Unrest at Cal after vandalism

Campus Groups React…

Following incidents of offensive vandalism on and around campus, members of student groups and the campus community say they are upset and hurt.

Last Wednesday evening, a poster promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace on a bus stop outside Eshleman Hall was vandalized with anti-Semitic marks and symbols. The words “Jew” and “Israel” were crossed out on the poster, which was also defaced with symbols equating the Star of David to swastikas.

Berkeley Police Department is now investigating the incident as a hate crime, which is unusual in Berkeley, said Berkeley police Officer Andrew Frankel.

Task Force in Orange County will continue to monitor campus

Huntington Beach, CA – September 19, 2008 – The Orange County Independent Task Force on anti-Semitism will continue to monitor fresh allegations of ongoing anti-Semitic activity at The University of California, Irvine (UCI).  The Task Force consists of Jewish and non-Jewish members of the community, and includes current and former faculty members, religious and lay community leaders.

On February 12, 2008, the Independent Task Force completed its year long investigation at UCI.  Over 80 hours of interviews, as well as, documents, written complaints and numerous visits to the campus were used in the compilation of the subsequent Report and Recommendations.
The complete 34 page report can be found at:
http://octaskforce.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/orange-county-task-force-report-on-anti-semitism-at-uci.pdf
Over the past several months, the Task Force has continued to receive disturbing reports including the following:

•    Anti-Semitic programs sponsored by MSU have continued, with guest speakers ratcheting up anti-Semitic hate speech.

La Jolla says NO to new Hillel

Who needs enemies when we can find Jews who reject a new Hillel facility? Happy New Year!?

Planning group rejects Hillel plan
12:16 PM
By Dave Schwab – La Jolla Light

La Jolla Community Planning Association (LJCPA) members last week voted unanimously against a slightly retooled version of the Hillel project, the Jewish student center planned for a small lot across from UCSD.

On a 14-0 vote, the group, which advises the city council, agreed with the majority of speakers who said the 12,100-square-foot center was not consistent with the character of the single-family neighborhood abutting the small triangular lot.

Despite the rejection, Joshua Richman, representing Hillel, said they would take the project to the city’s planning commission in October.

More than 30 people signed up to speak against the project, said the LJCPA chairman Joe La Cava.

One of those was Debra Shaul, a new resident in the neighborhood who said she is familiar with Hillel.

The noise from students would have an “extraordinary effect on the quiet every Friday night and on High Holidays,” she said.

High Holidays with JSS and Beach Hillel

For the fifth year in a row – JSS & Beach Hillel will be providing free High Holiday services for Jewish students from Orange County and Long Beach.
Rabbi Yonah has created a custom service and prayer book for Jewish students who are short on time. A beautiful Shofar Service, a delish kiddish, and a great time awaits students.

Services are open to everyone and will be in a hotel in Long Beach. Final details are being arranged with our sponsors, Beach Hillel – details on our website, socaljss.wordpress.com, and in the next email!

PIZZA FOR HIGH SCHOOL CLUBS

Since 2004 we have been providing leadership and support for Jewish High School Clubs in Long Beach and Orange County.  Every week, Jewish clubs meet in public high schools – an alternative to evangelical and missionary groups.

Part of the success of these clubs is providing free pizza for the students.  Each year we buy thousands of dollars of kosher pizza to be distributed to High School Clubs.

Be a partner in our High School program, and sponsor pizza at a high school club.  Email socaljss @ gmail.com for more information.

SPLC: Anti-Semitism still a problem at UCI and other campuses

Anti-Semitism Goes to School
Hate on California, Oregon Campuses
By Sonia Scherr
Intelligence Report
Fall 2008

Malik Ali
Amir Abdel Malik Ali, who spoke at the University of California, Irvine, this spring at the invitation of the Muslim Student Union, trotted out a series of anti-Semitic canards. (Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism)

Half a century ago, American institutions of higher education nationwide had quotas sharply restricting the number of Jewish students allowed to enroll. Today, those quotas have ceased to exist — along with the school-sanctioned discrimination they embodied. But while anti-Jewish sentiment no longer receives the blessing of university officials, it hasn’t been fully eradicated from campuses. “Many colleges throughout the United States continue to experience incidents of anti-Semitism,” states a 2006 report from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. “This is a serious problem which warrants further attention.”

