Hello! Reminds me of a certain period in my home country. But hey, "It can't happen here"... see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Can%27t_Happen_Here. Best regards, Mac Juli
Anti-Israel groups on U.S. college campuses have become increasingly radicalized, coordinated, and resourceful in spreading extremist narratives and harassing Jewish students, especially following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. At MIT, there have been serious allegations against certain faculty members accused of fostering an anti-Israel and antisemitic environment such as mentioned tenured MIT professor in the post. Anti-Israel faculty at MIT have been implicated in creating a hostile environment through public harassment, inflammatory rhetoric, and support for radical activism. In my opinion, MIT and others were weak in combating hate on campuses. This is a problem decades in the making. Be it faculty or former and current students, especially young people, are indeed one of the most heavily targeted groups by propagandists because of their high exposure to digital media and their developing critical thinking skills. Jewish and Israeli students reportedly experienced social and academic isolation, harassment, and intimidation, with some feeling compelled to hide their Jewish identity or avoid campus areas altogether. Interestingly - Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is a distinguished MIT graduate with degrees in architecture and business management, whose academic background has been foundational to his career in politics and diplomacy. Some think there will be reduction in hostilities once the Gaza war ends. Some think the hate will increase and get worse. Some try to hold Universities accountable. Time will show.
Since Gaza came up, it's worth noting that one can strongly oppose Israel's actions there while acknowledging that antisemitism is a real and pervasive problem in the academic far left.
As an aside, I noticed you do not hyphenate antisemitism while I usually do. I just Googled that to find out if they are regional or both acceptable variants and it turns out that it is preferred to not hyphenate so as to avoid "othering" Jewish people, which is not something I was aware of. Others reading this might also appreciate that correction: “Anti-Semitism” or “antisemitism”? And Why the Hyphen Matters - Evolve Antisemitism vs. Anti-Semitism: why we don't include a hyphen – Blog – CST – Protecting Our Jewish Community Antisemitism or anti-Semitism, that is the question: AP changes its style | The Jerusalem Post
Okay, I guess, but I expect the overwhelming majority of Jews care a lot more about being othered by actual antisemitism than by someone using a hyphen in the word.
Yes, that's why it was an aside and not a rebuttal. I was agreeing with you and happened to discover I was making a mistake others might also make.
So when people urinate on Jewish student organization buildings, respond to the October 7 attacks by cheering “Victory is ours”, advocate for violent “resistance” against Jews, and say that calls for the elimination of the Jewish people can be antisemitic “depending on the context”, you're still telling yourself they're just “calling out zionism”? Come on, open your damned eyes.
Did the professor do any of those things? It seems like you are associating select antisemitic attacks with the concept of being anti-zionist.
The professor subjected Sussman to a sustained campaign of public harassment and defamation in response to this profile in which which Sussman refers to Jewish culture, but not at all to Israel or Zionism: https://news.mit.edu/2023/will-sussman-building-connections-0707 The rest is important because it demonstrates that he did this in a dangerously antisemitic environment.
Reprehensible behaviour. I hope after Sussman wins the lawsuit that another doctoral program offers him a funded spot. Thanks, Steve, for bringing this article to the board.
Lerner's own post referred to "Anti-Israel" MIT faculty. Are you seriously claiming that allow those "urinate on Jewish students' organizations"? I mean, I am not even anti-Zionist (Zionism's goal of obtaining and supporting a sovereign Jewish state is IMHO correct; I can't reject it while supporting structurally identical Ukrainian nationalist goal). Yet, lengths Israel supporters go to shouting down anyone they deem insufficiently supportive gets old. Not everything Netanyahu does is synonymous with "Israel", or in the interest of the Jewish nation.
If true, that would be grounds for discipline for the professor, including dismissal. Horrible behavior, regardless of one's politics.
This professor titled his seminar class “Language and linguistics for decolonization and liberation and for peace and community building from the river to the sea in Palestine and Israel to the mountaintops in Haiti and beyond”. Setting aside packed passive-aggressiveness, this doesn't seem like a valid English sentence. Linguistics department needs to send the guy to some remedial Comms classes.
I will note, the plaintiff, Will Sussman, did try and sue the grad school union last year claiming it was antisemitic to make them pay union dues claiming religions exemption. He testified in the House in 2024, but gained no real traction. If you look on his twitter, he claims things as small as people wearing keffiyehs represent antisemitism. His other anti-arab posts and reposting of right-wing influencers show he is riding off this conservative rage and fear. Antisemitism is a real and growing problem. Allegations of such need to be thoroughly investigated. Additionally, Universities are under attack, and this administration is using “protecting Jewish students” as a means to defund and restrict them. We will see how it plays out in court, but people should take these claims with a grain of salt, particularly from people who have a history of making frivolous claims. https://www.nrtw.org/tag/will-sussman/ https://x.com/realWillSussman
While it's true that allegations of antisemitism must be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated, it's misleading to dismiss concerns raised by individuals like Will Sussman simply because they align with conservative viewpoints or have previously brought forward legal challenges. From 2023 to 2025, the keffiyeh has increasingly been used—especially on university campuses—not just as a cultural symbol, but as a political one often tied to groups and slogans like "From the river to the sea," which many interpret as a call for the elimination of Israel. In that context, the keffiyeh has become associated with rhetoric that crosses into antisemitism, particularly when paired with chants glorifying Hamas, denying Israel's right to exist, or targeting Jewish students regardless of their views on the Israeli government. Pointing that out is not a “frivolous” claim—it reflects the lived experience of many Jewish students who feel intimidated or marginalized on campuses where political protest sometimes veers into hate speech. Universities must remain places of free expression, but that freedom does not extend to incitement or targeting students based on ethnicity or religion. Criticism of Israel is fair game in a democracy—but using that criticism as a cover for antisemitism should not be ignored, regardless of one’s political alignment. The keffiyeh (or kufiya) is not originally Palestinian, but rather a traditional Arab headdress that predates modern Palestinian nationalism by centuries. The keffiyeh originated in ancient Mesopotamia, especially Iraq, where it was known as the "shemagh" and worn by Sumerians and Babylonians. It's traditionally associated with Iraqi farmers and Bedouins. Practical protection from sun, dust and sand.
