To the editor: I’m a 36-year-old Jew and a newly appointed professor of civil justice on the CUNY College of Regulation. Once I noticed Erwin Chemerinsky’s identify within the LA Occasions with the headline, “Nothing Ready Me for the Anti-Semitism I See on School Campuses Now,” I used to be disturbed—what was it that Chemerinsky noticed that was so excessive that I hadn’t seen right here at CUNY Regulation? Once I learn the piece, I used to be shortly disheartened: It was a provocative headline, adopted by an article that largely equated anti-Semitism with criticism of Israel and help for Palestinian freedom.
As a Jewish girl, I’ve skilled the insidious nature of anti-Semitism. As a lawyer, I labored on prisoners’ rights instances within the South, navigating swastikas and KKK members. As a professor, I’m afraid of threats of violence on college campuses. However political expression in help of Palestine is just not the identical – and lumping them collectively is intellectually dishonest and harmful.
Palestinian freedom shouldn’t be at odds with Jewish safety. In a nationwide newspaper, Chemerinsky wields his energy as dean of the UC Berkeley College of Regulation and his platform to model his college students and colleagues as anti-Semitic as a result of it’s “not sensible now” to convey “communities collectively.”
Rising Islamophobia has additionally elevated the harassment of Muslim and Arab college students and students in academia, which is well-known. Has Chemerinsky thought-about how his phrases contribute to a local weather of concern on our campuses? As a substitute of inciting pressure as dean, what can he do to take heed to and interact in dialog with those that oppose Israel’s insurance policies and actions?
I implore him to guide with dialogue, moderately than harmful labels; dialog moderately than fearsome headlines; safety of speech moderately than censorship. Maybe then we will talk about the continuing lack of life and the humanitarian disaster in Gaza as a substitute of constructing significant dialog about it not possible in our universities.
Kara Shelley Wallis, Lengthy Island Metropolis, NY
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To the editor: I’m deeply disenchanted by Erwin Chemerinsky’s op-ed. Whereas he has each proper to sentence hate speech, by equating criticism of Zionism with anti-Semitism, his article will stifle free speech at a number one legislation college and overseas.
One can criticize fundamentalist Muslim leaders with out concern of being known as “Islamophobic”, but he creates a double customary. Zionism was primarily based on making a Jewish state in Palestine, an inhabited land. Israel’s downside with violence shouldn’t be restricted to the present regime. It has used violence, apartheid and disenfranchisement as instruments to oppress hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. The truth is, many Holocaust survivors, former Israeli Protection Forces troopers, genocide students, and even rabbis are crucial of Zionism. We now have seen them on the latest Jewish Voice for Peace protests.
It’s much more disappointing that Chemerinsky has been hailed as a number one civil rights professional. I’ve attended his lectures at legislation college and acquired his well-researched books on the historical past of the Supreme Courtroom. I’ll now not help any educational who advocates racism in opposition to Arabs or Islamophobia or refuses to analysis and be taught in regards to the violent historical past of Zionism.
Alice Sarkisian, Los Angeles
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To the editor: To the Israeli powers: I agree that the bloody actions of Hamas on October seventh had been fully unsuitable; an unprovoked battle crime. Nonetheless, it doesn’t sanction Israel to commit homicide on the Gaza inhabitants. Your actions additionally appear to incorporate battle crimes. Two wrongs do not make a proper.
I consider Israel’s leaders have to deal with the best ranges of rogue affect: the leaders of Qatar, Egypt, and particularly Iran. Any nation that helps Hamas should be held accountable for this. Sturdy negotiations on the negotiating desk would be the solely solution to de-escalate the killings from either side.
Greg Golden, Van Nuys
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To the editor: My coronary heart actually goes out to the first rate individuals of Gaza. Nobody ought to need to endure what they’re going via. The article (“Gaza engineers had been dreamers and builders. After Israel’s bombs, their tales break my coronary heart,” October 7) doesn’t point out one factor about Hamas’ assaults on Israel or Hamas utilizing civilians as human shields. Hamas clearly doesn’t care about civilians in Gaza. The present recipe of a terrorist group attacking Israel, after which Israel responds with a tenfold retaliation, won’t ever convey peace to the area. Someway we now have to vary the channel within the Center East, however sadly I do not see that within the close to future.
Matthew D. Kerster, Gardena
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To the editor: The humanistic philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism states that each one life is valuable. It’s tragic that the Palestinian individuals are struggling underneath the management of terrorists. Hezbollah and Hamas have dedicated barbaric crimes and murdered 1000’s. There is no such thing as a hierarchy in victims of violence. Do you bear in mind Daniel Pearl, a journalist of the Jewish religion who was beheaded in Pakistan? He dedicated no crime however was murdered by those that don’t have any humanity. We should work collectively for peace.
Roslyn Wolin, Westlake Village