POV: The Price of Silence: How BU Is Failing Its Jewish Students
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POV: The Price of Silence: How BU Is Failing Its Jewish Students
ENG student writes of feeling pride for her Judaism, and fear for her safety
Last month’s vandalism of a window at Boston University Hillel, my safe space, sent a wave of fear through me. This hateful act struck at the heart of my community, defacing a place of worship and peace. The Suffolk County DA and BUPD acted swiftly, but the graffiti, “Free Palestine,” overlaying the Israeli flag, left an indelible mark. This shouldn’t have scared me; after all, BU’s Dean of Students Office has claimed, “Our university does not stand for discrimination of any kind.” However, in the face of blatant Jewish hatred on our campus, this statement clearly excludes Jews.
As a Jewish student, I do not feel safe at Boston University. I no longer feel safe wearing my Magen David necklace with the same confidence I previously had. Instead, I find myself tucking it into my sweater in attempts to hide my Judaism. I am stuck in a dichotomy between feeling proud of being Jewish and the distressing reality of witnessing frequent incidents targeting Jewish students on campuses across America. Today, I have the misfortune of watching hate right before my eyes, not in Israel, not in Gaza, but on this very campus.
Growing up in a predominantly Jewish South Florida community, antisemitism was solely a historical concept, not something I ever expected to personally experience. The Mawza Exile, the Spanish Inquisition, the Holocaust—all means of hateful, violent expulsion of Jews—were merely historical textbook lessons. As I read the firsthand accounts of survivors and studied the horrific events that terrorized, displaced and killed Jews, I struggled to understand how people could be so hateful.
I chose Boston University due to the diversity I felt I lacked exposure to growing up. I wanted to be part of a community that embraced a breadth of cultures and unique perspectives. With 0.2 percent of the world’s population identifying as Jewish, I supposed that the remaining 99.8 percent of the world, or at least the students at BU, would embrace my culture and people. In light of this, Boston University, an acclaimed institution with an award-winning Hillel and a 23 percent Jewish undergraduate student population, appeared to be the right place to pursue my education.
My focus this semester should be on academics, but instead, it has drifted to BU administrators’ lack of support for Jewish students, leaders of multiple elite institutions testifying before Congress that antisemitism’s acceptability is dependent on context, hateful signage across BU’s own campus reading, “From the river to the sea,” shouts from students calling us “colonizers” and “occupiers” and BU students ripping down hostage posters on camera. New York University recently suspended and rescinded the scholarship of a first-year student for tearing down posters of kidnapped Israelis, stating that her actions “violated the University Student Conduct Policy…as well as its Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment policies.” What is BU waiting for? I am disappointed to find myself fighting antisemitism without the support of University leaders. Their silence is deafening.
BU has previously taken action in response to hateful uprisings; in 2020, Boston University launched its Center for Antiracist Research, whose mission is “to build an antiracist society that ensures racial equity and social justice.” How can we leave antisemitism out of the equation? Why doesn’t the center’s mission statement include protection for its Jewish students? I call upon BU Diversity & Inclusion to include Jewish students and faculty in their activism and protective policies.
Universities’ hesitation to condemn the actions of antisemitic students has been protected under the umbrella of “free speech.” Testifying before a Congressional panel last week, Harvard President Claudine Gay was asked whether hateful speech at Harvard demonstrations that included the phrases “Intifada, revolution,” and “Globalize the intifada” were against the University’s Code of Conduct. Gay responded by saying, “We embrace a commitment to free expression even of views that are objectionable, offensive, hateful—it’s when that speech crosses into conduct that violates our policies against bullying, harassment, intimidation…”
What constitutes conduct? Is it not calling for the Intifada, the genocide of the Jews? At least Stanford has stated that calling for the genocide of Jews “would clearly violate [their] Fundamental Standard, the code of conduct for all students at the university.” Is BU waiting for a Jewish student to be physically attacked to take action?
I call upon Boston University to stand up to Jewish hate. During the annual celebration of Chanukah, we are told to bring light to our families, our friends, and our communities. On this Chanukah, however, the light of Jews everywhere is darkened by the shadow of antisemitism. When lighting the Chanukah menorah each night and spreading the flame with the shamash, the “helper” candle, the Jews burn brighter, but not hotter. As hate increases, our Jewish pride grows stronger, but never will we retaliate in hate, violence, or by vandalizing BU property. Esteemed BU alumnus Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (GRS’55, Hon.’59) explains, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.” Our plea is for Boston University’s administration to follow Dr. King’s call, to follow our call. Help us bring light to this darkness, for we cannot do it alone.
“POV” is an opinion page that provides timely commentaries from students, faculty, and staff on a variety of issues: on-campus, local, state, national, or international. Anyone interested in submitting a piece, which should be about 700 words long, should contact John O’Rourke at orourkej@bu.edu. BU Today reserves the right to reject or edit submissions. The views expressed are solely those of the author and are not intended to represent the views of Boston University.
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