{"id":592246,"date":"2023-09-22T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-22T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-is-upenn-hosting-a-festival-of-antisemites\/"},"modified":"2023-09-22T21:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T18:00:00","slug":"why-is-upenn-hosting-a-festival-of-antisemites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-is-upenn-hosting-a-festival-of-antisemites\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why is UPenn hosting a festival of antisemites?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/ca._upenn100558928-u-penn-gettyp.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>This weekend, amid the Jewish high holidays, the\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/palestinewrites.org\/\">Palestine Writes Literature Festival<\/a>\u00a0is being hosted at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania. While this gathering was ostensibly formed to uplift Palestinian creatives and artists, it has faced backlash for its suspect speaker lineup of known antisemites.<\/p>\n<p>Most notably, British musician and Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters is set to speak despite his recurring antisemitic rhetoric and actions. For instance, Waters has a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/roger-waters-compares-israel-to-nazi-germany\/amp\/\">history of comparing Israel to Nazi Germany<\/a>\u00a0and using antisemitic imagery during his concerts. It has become so abhorrent that after a May show in which Waters dressed in a Nazi-style uniform, the State Department\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Entertainment\/wireStory\/us-weighs-roger-waters-antisemitism-debate-artist-long-99874646\">released a statement<\/a>\u00a0alleging that his performance had \u201cminimized the Holocaust,\u201d also noting Waters\u2019 \u201clong track record of using antisemitic tropes.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Another participant is Marc Lamont Hill, who gained notoriety for being\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/marc-lamont-hill-fired-cnn-after-his-speech-israel-draws-n942151\">fired from CNN<\/a>\u00a0after he gave a speech calling for a \u201cfree Palestine from the river to the sea\u201d \u2014 an antisemitic chant used to call for the destruction of Israel. Neither Waters nor Hill is Palestinian, which raises the question of why either would <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ear at an event ostensibly dedicated to Palestinian writers. <\/p>\n<p>The event also features researcher Salman Abusitta, who\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/diaspora\/antisemitism\/article-759079\">previously echoed<\/a>\u00a0the antisemitic falsehood that \u201cJews were hated in Europe because they played a role in the destruction of the economy in some of the countries.\u201d The festival\u2019s primary organizer herself, Susan Abulhawa, also has a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/aijac.org.au\/op-ed\/writers-festival-must-not-embrace-anti-semitic-hate\/\">track record of antisemitism.<\/a>\u00a0For example, she tweeted that Israel is \u201cworse than Nazis,\u201d and that she \u201ctakes comfort in knowing\u201d that the Jewish state will eventually be \u201cwiped off the map.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Questions have furthermore been raised about the funders for the conference. For instance, one of the sponsors is Islamic Relief USA, which operates under Islamic Relief Worldwide, an organization that the State Department has formally condemned for its \u201cwell-documented record of antisemitic attitudes and remarks made by the senior leadership.\u201d This has included praise for Hamas, a U.S. designated terrorist organization. The organization has also been\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/israel\/uk-hamas-funder-to-be-deported\">suspected of funding Hamas<\/a>\u00a0terrorist activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Unsurprisingly, the festival has received backlash from the Jewish community, UPenn students, and alumni. Notably, Rep. Josh Gottheimer\u00a0(D-N.J.) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/gottheimer.house.gov\/posts\/release-gottheimer-calls-on-princeton-university-and-university-of-pennsylvania-to-remove-antisemitic-anti-israel-speakers-and-review-curriculum\">penned a letter\u00a0<\/a>urging his alma mater to disinvite the antisemites.<\/p>\n<p>In response, UPenn President Elizabeth Magill\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sas.upenn.edu\/news\/statement-palestine-writes-literature-festival\">released a statement<\/a>\u00a0condemning antisemitism while simultaneously acknowledging that several of the festival speakers \u201chave a documented and troubling history of engaging in antisemitism.\u201d Even further, Magill privately\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/jewishinsider.com\/2023\/09\/university-of-pennsylvania-palestinian-writes-literature-festival-israel\/\">emailed a trustee<\/a>\u00a0that some of the speakers are \u201cmisaligned with the festival\u2019s stated purpose.\u201d Yet, despite these known concerns, the private university has done nothing to have the antisemitic speakers disinvited from campus.<\/p>\n<p>An event truly designed to celebrate the cultural impact of Palestinian writers and artists would be valuable, just as it is important for a university to be a vehicle for the free exchange of even controversial ideas. But there is a distinction between that and a festival intended to spew antisemitism and hatred under the false guise of a cultural exchange.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>To allow antisemitism to fester thus on a campus is to create a space not conducive for learning, particularly for Jewish students. Education requires students to feel the discomfort of being challenged intellectually, but students should not be paying thousands of dollars a semester to have their protected identity persecuted.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, beyond a moral obligation, universities also have a legal responsibility to protect Jewish students under a still-standing\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www2.ed.gov\/about\/offices\/list\/ocr\/docs\/qa-titleix-anti-semitism-20210119.pdf\">executive order<\/a>\u00a0by President Trump that expanded Title VI to include the most egregious forms of anti-Israel-based antisemitism.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of the law, though, it should trouble taxpayers to know that UPenn is allowing this antisemitic hate-fest to go on while simultaneously receiving nearly\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/research.upenn.edu\/penn-research-by-the-numbers\/\">$800 million a year in public funds<\/a>. Private institutions that engage in programming so antithetical to American values should rightly live in fear of losing public funds.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The truth is, this conference is not just incompatible with U.S. principles but also UPenn\u2019s own <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/oaaeop.upenn.edu\/about\">nondiscrimination policy<\/a>. Like many American universities today, UPenn pride itself on its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives its strict stance against intolerance. Perhaps it should start living up to these ideals instead of treating its Jewish students as second-class citizens, less worthy than others of protection.<\/p>\n<p><em>Alex Blecker is a freelance writer in Atlanta.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a> Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/education\/4213922-why-is-upenn-hosting-a-festival-of-antisemites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This weekend, amid the Jewish high holidays, the\u00a0Palestine Writes Literature Festival\u00a0is being hosted at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania. While this gathering was ostensibly formed to uplift Palestinian creatives and artists, it has faced backlash for its suspect speaker lineup of known antisemites. Most notably, British musician and Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters is set&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":592247,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/04\/ca._upenn100558928-u-penn-gettyp.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[134344,134343,134418,10574,73014,90482,115],"class_list":["post-592246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-administration","tag-campaign","tag-congress-blog","tag-education","tag-health-care","tag-house","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=592246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/592247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=592246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=592246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=592246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}