsky October 1, 2022 at 8:28 PM
Erwin Chemerinsky is the "current" Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley School of Law.
....An opinion column in the Jewish Journal, which is titled, “Berkeley Develops Jewish-Free Zones,” paints a grossly misleading picture of what happened at Berkeley Law....To state it plainly: There is no “Jewish-Free Zone” at Berkeley Law or on the UC-Berkeley campus. The Law School’s rules are clear that no speaker can be excluded for being Jewish or for holding particular views. I know of no instance where this has been violated.
....At the beginning of the school year in late August, a student group at Berkeley Law, Law Students for Justice in Palestine (LSJP), asked other student groups to adopt a by-law condemning Israel. LSJP called for the student groups to pledge not to invite speakers who supported Israel’s “apartheid” policies, to support the Boycott, Divest, Sanction movement, and to participate in training about the plight of Palestinians.
As the dean, I quickly responded with a letter to all student organizations strongly objecting to this....My letter said, “It is troubling to broadly exclude a particular viewpoint from being expressed. Indeed, taken literally, this would mean that I could not be invited to speak because I support the existence of Israel, though I condemn many of its policies. Chancellor Carol Christ has also spoken about how the boycott, divest, and sanction movement ‘poses a direct and serious threat to the academic freedom of our students and faculty, as well as the unfettered exchange of ideas and perspectives on our campus, including debate and discourse regarding conflicts in the Middle East.’”
I followed this up with a message to the entire Law School community: “The First Amendment does not allow us to exclude any viewpoints and I believe that it is crucial that universities be places where all ideas can be voiced and discussed. In addition, the Law School has an ‘all-comers’ policy, which means that every student group must allow any student to join and all student group organized events must be open to all students.”
....A handful of student organizations—fewer than 10 out of over 100—initially adopted the by-law. But the rest rejected it or ignored it. Some that quickly accepted it are now reconsidering that. Most importantly, no group has violated the Law School’s policy and excluded a speaker on account of being Jewish or holding particular views about Israel. Such conduct, of course, would be subject to sanctions.
At this stage, all some student groups have done is express their strong disagreement with Israel’s policies. That is their First Amendment right. I find their statement offensive, but they have the right to say it. To punish these student groups, or students, for their speech would clearly violate the Constitution....
What is the proper role of the university? To be a place where all ideas and views are discussed. At my Law School, the Law Students for Justice in Palestine bring in speakers and hold programs to express their views. At the same time, the Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies holds many programs. Just last week, Knesset Member Yossi Shain spent a week on the Berkeley campus and spoke of his recent book, as well as meeting with students and faculty.....
Freedom of speech, dissent, and debate is alive and well at Berkeley. And there is no “Jewish-Free Zone” at Berkeley Law or on the Berkeley campus. Period.
https://news.yahoo.com/no-jewish-free-zones-uc-032816129.html
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