Major Project 4 – Antisemitism in Universities

Gal Bornstein

English 1102

Dr. Rebecca Weaver

3 March 2021

Antisemitism in Universities

There is no doubt that hatred exists in many corners of the world. College campuses are unfortunately no exception to this. This research is an analysis of modern antisemitism on college campuses. The goal of this research is to make the reader more aware of its prevalence, how it affects Jewish students, and what university administration does to handle certain incidents when they happen. One might also wonder how the administration of universities handles incidents of attacks when they do happen. It can be quite complicated to tackle these problems when they arise because of varied reasons ranging from worries of violating the rights of free speech to a lack of definition for antisemitism. But after all these incidents occur, what are some things we could implement to bring more harmony onto the campuses? 

The most common reason?  

When one thinks of antisemitism, they might think of something to do with the hatred of their religion or a strange conspiracy theory belief involving Jews. As was mentioned by Aryah Tuchman in the academic journal of “American Jewish History,” this is commonly referred to as “old-fashioned” antisemitism, “in which Jews are demonized and attacked for theological reasons or because of racism or conspiratorial beliefs.” (Aryah 1) However, prejudice towards Jews has changed due to anti-Zionist movements. The issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is most certainly a significant issue, tends to to often harbor antisemitic views. In a way, anti-Zionism on college campuses becomes a disguise for antisemitism. A comparison that could easily be made is the rise of Islamophobia after 9/11 because of the hijackers and the group which organized the attack being Muslim.  

Emory University is one school that has had multiple accusations and incidents over the course of several decades. The 1950s saw a great deal of discrimination towards Jewish students at the university. But there have been incidents at the school in modern times. In 2014, two fraternity houses were vandalized with swastikas painted on them. As was also reported by Mark Rotenberg, a journalist for Hillel International, a Jewish organization, “Government data show that religious based hate crimes on college campuses roughly doubled between 2009 and 2017.” (Mark 1)  

In 2017, the Washington Post had a reported a lawsuit that a Jewish student by the name of Jacob Mandel was filing against the California University System. The accusations were made against the university’s administration for failing to protect the Jewish students from incidents and not disciplining those were involved in incidents. “I felt afraid,” (JM 1) said Mandel to reporter Susan Svrluga. One of many incidents include, when Mandel was going for a walk one day, he happened to pass by pro-Palestinian protest on campus when one of the students approached 

Impact on Jewish Students 

From the readings of the sources for this paper, although the root of the anti-Zionist movement most certainly has some good arguments and should be more revered, the message seems to get skewed along the way. The reason seems to be because of the violent incidents that are reported as a result. What should be made clear though is the incidents which occur are not always physical, but also verbal. When a student is trying to walk to their class and someone threatens them along the way, it makes sense that they would feel afraid. Students who are made to feel intimidated and harassed are less likely to show up to class because they never know what will happen when they step out their door. 

What does administration do? 

In more extreme cases, when students did reach out to the administration, nobody was disciplined. When we look at the positive aspect, a big reason for students speaking so strongly about their views on this matter is the fact that we have free speech. When certain Jewish figures would come to a campus to give a speech, protesters would attempt to disrupt it. Universities would as a result hire security for future events.  

As was mentioned by Susan Svrluga from the Washington Post, students in 2017 began a class actions lawsuit against the University System of California. The reason was that they felt the administrators were not protecting their own constitutional rights of equal protection. The Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is supposed to protect these rights of Jewish students too. This, however, was the last resort because one student in the article mentioned that he did in fact try at first to report harassment to the administration, but instead was “actively working against me” (Svrluga 1). We can look at these situations and conclude that the views are one sided, since are failing to recognize when Jewish students are being attacked. 

Ideas for Moving Forward 

The conclusion of this research is that universities should begin to harbor different ways of thinking on campuses. As cliché many people would think this sounds, they should probably encourage different communities to mesh more closely with each other. We hear about many student clubs that promote what their idea of peace is. It seems to be that in many ways they further divide us. In Israel, there are groups which promote the strengthening of relationships between the Israeli and Palestinian communities. Starting student clubs on campus with these intentions could be a step in the right direction. 

There are still many flaws in the system as a whole. But when we look back in history of what happened in the university system in the early 1900s towards Jewish students, we can still say that we have come a long way. The most important thing is to educate people on this topic to gain awareness. Like what Black Lives Matter has taught, prejudice and racism happen right in front of us all the time and sometimes it takes someone to point it out to finally become aware of it. 

