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I have been meaning to write about the storm raging in New York following CUNY's board of trustees decision not to present an honorary degree to anti-Israel propagandist/faux artiste Tony Kushner but due to travels and other time killers, haven't had the opportunity.
Before it is too late, I want to add my two bits to the controversy.
First, for the unititiated here is the short version.
Kushner is an Israel-bashing leftist. Other Israel-bashing leftists who teach at CUNY recommended that the university honor Kushner with an honorary degree.
Last week, the CUNY Board of Trustees met to consider the recommendation and due to the objections raised by trustee Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, the board decided not to accept the faculty recommendation and passed him over for the honor.
Kushner pulled out the McCarthy card. His leftist fans at the New York Times and everywhere in academia rallied to his defense and began a process of demonizing Wiesenfeld.
The university president panicked and took the unprecendented move of overturning his trustees' decision and agreed to give Kushner the honorary degree.
Now the leftist screechers are demanding that Wiesenfeld be removed from the board of trustees because by professing an opinion they don't like, he has destroyed what passes for academic freedom in their twisted little Orwellian world.
So four thoughts on this:
First Wiesenfeld is a Jewish hero and deserves the support of all good Jews and supporters of truth.
Second, the fact that the leaders of the major Jewish organizations -- almost all located in New York - have not seen fit to stand up for Wiesenfeld is a mark of shame on all of them. What their silence shows is that there is no reason to believe that they are up to the challenges of defending the Jewish community in the US on any issue of major or minor significance. Wiesenfeld is after all being demonized for the act of standing up to a maligner of Israel. That's all he did. And they cannot even muster the courage to defend him for that.
Third, the assault on Wiesenfeld should raise alarm bells for all parents in the US. It isn't just that universities are increasingly closed to critical thought regarding Israel. Their refusal to countenance the truth in the discussion of Israel -- Columbia, my alma mater just established an institute of Palestine studies. That is, Columbia just established an institute to study an imaginary country and a nation that was invented by the Soviets circa 1969 -- is a signal that they cannot study anything. What the Kushner story shows is that there is no reason for parents to believe that a college degree from most US universities today will provide their children with anything remotely resembling an education.
Finally, while I applaud and respect Wiesenfeld for standing up for what is right, the assault on him raises the issue of whether there is any point anymore to contributing money to corrupted institutions. Many philantropists argue that by funding universitities they buy the ability to influence policies and save them from the inside. But what the assault on Wiesenfeld shows is that this influence is an illusion.
It seems to me that it is far wiser for people who value education, critical thought, Israel, America and Western civilization to fund institutions and initiatives dedicated explicitly to advancing these critical causes in order to empower them to replace the corrupted institutions on the Left. This is of course the notion that propelled me to establish Latma. I'm not trying to make a pitch for money - although I might as well be, why not? \if you want to contribute, press here.
But still, I am convinced that if you want to win a war of ideas you have to support your ideas and that means, strengthening those who agree with you as much as you possibly can so we can defeat the intellectual forces gunning for the destruction of our values, our countries and our way of life.
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Our universities are worse, filled with traitors, cranks, & leftist wackos. Yet, our useless politicians do nothing to remedy this unacceptable situation, spineless wretches that they are. So, our young people have garbage stuffed down their throats, courses that are nothing but anti-Israel propaganda, all in the name of some BS ''free speech'' rhetoric.
'The assault on him raises the issue of whether there is any point anymore to contributing money to corrupted institutions'
It's very late,you should have spoken up LOUDLY AND FORCEFULLY when it would have made a difference.
You make the same fatal error by continuing to give the quisling,lemming leader Netanyahu a pass,speaking softly to him as the house burns down.
A greater tragedy at the heels of the Jewish people is the Court Jester Jew Netanyahu who looks to one President Obama for empty,useless,worthless 'guarantees'
after which he promises to tone down his already weak speech when he arrives in Washington May 21.
