I remember how it was -- JR
Let's Vow to Defeat Our New Oppressors: Higher Education
We know from history that Jew-hatred, the world's oldest and once again most fashionable form of bigotry, is the chameleon of all hates -- forever taking on new hues to suit the scapegoating needs of the day. It has always been thus, and it will always be thus. This is a cancer for which there is sadly no cure.
But as we also know, Am Yisrael Chai -- the people of Israel live. There is no more appropriate time on the calendar to double down and to more fearlessly embrace our peoplehood than this festival of Chanukah -- which, contra the predictable blather about abstract "freedom" or "justice," commemorates the military victory of the defiant, particularist Maccabees over the submissive, universalist Hellenizers. The message of Chanukah, which began Thursday evening, is a simple one: Choose authentic Judaism, not assimilation and appeasement.
But in the aftermath of Tuesday's astounding congressional hearing with the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, during which the demonic triumvirate smirked their way through rigorous bipartisan questioning and repeatedly failed to condemn calls for genocide of the Jewish people as contrary to their universities' codes of conduct, we must make another related commitment. This Chanukah, modern-day Maccabees and like-minded fellow defenders of our Western heritage must commit to razing to the ground today's Hellenizers: American higher education.
Hellenistic paganism was a civilizational threat to the Jews back then; woke-ism, and specifically the regnant "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" (DEI) regime, is a civilizational threat to the Jews (and Christians) today. That our foes now wear pantsuits instead of Greco-Roman armor, and that our terrain is now one of cultural clout and fiscal support instead of a literal cavalry-speckled battlefield, is hardly relevant.
For hours, Claudine Gay, Liz Magill and Sally Kornbluth, the leaders of three of America's most "prestigious" educational institutions, steadfastly refused to stipulate that calls to annihilate the Jewish people violate either First Amendment norms or their own universities' codes of conduct, which generally prohibit "intimidation" and "harassment." Instead, through awkward pauses and supercilious half-grins, they regurgitated lawyerly talking points: "it might," "it depends," "I'd need to see the context," and so forth.
These moral midgets have made plain their disdain for the Jews. They have poured tremendous fuel on a raging conflagration, and they should all resign in disgrace.
We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the ladies erred because the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. felt compelled to post a not-so-subtle message Wednesday on Twitter/X: "Opposing calls for genocide against Jews shouldn't be difficult or controversial." As one Twitter/X wag dryly noted: "Do you know how badly you have to mess up to be subtweeted by a Holocaust museum?"
Harvard and Penn have since tried to walk back what Gay and Magill said -- or, more, refused to say -- under oath. But the damage is done. Memes have been circulating online of a T-shirt adorned with Harvard's iconic red shield and the slogan, "Hamas University: The ISIS of the East."
Higher education in America has become worse than a blight; it is a debilitating cancer corrupting countless impressionable minds, destabilizing countless once-venerable institutions and impairing the common good. The universities are the leading incubators, promulgators and disseminators of the DEI catechism, which (in classic Marxist phraseology) divides society into "oppressor" and "oppressed" classes to which varying bundles of rights and privileges affix. "Oppressed?" Good for you: You get the most rights, privileges and sympathies! "Oppressor?" What a pity: You get bupkis -- and the "oppressed" people's eternal ire, to boot!
If you guessed that the Jews, the most oppressed people in human history, count as "oppressed" according to our DEI overlords, guess again.
Our universities truly are the enemies of the people, and in their current state they are wholly unworthy of receiving even a single penny of taxpayer support. Indeed, one of our formidable tasks now is to reorient incentive structures in the precise opposite direction slowly: Employers should not hire from these schools and professional schools should not admit applicants who completed their undergraduate studies at these schools.
Perhaps most importantly, parents must reject paying tuition to send their children to these schools, no matter how gifted their children are and no matter how enticing the "lay prestige" of a school like Harvard may be. Weimar-era Germany had plenty of "prestigious" institutions, too. How did that work out?
Recapturing the institutions from the talons of our treacherous, woke-besotted ruling class is arduous work. It begins by refusing to bend the knee to our would-be conquerors, and by instead telling the world: "We are here, and we are staying true to our people and our way of life."
In other words, it means being a Maccabee.
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New York City asset management giant says he's withdrawing $100 MILLION donation to UPenn over president's comments at anti-Semitism hearing
A wealthy University of Pennsylvania alumnus has withdrawn a $100million donation following the school president's lack of response to antisemitism on campus.
Ross Stevens, the founder and CEO of New York-based Stone Ridge Asset Management, said he was appalled by Penn's response to the anti-Jewish hate.
Stevens, who graduated from Penn in 1991, gave his alma mater millions in funding in December 2017 to help towards a new center for innovation in finance - which is named after him.