Works Cited 

Tuchman, Aryeh. “Antisemitism on the Campus: Past & Present.” American Jewish History 96.4 (2010): 309-I. ProQuest. 

Marcus, Kenneth L. “The Resurgence of Anti-Semitism on American College Campuses: Research and Reviews.” Current Psychology 26.3-4 (2007): 206-12. ProQuest. 1 May 2022 . 

Ben-Atar, Doron. “Indulging the Antisemitism of Woke.” American Jewish History 105.1-2 (2021): 225-9. ProQuest. 1 May 2022 . 

Brumback, Kate. “Atlanta’s Emory Apologizes for Anti-Semitism.” The Charleston Gazette Oct 12 2012 ProQuest 

Rotenberg, Mark. “U.S. college leaders must confront anti-semitism on their campuses.” Hillel International Aug 25 2021 

Svrluga, Susan. ‘I Felt Afraid’: Lawsuit Claims Public University Fostered Anti-Semitism on Campus: A Lawsuit Filed Monday Alleges that San Francisco State University Violated Jewish Students’ Right to Free Speech and Ignored Complaints of Discrimination on Campus. Washington: WP Company LLC d/b/a The Washington Post, 2017. ProQuest. 27 Apr. 2022 .

Finals Hacks Group 2

A. Take more time each day to study.

  1. Make sure to distribute the time evenly
  2. Study in short bursts
  3. Find a quiet place  

B. Create a study guide if none is provided.

  1. An example of this would be to create flash cards.

C. Create an organized schedule.

D. Organize a study group.

  1. Get together with classmates from the same class to catch up on studying.

E. Don’t procrastinate.

F. Reach out to professor if you have questions.

  1. It is important to ask questions if you are having trouble with something. Most professors are more than happy to help.

G. Take breaks, rest is very important.

H. Make sure to eat well during these times. This could be something as simple as eating breakfast.

I. Write down a goal for how much and what you want to get done for the day.

Major Project 3: Summary Analysis Response Paper

Gal Bornstein 

Prof. Rebecca Weaver 

English 1102 

March 9, 2022 

Summary/Analysis/Response Paper on Metro State University at Denver 

Summary 

Metro State University of Denver uses the large rhetorical strategy of Imagining Ideal Readers and the APATSARC strategy of “Purpose” to target whom they want to attend their school. The ideal student they are looking for is one who has big dreams but also wants to have an affordable, but high-quality education. Throughout the website, there are many examples of the fact that they are trying to target an audience from all walks of life to enroll in their school. This shows that MSU is searching for students from whatever background they come from to pursue a higher degree and contribute to society. 

Analysis 

MSU is a public university located in Denver, Colorardo. The University was founded in 1965 and was originally established as an alternative school. The purpose of this was so students from all sorts of backgrounds could have an equal opportunity to pursue the education they desired. 

In the strategy of Imagining Ideal Readers, MSU states in their website on their “About” section “Committed to fostering social equity. All while offering an accessibly excellent experience” (MSU Denver, About Section 1). This statement makes it very clear that they are trying to target potential students who come from a background where they cannot necessarily get into an expensive college but have the work ethic to enter the workforce of a respected career. MSU Denver using this rhetorical strategy makes it easy to read the website for the average reader as well as makes it feel very inviting. The structure of the writing on the website feels very positive and uplifting, which makes the average reader have a desire to continue browsing through the website. 

In the About section, when clicking on “Strategic Plan 2030,” they use “Purpose” from APATSARC strategy to not only state their intentions of the types of students they desire to have enroll in the school, but also to inform the reader about how they have already been enrolling students from a wide range of demographics in the past and plan on bolstering this idea. “Others are working to make a midlife career change, are traditional students attending a university for the first time or are new Americans striving to reap the benefits of higher education.” (MSU Denver Strategic Plan 2030 1) This sentence emphasizes the type of students they aim to have apply. They are not necessarily looking for the type of person that already has access to large wealth, but more so for the person who did not have the chances for those types of opportunities as ones in upper class society do.  

The core values of MSU are “Community, access, diversity, respect, and excellence” (about, Core values 1). This area defines the purpose of the university. With community, it is stated on the page that they are promoting the “well-being” (About, Core Values 1) of the student body and faculty at large. This not only means to care for one’s physical health, this means to have a supportive environment academically, culturally, and economically (About, core values 1). They are trying to benefit not only the university they are in, but also the public. 

