ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA NEWS RELEASE January 17, 2022 VIA EMAIL Dr. Jason Wingard, President Temple University Second Floor, Sullivan Hall 1330 Polett Walk Philadelphia, PA 19122 Dear President Wingard: We were horrified to learn about the antisemitic harassment and intimidation that a Jewish student has been enduring since the start of her freshman year at Temple University. Equally horrifying was Temple’s delayed and ineffective response, in violation of the University’s obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. According to the detailed account she gave to the Forward, Amy Westrick was targeted based on her Jewish identity by her roommate from the very start of their freshman year together. Both of them were recruits to Temple’s rowing team. The roommate made comments about Ms. Westrick’s religious observance. Feeding an offensive antisemitic stereotype, she once asked Ms. Westrick for money because, she said, she thought Jews had a lot of money. After the High Holidays, the roommate sent Ms. Westrick a text that included a photo of herself with the words “I hate Jews” across the bottom. Instead of promptly responding to the antisemitism and taking steps reasonably calculated to end the harassment and prevent it from recurring, as required by Title VI, Temple did the opposite. Ms. Westrick reported the text to one of her rowing coaches, but the coach reportedly did not seem upset about the text and did not take any steps to protect Ms. Westrick. Instead of supporting Ms. Westrick and distancing themselves from the antisemite and her conduct, Ms. Westrick’s teammates reportedly spurned her and some joined in to harass her. When Ms. Westrick asked to change her dorm room so that she no longer lived with her harasser, Temple did not respond immediately to that reasonable request. She – not her antisemitic bully – eventually was moved to a different room, but it was not only in the same dorm but also on the same floor as the bully, effectively forcing Ms. Westrick to continue to have contact with her harasser. When Ms. Westrick had to return to her former dorm room to retrieve some of her belongings, her roommates advised her that she should not be there, based on no-contact orders they had filed with the Temple police – orders that were unjustified since Ms. Westrick had done absolutely nothing wrong. READ MORE Join Us in Florida (In-Person Event!) Thursday, February 24, 2022 ZOA Florida "Heroes for Israel Gala" Featuring Amb. David Friedman, Mayor Gabriel Groisman, Rabbi Ariel Yeshurun, and ZOA National President Morton A. Klein LEARN MORE ‌ ‌ ‌ About Us News Videos ZOA Report Events Founded in 1897, ZOA played a key role in the Jewish State's re-establishment. Today, ZOA is the leading major American Jewish organization courageously defending Israel and the Jewish people; fighting against all forms of antisemitism, including anti-Jewish boycotts; and promoting the Jewish people's lawful right to live in and settle historic Jewish lands. ZOA exposes that a Palestinian state would endanger Israel's existence; presents the facts about the Arab/Islamic war against Israel; and combats the anti-Israel lie that Israel is an "occupier" of her own land. ZOA spearheaded long battles to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, and apply civil rights protections to Jewish students. ZOA provides free legal assistance and programs to pro-Israel students at numerous college campuses. ZOA's bold, unapologetic voice has a significant impact on public discourse and policy. DONATE NOW Copyright © Zionist Organization of America 2022, All rights reserved. Zionist Organization of America | 633 Third Ave, 31 B, New York, NY 10017 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]