I want to begin by saying that I am Jewish. I believe in Israel’s right to exist and I totally oppose Netanyahu and Israeli policy in Gaza. I support a two state solution and want there to be an immediate cease fire and release of hostages.
That being said I am perplexed by the fact that when it comes to genocide, the activists on campus are very selective.
There have been dozens of genocides over the last 50 years or so, including Darfur, Bosnia, Rwanda and others. Wikipedia lists a bunch of them. See Recent Genocides.
I do not remember mass protests on campuses over any of these. Sure there were calls for divestiture in South Africa but basically campuses remained relatively quiet in the years after the Vietnam war ended. The mass protests of recent weeks are reminiscent of the protests of the 60s and early 70s of which I was a participant on my college campus in my Freshmsn year of 69-70.
How does one explain the basic vitriol against the actions of Israel when the same level of outrage was not demonstrated against other countries? Where are the protests calling for divesture from China for the atrocities committed against ethnic minorities? Many schools have investments and agreements with Saudi schools. Many schools have ties with India despite their treatment of the Sikh population.
To not see these protests as reflecting a double standard is to deny that there is some degree of antisemitism at work here.
I am appalled and disgusted by what is happening in Gaza as well as appalled by the actions of Hamas on October 7th.
But to be critical and confrontational when it comes to Israeli policy but to just shrug off all the other examples of man’s inhumanity strikes me as being based on a bit more than purely an interest in protecting innocent lives.