In terms of numbers alone, the problem may seem small. An audit by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which fights bigotry, found that 94 anti-Semitic incidents were reported on U.S. campuses in 2007 — a number that has remained fairly stable over the past few years and represents only about 6% of known occurrences last year of harassment and vandalism targeting Jews. But such incidents tend to affect campus communities disproportionately, often resulting in very public controversies and bitter disputes between students.
Amir Abdel Malik Ali

College campuses are particularly susceptible to anti-Semitism that originates in certain sectors of the far left. This source of anti-Jewish sentiment often begins with condemnation of Israeli policies and devolves into derogatory statements about all Jewish people. Although criticism of Israel does not typically amount to anti-Semitism — and many critics of the Jewish state are unfairly accused of bigotry — in some cases those who denounce Israel also cross the line into denigration of Jews as a group.

According to the report from the federal civil rights commission: “On many campuses, anti-Israeli or anti-Zionist propaganda has been disseminated that includes traditional anti-Semitic elements, including age-old Jewish stereotypes and defamation. This has included, for example, anti-Israel literature that perpetuates the medieval anti-Semitic blood libel of Jews slaughtering children for ritual purpose, as well as anti-Zionist propaganda that exploits ancient stereotypes of Jews as greedy, aggressive, overly powerful or conspiratorial.”

Kevin MacDonald topic of Community Meeting in Long Beach

Organized by the ADL and Professors from Jewish Studies – the issue of Kevin MacDonald is bigger than ever. No one in Long Beach wants a raving anti-Semite on campus who is loved by the neo-Nazi movement and White Power advocates. He should be terminated for good cause – conduct unbecoming a university professor off campus.

Forum held on CSULB professor’s controversial published works

From the Daily 49er online
Meeting about MacDonald at AJCC

Colleen Donnelly Editor in Chief

Date: Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Marching on campus in 1940s era German military uniforms, wearing yellow armbands with the Star of David and a massive letter writing campaign were a few of the suggestions brought up last week at the Anti-Defamation League sponsored forum.

The forum, held at the Alpert Jewish Community Center, was an opportunity for people to learn about the controversial works of Cal State Long Beach psychology professor Kevin MacDonald this past spring.

MacDonald’s work has been called anti-Semitic by several departments, professors and students, as well as the Southern Poverty Law Center, a non-profit civil rights law firm. The departments, including anthropology, history and psychology, have sent out statements disassociating themselves from MacDonald and his work.

Bring in Shabbat and Keep out Cults

DONATE TO OUR SUMMER OUTREACH CAMPAIGN!

Jewish students at summer festivals are vulnerable to cults and missionaries. For the third summer JSS is doing something to help.

This weekend we are co-sponsoring Shabbat Outreach at annual counter-culture events, where missionaries, cults, and others that prey on uninformed and vulnerable Jews. JSS is sending a Rabbi and volunteers who are providing Shabbat dinner and other activities at this event.

Founder of JSS, Mr. Allen Alevy is offering to match anyone $2 to $1 who is willing to help this summer outreach campaign up to $10,000.

There are many other programs this summer where we will Bring in Shabbat and Keep out Cults.

“Holocaust in Palestine” MSU at UCI again create a week targeting Jews and Israel

The first of a few posts on this year’s anti-Israel activities at the University of California – Irvine. Jewish students put up these signs to warn passersby. They were only up one day because of the strong winds. The winds also knocked down some of the MSU displays.

Muslim Students at Long Beach: Anti-Semitic skit and anti-Israel program

Israeli-Palestinian exhibit, skits draw crowds at Friendship Walk
The Muslim Student Association’s 26-panel display on the Israeli occupation of Palestine sparks debate between Jewish, Muslim students.

Date: Tuesday, May 6, 2008

A 10-foot high, 26-panel wall was placed on Cal State Long Beach’s Friendship Walk Monday for the Muslim Student Association’s presentation of Checkpoint, the first a several events organized by the MSA for Palestinian Awareness Week.

The wall showed in graphic detail pictures and testimonials of those affected by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, from the Israeli “Summer Rains” air strike that killed 50 Palestinian children to the stories of foreign Palestine supporters like Rachel Corrie, an American crushed by an Israeli bulldozer. Several panels also criticized the U.S. political record of supporting and providing aid to the Israeli government.

In the center of the display was a doorframe “checkpoint,” over which hung an Israeli flag symbolically splattered with red paint.