And you thought it was OK to have a political opinion, loyalty or allegiance; or to associate with political activists; or to educate yourself about political conditions outside the US; or to run for office based on whom you choose to associate with, or learn from. Think again, if you go to UCLA or, alas, to many other universities. All these freedoms guaranteed under the US Constitution suddenly evaporate at UCLA and elsewhere.
A group at UCLA called Students for Justice in Palestine wants to outlaw UCLA student candidates for student government from taking trips to Israel sponsored by ADL, AIPAC, Hasbara Fellowship and others. If you wish to take a trip to Israel sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine, however, that will be fine.
Hmmm. Are you a Republican? a Democrat? an environmentalist? a Ukrainian? an investor in a Chinese company? a lover of Ireland? an opponent of Obamacare? an advocate of Obamacare? a relative of an Israeli killed by a terrorist? a CEO of a company that trades with Russia? Poor you. Undoubtedly, you learned something about your commitments that someone else would demean as one-sided. As if Students for Justice in Palestine were objective.
Call this ban on travel to Israel under the aegis of organizations blacklisted by the Students for Justice in Palestine the 21st-century version of the loyalty oath.
Imposers of the Palestinian loyalty oath have taken their anti-Constitutional campaign to many campuses beyond UCLA — and beyond moral suasion.
Abraham Cooper and Aron Heir write that at the University of California at Davis, a student who expressed concern about anti-Semitic banners at an anti-Israel rally was physically assaulted by a protester who screamed in his face, “you are racist and you should die in hell”; that at UC Berkeley, a Jewish girl holding an “Israel wants peace” sign was ramrodded with a shopping cart by the head of the local Students for Justice in Palestine; that at San Francisco State University, the General Union of Palestine Students made posters and T-shirts that said, “My heroes have always killed colonizers” — meaning Jews; that at the University of Michigan, anti-Israel students hurled death threats at Jewish student council members and called them “dirty Jew” and “kike.” So it goes.
Meanwhile, back at UCLA, the chancellor wanted to “leave the matter to be resolved by students.” Yeah, right. Let a UCLA student use the “N” word; let a student impose a travel ban to Palestine as a prerequisite to a student government position; let a Jewish student assault someone carrying a pro-Palestinian sign; and watch the chancellor sit back and “leave the matter to the students.”
Earth to UCLA chancellor: The US Constitution applies at UCLA, too. And by the way, if AIPAC showed you around Israel, you might learn something.
Copyright © 2014 by the Intermountain Jewish News
