Opinion | Chapman University is not antisemitic

Written by Fred Smoller

Photo by Emily Paris, Photo Editor

The notion that Chapman University is laced with antisemitism — as your readers might reasonably conclude from recent news reports — is nonsense.

I should know.

I’ve taught at Chapman since 1983.

I’m also Jewish.

I know antisemitism. I grew up on Long Island in New York. Near my house was an underpass with the words spray painted, “Jew Street.” My rabbi’s library was set on fire — twice. Antisemitic remarks from students and teachers in high school were not uncommon.

Nothing like that has ever happened to me or anyone I know at Chapman. Ever.

I teach in the political science department. The department offers courses on the Middle East conflict. Never once have I experienced a whiff of antisemitism. Not one faculty member, for example, has ever said Israel shouldn’t exist. Not one, in 42 years.

The charge that Chapman’s administrators or trustees are antisemitic is also absurd. Jewish people make up a good portion of the faculty and have held top posts in Chapman’s administration. Likewise, people with Arab backgrounds have served in top positions and on the faculty. I have never seen or heard anything remotely resembling antisemitism from them.

When antisemitic flyers were circulated on campus several years ago, administrators quickly denounced them and had them removed.

Chapman has an “All Faiths Chapel” even though it is a private university affiliated with the Disciples of Christ.

Similarly, I can’t imagine anyone at Chapman having dinner with the likes of Kanye West, saying they didn’t know who Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke was, calling neo-Nazis “good people” or having someone arrested or deported because of their support of the human rights of the Palestinian people.

Students for Justice in Palestine held several protests on our campus. That, to me, is a sign of an engaged student community. Their “tent encampment” protest was held near my office, and I passed by it on several occasions and chatted with students.

Critical of Israel, absolutely. Antisemitic, no way. The students, several of whom are Jewish, were considerate and peaceful and did not obstruct anyone from getting about campus, while calling attention to the plight of the Palestinian people.

I wish there had been similar protests in Nazi Germany when millions of Jews were being murdered.

So, why is Chapman one of the 60 universities (out of 4,000) being threatened by the Trump administration with loss of federal funds because “it is not doing enough to protect Jewish students”?

I think the answer is that some students — like the public at large — consider criticism of Israel antisemitism and have made complaints to the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, who reported them to the Trump administration.

It is understandable that many people conflate harsh criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Israel is the Jewish State and its flag features the Star of David, the emblem of the Jewish people.

However, being a critic of the state of Israel and its treatment of the Palestinian people and being an anti-semite are not the same thing: surely no one would say that the 750,000 Israelis (nearly 8% of Israel’s population) who protested against the war in Gaza and the Netanyahu government are antisemites. That would equate to about 16 million people protesting the Vietnam War in 1969, its peak year. The largest Vietnam era protest drew 100,000.

It’s the U.S. president’s responsibility to make this important distinction — as George Bush Jr. did when he visited a mosque following 9/11 to help people see the difference between Islam — and the millions of Muslims who love the United States — and the terrorists who attacked us, in order to quell Islamophobia.

Instead, the Trump administration and others are “weaponizing” antisemitism to score political points and to distract from a comprehensive settlement which guarantees safety and justice for Israelis and Palestinians. No actions have been taken against universities in response to an “outpouring of complaints” over anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab and anti-Muslim incidents, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times.

If the Trump administration is truly interested in fostering a supportive environment for all citizens and university students, then its focus should be on the nondiscriminatory welfare of all students and members of campus communities across the country.

The job of the university is to teach the Middle East conflict as truthfully as we can, without fear or favor, and to facilitate robust, clear-headed debate. 

Doing so is not antisemitic. It is academic.

Fred Smoller is an associate professor at Chapman University teaching political science.  

This article was submitted by a professor at Chapman University. This opinion was also published in the Voice of OC. Read his piece here. 

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