So let’s start with a little Steely Dan and then get serious. I am an alumna of the University of Pennsylvania. Some of you might have heard about the controversy surrounding University President Magill’s testimony to Congress. [1] Genocide of the Jews as rhetoric depends on “context.” (If you want you can mentally insert a FaceBook meme circulating showing a book by Adolph Hitler, “Mein Context”.
American Universities have had a tortured history with antisemitism. The elite schools had “Jewish quotas”, (a college roommate related that her father had been admitted to professional school as a “non-Jew” based on the Americanization of his name).[2] I lazily cite to Wikipedia here, though there are much better discussions, as the US is tucked cozily in with more familiar practitioners, like Germany.
Penn is not alone in mistaking hate speech, and, in fact, incitement to and permission for violence against Jews. The arguments are couched in terms like “free speech” and “academic freedom.” I invite you to replace “Jews” by other groups and see how that sounds. Genocide against “Muslims”, “homosexuals”, “Hispanics”. Would the University protect such speech.
Jews have a unique status here — hatred and, apparently even genocide are acceptable discussions to have. Why? I invite discussion. I don’t know, although I have read much. A fear of some secret power? A perception that they are “other” in an extreme way? The first step to genocide is identifying an “other” and dehumanizing, normalizing perception of a group as “bad.”
Wandering Jew 