Former Penn president Amy Gutmann - a Jewish woman, who is now the US Ambassador to Germany - said when the Stevens Center was opened in 2019: 'We are so grateful to Ross for his visionary leadership that will enable Penn and Wharton to continue to innovate at the vital intersection of finance and technology.'
But in light of the new president Elizabeth Magill's lackluster attempt to discipline students who call for the genocide of Jewish people, Stevens has withdrawn his gift.
In Stevens' letter, first published by Axios, he claims Penn violated the terms of their agreement - including its anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies.
He said he was 'appalled' by the university's stance on antisemitism.
Stevens added: 'Its permissive approach to hate speech calling for violence against Jews and laissez-faire attitude toward harassment and discrimination against Jewish students would violate any policies of rules that prohibit harassment and discrimination based on religion, including those of Stone Ridge.'
The wealthy financier is known for his philanthropic flair. Earlier this year, he donated another $100million to University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, where he completed his PhD in 1996.
Stevens was heralded by the school's dean as 'exceptionally generous' and an alumnus who 'brings focus and clarity of thought regarding how the multiplier effect of educational excellence, economic liberty and free markets can transform lives.'
This comes just hours after Congress launched a full-scale investigation into Penn, Harvard, and MIT for their responses during the hearing on Tuesday.
The House Education and the Workforce Committee will probe the elite schools with the 'full force of subpoena power,' after presidents Claudine Gay, Sally Kornbluth, and Liz Magill's astonishing words and actions this week.
Earlier on Thursday, the University of Pennsylvania's Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting as president Magill faces calls to resign - but according to sources, 'nothing' happened.
The hastily-arranged meeting started at 9am and was held virtually - following a percussive flood of calls, from students and donors alike, for the president of the Ivy League college to be sacked.
This is the latest sign of the mounting pressure on Penn to remove its president after she told Congress that reprimanding students who call for a Jewish genocide was not paramount - but 'context' specific.
Magill, a lawyer by trade, smirked and smiled as she refused to categorize calls for the genocide of Jews as harassment or a breach of the school's code of conduct.
The House Education and the Workforce Committee will probe the elite schools with the 'full force of subpoena power,' after presidents Claudine Gay, Sally Kornbluth, and Liz Magill's astonishing words and actions this week
Scott L. Bok is the Chair of Penn's Board of Trustees. He is also the CEO of Greenhill & Co., a boutique investment bank in New York.
The Vice Chair, who also attended the meeting, is Jewish banker Julie Beren Platt.
She is a philanthropist who has also served as the chair of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America since 2022 - which helps distribute $3 billion to non-profits each year.
Beren Platt, who is now based in Los Angeles, graduated from Penn with a bachelor's degree in 1979. She is the mother to prominent Hollywood actor Ben Platt.
In her charitable career, Beren Platt was one of the first people to sign the Jewish Future Pledge - a campaign encouraging Jewish people to give to good causes.
William P. Lauder, the billionaire chairman of The Estée Lauder Companies, Andy Rachleff, co-founder of Wealthfront, and Bonnie Miao Bandeen, a former Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, are also among Penn's Trustees.
Insurance magnate Alan D. Schnitzer, venture capitalist Theodore E. Schlein, and Stacey G. Snider, the former CEO of 20th Century Studios, are also on the board.
Amy Gutmann - who was the longest-serving president of the University of Pennsylvania from 2004 to 2022 - is Jewish, and her father escaped Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
On October 19, she wrote on social media: 'My father, Kurt Gutmann, who escaped Nazi Germany, taught me to stand up and speak out against all forms of hatred. Everywhere. Always. #NeverAgainIsNow.'
Scott L. Bok is the Chair of Penn's Board of Trustees. The Vice Chair is Julie Beren Platt
Meanwhile, a petition calling for Magill's resignation has grown to more than 12,300 signatures by Thursday morning.
Magill attempted to rectify the situation on Wednesday, by releasing a video message on Penn's social media. She stopped short of apologizing.
In the video, she said she was not 'focused' on the issue, and said she wanted to 'be clear' that calls for genocide were 'evil, plain and simple' - although she said the blame lay with her university's policies and the constitution, rather than with her.
She said that as she sat with the presidents from MIT and Harvard, she was 'focused on our university's longstanding policies aligned with the U.S. Constitution, which say that speech alone is not punishable.'
Magill said Penn would evaluate and clarify the university's policies on antisemitism.
During the shocking hearing, MIT's Sally Kornbluth and Harvard's Claudine Gay gave equally deplorable answers when quizzed about their colleges' code of conduct.
All three colleges - considered the best academic institutions in the world - have witnessed a slew of unregulated anti-Israel protests since Hamas' October 7 attack.
When Magill was nominated to take over as Penn's president in 2022, she ran on the ticket flexing her 'passionate commitment to academic excellence, diversity, equity, and inclusion.'
