T
he ZOA applauds the U of M
student activists whose efforts
led to the defeat of the Boycott
Divestment Sanctions (BDS) Resolution
on March 25th. Now the Jewish
community must support the students
by demanding that the Administration
prevent any further intimidation and
anti-Semitic name calling, and to punish
recent perpetrators.
The facing column has excerpts
from two articles: One is by U of M
Senior Molly Rosen describing the
atmosphere of intimidation. The other
is by University of California Lecturer
Tammi Rossman-Benjamin describing
how most universities act quickly to
punish intimidating acts against minority
students, unless the minority students
are Jewish. Title VI of the U. S. Civil
Rights act applies to Jewish students.
Universities are obligated by law, not just
morals, to protect Jewish students.
The letter reproduced below is ZOA's
second letter to the University of Michigan
demanding that the University respond
to the ethnic intimidation of Jewish
students. (The first ZOA letter and U of
M's inadequate response can be seen at
www.mizoa.org under the Resource Tab.)
Write to the U of M Board of Regents
(www.regents.umich.edu/about/regents .
html) and demand action.
Jewish students need our support. We
can make a difference!
ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA
JACOB AND LIBBY GOODMAN
ZOA
NY H
10016
0 016
EAST 34TH STREET, NEW YORK,
WWW.Z0A.ORG
EMAIL@ZOA.ORG
1515
FAX: (212) 481 -
(212) 481 - 1500 I
I
g- oelida ASY
April 24,2014
Ms. Liz M. Barry
Special Counsel to the President
Office of the President
The University of Michigan
2074 Fleming Administration Building
503 Thompson Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-134 0
Dear Ms. Barry:
We received your letter of April 16th. Unfortunately, it did not address any of the concerns we raised.
First, you ignored our request that the university investigate the conduct that the "SAFE" group engaged in when the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS)
resolution was under consideration, and punish the group and/or its members if the investigation reveals that university policies were violated. You characterized what occurred
whe y the BDS resolution was considered as "spark[ingl strong feelings from those on all sides of the issue." That statement is inaccurate. We do not know of a single report that
students who opposed the BDS resolution engaged in harassing or threatening conduct. The harassment and intimidation came from one side only: the students who supported
this e anti-Israel and anti-Semitic initiative. They harassed and intimidated those who exercised their legal right to oppose the BDS resolution, even going so far as to issue violent
threats and hurl anti-Semitic slurs like "kikes" and "dirty Jews." As one student wrote, the campus environment became "frightening," to the point that some students were afraid
to attend their classes because they felt unsafe. (See http://www.thtower.org/article/staring-downthe-devilat-the-universty-of-mihigan/.)
This conduct violates university policies, which specifically prohibit harassment and bullying. As you have acknowledged, SAFE is not a first-time offender; the group violated
university policies when it distributed mock eviction notices just a few months ago in December. A now second violation requires a strong consequence so that SAFE will finally
et the messag that the grou is not entitled to special treatment and must comply with university policies like every other student organization.
Second, you ignored our request that the university issue a statement publicly condemning SAFE's behavior as hateful, anti- Semitic and in violation of university rules and
g
values. The statement that you referenced, posted by Student Life leaders, simply affirmed the university's commitment to mutual respect, tolerance and the free expression of
diverse points of view. That statement did not go far enough. There was no official condemnation of the anti-Semitism that the SAFE members and supporters engaged in — let
lone any official acknowledgement tiemitism even occurred on the campus. President Coleman should be issuing such a statement to the university community, so that
of Michigan will not tolerate the expression of hostility and prejudice against Jews.
ever
niversity
-S
will ignored
understand
that the that
U that
an
Finally, you
our request
President
Coleman reiterate her opposition to the anti-Israel BDS campaign. Given that such anti-Semitic campaigns are proliferating on
campuses around the country, and given how hateful and bigoted the campaign was on your campus, even causing fear among students for their physical safety, a statement from
d ropriately
President Coleman at this time — affirming that the University of Michigan opposes and will not support any BDS efforts targeting Israel — is vital.
e understand that the university is presently under investigation by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) for allegedly failing to respon app
to sexual assaults on campus in violation of Title IX of the Civil Rights Act. As you surely know, the university also has the legal obligation to respond appropriately to anti-
W
Semitic
pursuant
to Office
Title VI
the Civil
Rights
Act. 2010 "Dear Colleague" letter that made this legal obligation crystal clear (see pages 4-6 of the enclosed). You will
We have harassment,
enclosed a copy
of the
for of Civil
Rights'
October
ersity's gal obligations under Title VI are not dependent on a student having complained. If the university is on notice of an anti-Semitic hostile environment
— and it is on notice — then
— although of
le it must take the necessary steps to redress the hostility and ensure that it does not recur. These steps include punishing the perpetrators
manifestations
note that the univ
many
caut ioned tha t discipline is no end ugh. Other steps must be taken; you will see that some of OCR's recommended steps are ones that
we have recommend
OCR has specifically labeling incidents as anti-Semitic, and hosting training and discussion sessions so that students will appreciate the m
VI. Thank you.
to your university, including publicly
anti-Semitism
and to how
harmful
be. what steps the university will be taking to comply with its obligations under Title
We look forward
hearing
from they
you can
as to
Very truly yours,
Morton A. Klein
National President
Susan B. Tuchman, Esq.
Director, Center for Law and Justice
Zionist Organization of America- Michigan Region, contact 248-661-6000, kobi@mizoa.org
6600 Maple Rd., West Bloomfield, MI, 48322
May 8 • 2014
11