Zionist Organization of America National President Morton A. Klein and Director of ZOA’s Center for Law & Justice, Susan B. Tuchman, Esq., released the following statement:
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) criticizes the University of Southern California (USC) for its continuing weak and inadequate response to campus antisemitism. In a letter addressed to “members of USC’s Jewish community,” USC President Carol L. Folt recently announced the steps that USC intends to take “to systematically and operationally combat antisemitism on our campuses.” Unfortunately, the president’s letter reflects a continuing failure to acknowledge the depth of the antisemitism problem at USC. A USC student threatened to murder “Zionists” and praised the murder of Jews, and yet President Folt’s letter does not condemn the student and her conduct, and does not make it clear that any student who makes antisemitic threats will be punished.
In the spring and summer of 2021, a USC student named Yasmeen Mashayekh posted numerous frightening and threatening statements on social media. She declared that “I want to kill every mother f**king Zionist” and that “Zionists are going to f**king pay.” She called for Israel’s elimination. She cursed the Jews. She praised Palestinian Arabs for setting Jews on fire, and declared her “love” for the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas, which is committed in its charter to the murder of every Jew and to Israel’s destruction.
Though USC admitted that it knew about this dangerous student’s actions since last summer, there is no indication that USC sanctioned her in any way – other than to remove her from a paid mentoring position – and USC did not issue a single statement to the community condemning this student’s horrifying conduct and making it clear that it would not be tolerated. USC faculty members, the ZOA, and many others criticized USC for its silence and inaction, eventually resulting in President Folt’s letter to the Jewish community and USC’s purported action steps. Regrettably and surprisingly, several Jewish and pro-Israel groups applauded the president’s recent letter; one group called it “a creative solution” to improve life for Jews at USC.
The ZOA strongly disagrees. The letter is no solution at all. Here’s why:
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President Folt’s letter was addressed to “USC’s Jewish community and supporters” and failed to accurately describe the problems that led to the letter. President Folt refers simply to “recent antisemitic and anti-Zionist posts on social media,” wrongly omitting the important facts that the posts were made by a USC student, and that they were not just antisemitic and anti-Zionist but also physically threatening and dangerous. It would have been more meaningful if the president’s letter had been addressed to the entire USC community, so that everyone would understand that antisemitism is a serious and ongoing problem at USC and that USC is finally committed to addressing it.