Furthermore, MSU continues to use the purpose of inclusivity. With 57% of students being first-generation American and 48% being of color, (Admissions, First Time Students 1) it is one of the most diverse universities in the state of Colorado. The university takes inclusion so seriously to the point that they have a “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council” (About, Office of Diversity and Inclusion 1). They describe it as being one of the core values of the school, (About, Office of Diversity and Inclusion 1) and clearly state that diversity is part of their identity. 

Response 

I really enjoyed reading about the history of the school and the philosophy they have. There are many universities that already have strong academic programs but do not necessarily have a system set up to make people from different minorities, socioeconomic statuses, etc. feel welcomed in the university. I am already in a university which was my top choice in the state I live in. The reason why I chose it was because I preferred paying in-state tuition rather than out-of-state. I would have chosen this school solely because of its geographic location. Being in Denver gives them strong opportunities to continue having more diversity and provide good education for their students. 

Even though I come from a background that is statistically speaking not necessarily discriminated against in the academic or professional system, seeing MSU that take inclusivity as seriously as they do is very impressive to me. Because of this, it seems that the school continues to grow and receive more funding from the state. This will greatly benefit not only the school, but also the current and future students who will attend.  

Because I am intending on entering the nursing program where I currently am, it is very likely I will attend MSU for their Bachelor’s in Nursing bridge program.  I will continue to emphasize the fact they are in Denver would not only benefit me academically but also professionally. This would give me great networking opportunities in the city and the surrounding areas. With the NCLEX passing rate being at almost 95%, it is about 10% higher than the national average. This gives me a great amount of confidence that if I were to attend, I would be guaranteed success.  

With a small student-to-faculty ratio, there is a much better chance of getting help from the professors if you need it. A big problem with nursing schools in prominent universities is an excess of students. With that being said, not only would I be more likely to get help when I need it, but the professors would also be more focused on the help they provide to me.  

I think that even though MSU tends to target students from less privileged backgrounds, it is an excellent choice to pursue a degree regardless. At the end of the day, once you enter the workforce, employers in many different fields do not look at the prestige of whatever college you went to. That is why for nursing, I did not bother with looking at expensive schools. In the end, if the school is accredited and with a good reputation, it does not matter.

Works Cited

Metro State University, https://www.msudenver.edu/

 

 

Academic Profile of Eyuel

Gal Bornstein

2/4/2022

English 1102

 

Profile of Eyuel 

This is an academic profile assignment which is of the information I collected from Eyuel while interviewing him for this assignment to learn more about his journey to his current academic self. Eyuel has told me lots of things about his life during the times I have sat with him and through the questions I have asked him through text. I felt fortunate to hear the story of his upbringing, background, and find out what motivates him to succeed. Among everything I got to hear, he told me that he is pursuing a degree in computer science. The inspiration he had from that path was from a class he had in high school which piqued his interest in the subject. There are many great moments, but as Eyuel expressed to me, there were also some challenging times during his journey.  

 

When moving here from Ethiopia in eighth grade, he did not yet speak English. He attended the International School for Kids. The purpose of this school is to teach kids English while also helping them learn about American culture. As Eyuel told me, it took him only a year to be able to conversationally speak English. His parents were also always incredibly supportive of him through every step of the process.  

Prior to beginning high school, Eyuel’s grades had been consistently high. But when 9th grade started, they had begun to decline. “I hung out with the wrong crowd,” said Eyuel during my interview with him. During these times, his father was always harsher on him than his mom was. These times, however, were crucial for his father to be the harsher parental figure for him, as this was a large reason as to why Eyuel eventually managed to pull himself out of the cycle he was in.  

As I mentioned at the beginning of this essay, there was a moment in high school that would highly influence his future. This moment was when he took a computer programming class. He had gained a strong interest in computers and technology throughout his experience of taking this class. Whenever deciding on what degree he wanted, it felt natural for him to choose computer science.  

When analyzing my essay and the notes I took on Eyuel, I realized how regardless of one’s struggles they go through, we can all find it in us to pull ourselves out of the dark moments when we are not doing so well in school. Eyuel has a strong support system and a positive attitude towards his studies. I strongly believe in him and hope he succeeds towards his goals to the fullest.