Download PDF Washington, D.C: Today, the Brandeis Center joined the AMCHA Initiative and 32 other organizations issuing a letter in response to a series of anti-Semitic stickers and flyers that were found at the University of Central Florida (UCF) campus. The letter urges UCF President John C. Hitt to publicly condemn the postings as blatant acts of anti-Semitism, publicly commit to educating university staff and students about anti-Semitism, hate crimes and anti-Jewish education, as well as to formally adopt the U.S State Department’s Definition of Anti-Semitism. LDB, a national civil rights organization, is best known for its work fighting anti-Semitism in higher education. Multiple anti-Semitic stickers and flyers where found during the week of November 15 inside and nearby several UCF dormitories. They contained various forms of anti-Semitic imagery, such as swastikas and classic anti-Semitic caricatures. Although the UCF administration has vowed to find the perpetrator(s) responsible for the distribution and creation of these postings, there has not been any public condemnation of these incidents as anti-Semitic by any UCF administrator in the weeks since they appeared. “With the growing problem of campus anti-Semitism across the country, incidents such this are of great concern. They implicitly and explicitly encourage hate and violence against Jews, and can create a threating environment for Jewish students” LDB President Kenneth L. Marcus commented, “It is crucial that university administrations take a strong stance against hatred and bigotry and be committed to protecting all members of their campus community. We hope that the UCF administration will seriously consider our recommendations to deter future acts of anti-Semitic hate, and demonstrate their commitment to protecting Jewish students and all students on their campus. The full text of the letter can be found below: President John C. Hitt Office of the President University of Central Florida P.O. Box 160002 Orlando, FL 32816-0002 Dear President Hitt, We are 34 organizations representing hundreds of thousands of people who are very concerned about the safety and well-being of Jewish students at the University of Central Florida. We are writing to you today because we remain deeply troubled by virulently antisemitic stickers and flyers which were posted on your campus inside and nearby several UCF dormitories during the week of November 15. The postings included the following: · One sticker depicting a Nazi flag with a swastika in the middle was posted next to another sticker depicting a large Jewish star with the word “bankers” underneath the star and “1%” in the center of it. Next to these stickers was a note calling for a boycott of Israeli products, which stated that buying Israeli products helps to support the “murder and oppression” of Palestinians. · One flyer depicted a handgun with flames coming from it, a swastika on its handle, and the numbers “14/88” on the gun barrel. (According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, “14/88” is common white supremacist code: “14” refers to the “14 words” coined by David Lane, who is serving a 190-year sentence for his part in the assassination of a Jewish talk show host — “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children” — and “88” is a reference to “Heil Hitler,” since “H” is the eighth letter of the alphabet). At the top of the flyer are the words “FLORIDA! LET’S KICK IT OFF!”, and at the bottom the words “JOIN YOUR LOCAL NAZIS! THE ATOMWAFFEN DIVISION!” and “FIND US AT IRONMARCH.ORG.” (Ironmarch.org is a website describing itself as the “Online HQ of the IronMarch Global Fascist Fraternity and Fascist Alma Mater,” and containing in the “WELCOME TO IRONMARCH.ORG” banner at the top of the homepage the words: “GAS THE KIKES, RACE WAR NOW! 14/88 BOOTS ON THE GROUND!”) · One flyer depicted the classic antisemitic image of a Jewish man with a large nose and skullcap, rubbing his hands together and saying the words “Muh Holocaust”. Underneath the image is the following explanation: “This expression [Muh Holocaust] indicates a jews [sic] expression when confronted by the truth. When confronted by the truth or called out for what he is, the jew will cry out “Muh Holocaust”. This is usually followed by pointing out that 6,000,000 jews died at the hands of Hitler and recalling how he or she is a survivor of the death camps because it was real in their minds.” (See attached images). These stickers and flyers not only promote vicious hatred towards Jews, they implicitly and explicitly incite violence against them. The widespread presence of these messages on your campus cannot help but threaten and frighten Jewish students. Moreover, in light of recent threats and acts of racially and religiously-motivated violence on campuses across the country, the presence of these blatantly antisemitic postings in and near student dormitories at UCF is of grave concern to all members and supporters of the Jewish community. We are aware that your administration has vowed to find the perpetrator(s) of these hateful acts and stated that UCF “has a zero tolerance policy regarding incidents or bias in any form.” But this is simply not enough. We are dismayed that in the weeks since the stickers and flyers appeared, neither you nor any other UCF administrator has yet to publicly condemn these postings as antisemitic, specifically targeting Jewish students and causing them to feel threatened and unsafe. A public statement demonstrates to the campus and wider communities that you will not tolerate acts of bigotry directed at Jewish students and that you are committed to addressing antisemitic acts with the same promptness and vigor as all other racial, ethnic and gender bigotry. A public statement is also the single most important step to deterring future acts of antisemitism. This year alone, more than 20 college and university campuses around the country have been defaced with swastikas and other antisemitic graffiti, in each case causing particular distress to Jewish students. There have also been multiple reports of antisemitic name-calling, threats, assaults and other acts of hate and discrimination. These acts are often linked to anti-Israel sentiments, such as those expressed in the note found next to the antisemitic stickers, that included calls for the boycott of Israel. We encourage you to take the following steps immediately to deter future acts of anti-Jewish bigotry and demonstrate unequivocally your commitment to protecting Jewish students and all students on your campus: · Swiftly, forcefully and publicly acknowledge and condemn postings such as these as acts of blatant antisemitism, which, while affecting the entire UCF community, have targeted its Jewish members for hatred and intimidation. · Publicly commit to educating University staff, including campus police, in identifying antisemitism and antisemitic hate crimes. · Formally adopt the U.S. State Department’s definition of antisemitism to fully and accurately identify all future acts of hate toward Jews and draw the distinction between acceptable criticism of Israel’s policies and calls for the exclusive denial of Jewish self-determination which is unquestionably antisemitic and breeds additional antisemitism. · Allocate resources and publicly commit to educating students about antisemitism and anti-Jewish discrimination. Taking these steps will show your students, their parents, University of Central Florida alumni, and the larger community that University of Central Florida stands firmly against bigotry and hatred, including antisemitism, and will protect all members of the campus community. Thank you for considering our recommendations. Please do keep us informed as to how you respond to this recent act of hate. We await your response and look forward to working with you to protect Jewish students Sincerely, Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity (AEPi) Alums for Campus Fairness AMCHA Initiative American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists American Institute for Jewish Research Americans for Peace and Tolerance BEAR: Bias Education, Advocacy & Resources Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law Club Z Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) CUFI on Campus Davis Faculty for Israel Eagles Wings Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET) Fuel For Truth Hasbara Fellowships Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel Iranian American Jewish Federation Israeli-American Council (IAC) Israel Peace Initiative (IPI) Jerusalem U Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa (JIMENA) NCSY Middle East Political and Information Network (MEPIN) Proclaiming Justice to the Nations Scholars for Peace in the Middle East Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi Simon Wiesenthal Center Stop BDS on Campus Students and Parents Against Campus Anti-Semitism The Israel Christian Nexus The Israel Group Training and Education About the Middle East (T.E.A.M.) Zionist Organization of America Cc: Provost and Executive Vice President A. Dale Whittaker