Duke. Did you ever wonder why students graduating from Duke University would walk out on their commencement speaker, Jerry Seinfeld?
Do they not like his stand-up? Is he setting Israeli government policy? No, it’s because he’s Jewish and has expressed support for Israel. Shame on them, and kudos to Duke administrators for making sure that the entire ceremony was not disrupted; Seinfeld spoke without interruption.
WATCH: Seinfeld’s commencement speech.
Cal Berkeley. On Saturday at the commencement ceremony at University of California, Berkeley,
dozens — and, according to some accounts, hundreds — of soon-to-be graduates rose from their seats in protest, chanting and disrupting the proceedings. Chants interrupted the student body president’s speech, and the University said that the protesters left the stadium voluntarily. The Law School’s graduation that same day was also repeatedly disrupted by chants.
UW Madison. On Friday, the administration of the University of Wisconsin, Madison
announced a total capitulation to anti-Israel protesters despite spending the past week saying that the encampment there must go as it violated the University’s code of conduct and Wisconsin state law. This sets a dangerous precedent that those like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) — which regularly propagates antisemitic rhetoric, glorifies terrorism, and wants to expel “Zionists” from campus life — will not be held accountable for their actions.
READ: ADL Midwest’s statement.
TAKE ACTION: Tell Chancellor Mnookin that this deal is irresponsible, rewards violations of the code of conduct, and sets a dangerous precedent.
Hopkins. Over the weekend, Johns Hopkins University joined Northwestern, Wisconsin-Madison, and others who shamefully have capitulated to anti-Israel protesters. Hopkins President Ron Daniels said that the University now will consider their petition to divest from Israel and will not hold them accountable for violating University codes of conduct or state laws during the encampment at its Homewood, Baltimore campus.
Heard at the encampment these past weeks include chants of “There is only one solution: intifada revolution!” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” Seen at the encampment, antisemitic signs
including: “Zionism upholds Nazi ideology and white supremacy.” Does anyone think that Hopkins would tolerate these hateful threats if they were directed at any other minority group? Shame on Hopkins.
Pomona. Yesterday, Pomona College
had its commencement at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, 40 miles from its campus because anti-Israel protesters refused to leave the original site. Protesters gathered outside the Shrine Auditorium, blocking access to the ceremony and chanting “From the river to the sea.” Los Angeles Police declared an unlawful assembly and pushed them back. Some charged the officers, and one was arrested for attempting to strike a police officer.
DEEPER: On Thursday, ADL and the Brandeis Center filed a Title VI complaint with the US Department of Education alleging that the college has allowed severe discrimination and harassment to persist at Pomona. Read the full complaint.
Temple. Late last week, the AEPi house at Temple University in Philadelphia was vandalized
with the words “Free Palestine” spray-painted on its roof. The brothers saw the graffiti after they noticed the Israeli flag hanging on their roof was missing. Temple AEPi treasurer Zachary Fajge: “It is just unfortunate that, you know, the Jewish fraternity was targeted for being a Jewish fraternity and for having an Israeli flag in the house.”
Arizona. The Joint Council on Jewish Life and Antisemitism at the University of Arizona issued a statement
Friday condemning the Chair of UA’s Faculty Senate for refusing to consider a resolution condemning antisemitism on campus. Signing the statement are representatives from UA Hillel, Chabad, JCRC, and the Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona.
UC Denver. At commencement ceremonies at the University of Colorado, Denver
on Saturday, anti-Israel protesters disrupted Chancellor Michelle Marks as she was speaking. According to reports, she stepped away from the microphone for a brief moment, and then returned, admonishing the protesters that this was not the time to protest but “a day we are celebrating our graduates.” This “garnered booming applause from graduates and attendees.”
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