Is the social work school at Hunter College coddling antisemitism, or is it part of an institution that's deeply committed to protecting Jews from prejudice?
That question has come to the fore after a pro-Israel organization filed a federal complaint alleging a "pervasively hostile campus climate for Jewish students" at the New York City school and its Silberman School of Social Work, in particular.
I have no personal knowledge of the situation at Hunter College, but this is not reassuring:
A student leader told The Jewish Week that while she doesn't feel targeted by overt antisemitism on campus, Jewish students often feel uncomfortable sharing their opinions on Israel for fear of drawing backlash, and that, at times, anti-Israel rhetoric does veer into antisemitism.
"As a Jewish person I'm not discriminated against," said senior Jennie Reich Litzky, the Hillel student president, who is not a student in the social work school, and spoke for herself and not on behalf of Hillel. "I think there is definitely tension with the Israel-Palestine situation that makes it more difficult. But I feel like as a Jew, if I don't share my political stance, I'm usually OK." (Emphasis added)
It's problematic that Litzky should feel she is putting a target on herself as a Jew if she expresses her views on Israel, more so that even if she does not do so, she is only "usually" ok. But most troubling is that she apparently does not think this any of this means that she is "discriminated against" as a Jewish person.