She pledged to promote free speech at the Philadelphia institution.
Part of that 'free speech,' it has transpired since Magill's astonishing words in front of Congress, includes the lack of discipline for Penn students who call for the genocide of the Jewish people.
Magill has been an academic and visiting professor at the University of Virginia, Cambridge University in England, Harvard Law School, and Princeton University.
She started her education at Yale, completing a History degree in 1988.
Before joining Penn, Magill was the Dean at Stanford Law School for seven years. Her legacy at the West Coast college was 'expanding and redesigning student life initiatives' with her 'strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion.'
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro slammed Magill's comments. He said: 'That was an unacceptable statement from the president of Penn. 'Frankly, I thought her comments were absolutely shameful. 'It should not be hard to condemn genocide.'
Senator Doug Mastriano called for Magill's immediate resignation on Thursday.
He wrote: 'Your answer, combined with your demeanor (the smirk you wore on your face while delivering it) raised serious concerns about your personal commitment and the university's willingness and ability to enact and advance policies to prevent antisemitic activity at the University of Pennsylvania.'
Senator Bob Casey said in response to Magill's congressional appearance: 'President Magill's comments yesterday were offensive, but equally offensive was what she didn't say.
'The right to free speech is fundamental, but calling for the genocide of Jews is antisemitic and harassment, full stop.'
Senator John Fetterman also described the testimony as 'a significant fail.'
He wrote: 'There is no 'both sides-ism' and it isn't 'free speech,' it's simply hate speech. It was embarrassing for a venerable Pennsylvania university, and it should be reflexive for leaders to condemn antisemitism and stand up for the Jewish community or any community facing this kind of invective.'
Alex Immerman, who attended Penn's Wharton Business School and is now a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, said that he demanded his 2023 donation back from the college.
He wrote: 'Yesterday I called Penn and asked for a refund on my 2023 donation. I have loved Penn for as long as I can remember.
'It prepared me for my career and gave me lifelong friends, my wife, and incredible memories. But I can no longer support the moral bankruptcy of its leadership.'
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MEF Campaign Success: Oberlin Ousts Iranian Professor Accused of Prisoner Massacre
Oberlin is fantically Leftist so this would have been painful for them
PHILADELPHIA – December 7, 2023 – The Middle East Forum (MEF) played a pivotal role in the months-long campaign to oust Professor Mohammad Jafar Mahallati from his tenured position at Oberlin College. Partnering with Iranian American activists, MEF combined exclusive reporting and relentless advocacy to pressure Oberlin's administrators into placing Mahallati on "indefinite administrative leave."
Oberlin informed MEF that Mahallati had been removed from the campus on Nov. 28, his office vacated, and references to him scrubbed from the college's website.
"Mahallati's suspension punctuates the combined efforts of MEF and its dedicated Iranian-American partners who held protests, circulated petitions, and galvanized lawmakers," said Benjamin Baird, director of MEF Action.
Mahallati's ouster provides some small justice to family members of the Islamic Republic's 1988 prison massacres in which Mahallati had a key role, a fact that Oberlin College administrators repeatedly dismissed. The professor's suspension also follows a case, first revealed by MEF's coalition, concerning Mahallati's sex-for-grades relationship with a Columbia University graduate student.
MEF joined the Alliance Against Islamic Republic of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA), an anti-regime committee of former political prisoners and surviving family members, in efforts to build public opposition to Mahallati. MEF organized an Iranian American lobby at the Ohio Statehouse and convinced members of the U.S. Congress to send a letter to Oberlin College requesting answers about the school's hiring practices.
MEF's reporting exposed Mahallati's ongoing links to Iran's regime, his part in an Office of Civil Rights investigation into charges that the professor taught students "support for Hamas," and his calls for the destruction of Israel. Most recently, MEF unearthed court documents from a 1997 lawsuit accusing Mahallati of forcing a graduate student into an "emotionally abusive" sexual relationship in exchange for "academic benefits" while serving as an adjunct professor at Columbia University.
"Mahallati's suspension brings a profound sense of justice and accountability, not only to the victims' families, but to all those who have supported the tireless campaign for his removal as an educator," said Gregg Roman, director of MEF. "This long-awaited decision attests to the commitment of all those involved to safeguarding national security within the academic sphere and ensuring that educators act in the best interests of their students."
MEF now calls on Oberlin College to clarify the circumstances behind Mahallati's suspension and to initiate an independent inquiry into the school's hiring practices. Furthermore, Oberlin administrators must deny Mahallati future opportunities, pensions, or favorable references stemming from his work at Oberlin College.
MEF will continue to closely monitor developments in this case and advocate for responsible academic conduct
https://www.meforum.org/65311/mef-campaign-success-oberlin-ousts-iranian
******************************************************My other blogs: Main ones below
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
http://jonjayray.com/blogall.html More blogs
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