New Oberlin Alumni & Student Group Condemns Anti-Semitism

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On January 3, 2016, the newly formed group, “Oberlin Alumni and Students Against Anti-Semitism” denounced a recent trend of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel acts on Oberlin’s campus, in a letter to Oberlin President Marvin Krislov. Oberlin College, a small private school in northern Ohio, has a long history of peaceful political activism, but as the Boycotts, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel has became more active on campus, this activism has turned into attacks and threats.

Dr. Melissa Landa, a 1986 graduate of Oberlin College, established the group after being the victim of anti-Semitism, and speaking with other students and alumni who had similar experiences. Dr. Landa was personally attacked on two online forums by pro-BDS Oberlin alumni and students. According to a January 13 press release, “they called me a Zionist cultist who is responsible for the deaths of innocent Palestinians, simply because I expressed my support for Israel,” Dr. Landa explained. “Experiencing the aggressive and dogmatic nature of the BDS movement for myself allowed me to empathize with Jewish students who are being bullied on campus and I wanted to do something about it.”

The letter, signed by over 150 Oberlin students, alumni, and other supporters, states that the BDS movement claims to be a “defender of Palestinian rights,” but through the voices of its activists, believes Israel is an “illegitimate, colonialist and murderous regime.” The letter states that the message given by BDS is as follows: “Either you forfeit your allegiance to Israel and join us, or we will brand you as an enemy of justice and complicit in the oppression of the Palestinian people.”

The Oberlin Alumni and Students Against Anti-Semitism group welcomes a diversity of views on Israel and criticism of its policies, however, they do not agree with the finger pointing and demonization of the Jewish State. The letter recounts incidents that current and past Oberlin students have been involved with, causing some to transfer and many to believe that there is a “toxic climate around Israel” on campus. The Oberlin Alumni and Students Against anti-Semitism group called for the college administration to comply with three requests, including a thorough investigation of acts of anti-Semitism on campus, an open forum for students who want to share their experiences with anti-Semitism, and the creation of a task force to implement a plan to address the current crisis.

The Brandeis Cstudents_at_oberlin_colleg_450enter will continue to support the fight against anti-Semitism at Oberlin and all college campuses. We look forward to hearing more from the Oberlin Alumni and Students Against Anti-Semitism, and encourage the Oberlin administration and community to create a more accepting environment for Jewish students, pro-Israel students, and all students on their campus.