When the VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion invited me to attend the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education – NCORE I was not sure if I should attend. I looked through programs from past conferences and noticed that the Jewish community was seldom if ever a topic of discussion. This knowledge coupled with the anti-zionism that has become all too prevalent in DEI spaces gave me great pause.
The more I thought about it, the more I decided that uncomfortable as it was, I had an obligation to attend. Surely after a year of protests and demonstrations, of encampments and heightened antisemitism, there would be sessions that spoke to the very real challenges the Chapman community was facing.
As the conference drew near, I received a list of options for this year’s conference. As I read through session titles and descriptions, I made the painful decision to keep my kipa at home, fearing that I would be unsafe if I wore it. I wasn’t wrong.
I was glad that there were sessions about the Palestinian experience, about how to support MENA college students, and about the harmful rhetoric on college campuses.
I was not happy however, that the person representing the Jewish community was Tim Wise, an anti-Zionist Jew who spent several minutes of his talk listing off statements in which a few prominent Zionist thinkers dehumanized the Palestinian population, and making the claim that these statements prove that Zionism is inherently racist. He never defined what Zionism meant, or picked up on the irony that he continually dehumanized Zionists throughout this talk, labeling us as immoral, uneducated, racist, or as sheep willing to support the Israeli government no matter what. He claimed that Zionists automatically called anyone who criticized the state an antisemite, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, including the many protests of hundreds of thousands of Israelis over the past year and a half. As the Jewish speaker with the largest audience at the conference, he used his platform to further anti-Zionism, and demonize Zionists, even making the point that Zionists were the enemy of DEI. Worse still, he received a standing ovation.
As the conference continued, I attended sessions where comments against Zionism were thrown in, despite being off topic. I watched people on the main stage put on keffiyahs, and talk about the equivalence of the Palestinian people and the people of Hawaii, both of whom, they argued, were the victims of “colonizers.” Statements were made in support of the Palestinian people in their ethnic homeland, without any acknowledgment that Israel is the ethnic homeland of the Jewish people as well.
The worst experience I had took place on Friday afternoon. I attended a session with Naomi Greenspan about the history of antisemitism, and why the Jewish community must be a part of DEI discussions. She was a knowledgeable, patient, and thoughtful presenter, willing to answer hard questions from people in her room and keeping her calm even when others did not. After an hour and a half of her session, a Jewish professional stood up to talk about the antisemitism she had experienced at the conference. For the first time at this conference, she felt safe enough to do so. She mentioned a session she had attended in which the presenter talked about Jewish power and control of the government, through institutions such as AIPAC. The Jewish woman pointed out the antisemitic tropes in that argument and how it affected her. Just then, there was a commotion at the back of the room. The presenter from the session that spoke about AIPAC had walked in. This presenter began attacking the Jewish woman, calling her a liar, but then going on to make the repeated claim that Jews and AIPAC own the government. Security came to calm the situation to no avail.
One person in the room accused a man of calling her a terrorist, when he had said nothing at all. Others came in screaming that Jews are colonizers, oppressors, and Nazis. One looked around at every Jew in the room and called each of us members of the “KKK.” Security closed the doors, and refused to let anyone in or out, as people on the inside of the room called their friends to further intimidate the Jewish community.
Once the situation was under control, with great skill Naomi continued her conversation, all the while receiving combative questions. After this session, I sat with members of the Jewish community processing what had transpired. Then I left. I had had enough.
In the days that followed, I reached out to leaders of NCORE to share my experiences. That is where this story takes a turn. The leaders of NCORE are some of the kindest, most thoughtful people I have met. They took a couple of hours to meet with me, attentively hearing everything I had to say, asking what I felt contributed to the hostile atmosphere at the conference.
I was straight forward with them about all my criticisms. They not only took notes, and apologized but asked me for advice about future speakers, and asked me to work with them as they create future conferences and programs.
My experience at NCORE was challenging and difficult, but I am actually glad that I went. It allowed me to hear what others are hearing, and gave me the space to be a true advocate for the Jewish community within this space.
The leaders of NCORE hadn’t been prepared for the hostility that would be present at the conference, but were eager to learn more about anti-semitism, and to do the hard work to one day create a conference in which everyone is welcome.
I believe more than ever that we as Jews cannot divorce ourselves from DEI spaces, even when they are hostile. We must be present, because the Jewish community, like any minority group, deserves to be safe, protected and heard.
Rabbi Cassi Kail 