Anti-Israel protesters in California have portrayed themselves as bitter anti-Semites after demanding that the University of California cut ties with Hillel and other Jewish community groups that support Jewish students and faculty on campus.
The demands were revealed in a flyer for Students for Justice in Palestine at UC-Santa Cruz.
Critics were quick and blunt in pointing out that the leaflet demonstrates obvious anti-Semitism.
“We are supposed to pretend, for the sake of political correctness, that SJP is simply criticizing the Israeli government rather than targeting Jews,” wrote Bronx Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres.
“However, attacking Jewish institutions is not criticism. This is anti-Semitism.
In a list of demands shared Saturday on social media, the group calls on the university to “cut UC-wide ties with all Zionist organizations — including study abroad programs, scholarships, seminars, research collaborations and universities”.
Among the so-called “Zionist organizations” were Jewish community groups, including the Hellen Diller Foundation, the Koret Foundation, the Israel Institute, and Hillel International – the largest Jewish student life organization in the United States.
“Three of the four organizations named in the UCSC encampment activists’ request for an academic boycott are Jewish charities and community groups,” said the Bay Area Jewish Community Relations Counsel. wrote on X.
“They are pillars of the Jewish community. It is not only about opposing Israel’s actions in Gaza, but appears to target Jewish institutions, revealing underlying anti-Semitism,” the Jewish group adds.
Other social media users also criticized the list for “effectively demanding an end to Jewish life on campus.”
“Anyone who says ‘but Hillel has a pro-Israel orientation’ to SJP’s demands for UCSC to remove Hillel would never agree with someone saying ‘but the Muslim student union has so many convicted ex-terrorists ”to defend against organizations that request it to be banned,’ someone commented
Hillel prohibits chapters from hosting or associating with groups opposed to Israel and obtains funding from the Israeli government, according to Foreign Policy. However, it is otherwise apolitical and is at the center of Jewish life on almost every college campus in the United States.
Another social media user called the anti-Israel U.S. encampment in Santa Cruz a “terrorist recruiting festival.”
“This list of their ‘demands’ transparently declares the true agenda to drive Jews out of universities and remove security and policing of hate speech,” reads one poster on X.
With its list of demands, the pro-Palestinian group also calls on the university to divest from arms manufacturing companies to “end targeted repression and policing of pro-Palestinian activists on campus.” and to “sever all ties” with the local police. .
New York Post