How is it after so many failed chapters of these 'guarantees' that a fool never learns and falls for the same scam again and again and yet the weak fool with nice empty speeches arises to lead Israel into disaster ?
ANSWER:
It's because they chose to bow to Washington and not God.
Caroline, I am sure that many Jews including myself totally agree with you, but once again you miss the essential issue. From time immemorial we have been taught not to make waves, not to draw attention to ourselves, not to provoke our detractors and outright enemies. What we have chosen to forget are the times we have fought back against our foes both with words and deeds and won. With a grandchild headed for college my fear level as to what he will encounter in terms of antisemitism and anti Israel propaganda has risen to an all time high. It is time to finally put aside our inhibitions and speak out else we are doomed.
I have said the exact same things about the uselessness, spinelessness and downright adherence to the liberal screed of Jewish organizations in the US for years. Glad someone else is sounding the clarion call.
However, one note...not all universities and colleges in the US are worthless.It just so happens that the vast majority of the worthless ones are also the most prestigious. The trick for the parent is to find which ones actually will give your child an appropriate education and understands the concept of respect for multiple opinions.Didn't say it was easy but it can be done.
I would suggest putting off any plans to attend college until a general housecleaning of the entire college/university industry has taken place.
I would also suggest being VERY careful about which (supposedly) pro-Jewish organizations to donate to.
Jeffrey Wiesenfeld always stands up for what he believes in and never gives up. I admire him for that, and his nonstopping protection ofd Israel. He is a true Zionist and loves Israel and really wants to protect it.
Tony Kushner sounds like Harold Pinter in his views. Remember that Kushner co-wrote the screenplay for Munich which contained the not-so-subtle message of delegitimizing the actions of the labor government after the Munich attack. If Ingrid Bergman played the sugar-coated Golda Meir, the Munich version was at the devilish end of the spectrum. From the movie, you would think poor Golda was the Wicked Witch of the West running a rogue state. Of course, all this leftist "soul-searching" was to impugn the Bush war on terrorism by finding a previous parallel from history.
So what if other "famous" people are threatening to returned their honorary doctorates. Its not like they are real earned degrees. College administrators can be intimidated by the silliest things. Yet, they are ineffective in dealing with serious issues. This climate on campus is leading to actual violence. Remember the student who was physically attacked on campus in California for defending Israel at a protest.
Caroline, I hate to say it, however, Marcel and Naomir have made excellent points.
That said I would like to make a few comments about Universities and politics. I am a professor at public university in North America, however, my degrees are from private universities.
On one level Universities are very well insulated from public criticism. If the public complains about a particular professor’s political views, then academia points out, or screams, that a professor has academic freedom to express his/her views. This is true and public has to get over it.
On the other hand the public has the power of their checkbook. Simply put most universities are whores. In order to get cash they will rename structures that were previously built with a previous donor’s money. They will accept Saudi money without hesitation. At most universities in North America tuition increases exceed the cost of inflation. In short universities, especially private ones, are use to having their cake and eating too. Consider that families are paying up to $200,000 for a B.A. from a private university!
Those making major and modest contributions should stop donating money to universities! Contributors are delusional if they think that they can correct the left wing’s anti-Israel/anti-Semitic bias. That said parents should not send their kids to colleges where anti-Israel and anti-Semitic behavior is tolerated and/or implicitly encouraged. Again, express your politics with your tutition dollars.
As for anti-semitism on campus and the appalling response by Jewish organizations see this article from frontpagemagazine, http://www.newsrealblog.com/2011/04/22/aaup-and-ajc-support-for-anti-semites-on-campus/
Caroline, keep fighting the good fight.
Excellent. I am in a Phd program for political science and would like to make a difference for a "balanced" academic environment.
"Good luck" to me;-)
Like you, Caroline, I qualified for education at competitive institutions. So we ain't stupid. In the decades since, I have been appalled by the authority academics grant to themselves. You don't have to be tenured to be an original, careful thinker - or to see clearly.