We parents of Jewish students owe a huge debt of gratitude to Professor Pessin for his bravery. He lets our students know that they are not alone - and at great personal risk.
I know that administrators, Deans, and other Jewish professors have come to Hillel to express solidarity, which is absolutely phenomenal and probably rare on campuses these days. I am grateful to all of them on a deeply personal level.
But there is something in the public nature of what Pessin is doing that is particularly helpful and brave.
For those who weren’t on campus recently, you should know that in addition to the publication of the faculty letter, Cro was adorned with a Palestinian flag, and a banner saying that Conn stands with the Palestinians.
Now, to be clear, I also stand with the Palestinians. I want them to have a state. I want them to live in freedom. I want that the billions in Aid that was sent to them was not diverted into tunnels, but was rather given to families and children in need who legitimately are seeking a better life. Like almost every Israeli or American Jew that I know (including ironically almost all of the 1200 who were killed on October 7th), I believe in a two state solution.
But we all know that unfortunately, what is called the “pro-Palestine“ movement these days does not have room for Israel or safety for Jews. for the most part, the people organizing these protest on other campuses are not in favor of a two state solution, and the students participating in these protests are educated about the facts. So one has to wonder what those banners represent. The students who display these banners may not even know what these banners represent.
But the Jewish students know what these banners are intended to mean worldwide, regardless of what the kids at Conn erecting them think it means. And it makes them uncomfortable, even if they are not deeply Zionist themselves.
And God knows that the professors know exactly what these banners mean.
I believe deeply in the first amendment and the right of the students to display these banners. But colleges also need to be safe places for the individuals living there. Communities are allowed and do have rules of engagement that are intended to make people feel safe. My own student recently had to turn in a paper for one of the professors who signed the letter. My student felt terrible about this, wondering if the paper would be graded fairly, but, moreover, just a deep nagging, painful sense that this professor, who my student respected so much, did not share that respect and viewed my student as part of a supremacy effort and global cabal.
As a Jewish parent or student, you may not agree with all of the positions that Professor Pessin stakes out, but in his staking out of any ground at all, he is a unicorn and a blessing for Jewish students who would have to have their heads buried so deeply in the sand to feel safe otherwise.
We parents of Jewish students owe a huge debt of gratitude to Professor Pessin for his bravery. He lets our students know that they are not alone - and at great personal risk.
I know that administrators, Deans, and other Jewish professors have come to Hillel to express solidarity, which is absolutely phenomenal and probably rare on campuses these days. I am grateful to all of them on a deeply personal level.
But there is something in the public nature of what Pessin is doing that is particularly helpful and brave.
For those who weren’t on campus recently, you should know that in addition to the publication of the faculty letter, Cro was adorned with a Palestinian flag, and a banner saying that Conn stands with the Palestinians.
Now, to be clear, I also stand with the Palestinians. I want them to have a state. I want them to live in freedom. I want that the billions in Aid that was sent to them was not diverted into tunnels, but was rather given to families and children in need who legitimately are seeking a better life. Like almost every Israeli or American Jew that I know (including ironically almost all of the 1200 who were killed on October 7th), I believe in a two state solution.
But we all know that unfortunately, what is called the “pro-Palestine“ movement these days does not have room for Israel or safety for Jews. for the most part, the people organizing these protest on other campuses are not in favor of a two state solution, and the students participating in these protests are educated about the facts. So one has to wonder what those banners represent. The students who display these banners may not even know what these banners represent.
But the Jewish students know what these banners are intended to mean worldwide, regardless of what the kids at Conn erecting them think it means. And it makes them uncomfortable, even if they are not deeply Zionist themselves.
And God knows that the professors know exactly what these banners mean.
I believe deeply in the first amendment and the right of the students to display these banners. But colleges also need to be safe places for the individuals living there. Communities are allowed and do have rules of engagement that are intended to make people feel safe. My own student recently had to turn in a paper for one of the professors who signed the letter. My student felt terrible about this, wondering if the paper would be graded fairly, but, moreover, just a deep nagging, painful sense that this professor, who my student respected so much, did not share that respect and viewed my student as part of a supremacy effort and global cabal.
As a Jewish parent or student, you may not agree with all of the positions that Professor Pessin stakes out, but in his staking out of any ground at all, he is a unicorn and a blessing for Jewish students who would have to have their heads buried so deeply in the sand to feel safe otherwise.