The Bud Shorstein Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Florida condemns the recent escalation of antisemitic rhetoric and antisemitic crimes.
We recognize with sadness UF student and faculty reports of distress, tensions, and intimidation on campus. We welcome civil conversation, but we note with consternation that anti-Israel rhetoric as seen in the national press, in social media, and on college campuses has been rife with incendiary falsehoods, conspiracy theories, and misinformation including charges of genocide by Israel and apologias for the terrorist organization Hamas. Calls for the end of the Israeli state itself have been common. Centuries-old antisemitic fictions and denunciations have also been tossed about concerning undue Jewish influence on governments and public opinion.
We know from the past that falsehoods such as these have led to violence against Jews and Jewish institutions. Recent incidents, including in the state of Florida, have ranged from vandalism of Jewish homes and communal centers to verbal intimidation, physical assault, and murder.
On our campus, Jewish faculty, students, and community members have repeatedly conveyed anxiety. We are struck by their fear of being attacked for speaking against antisemitism. Students and faculty specializing in Jewish themes should teach, publish, and speak without fear of retribution. Jewish students at the University of Florida are entitled to function in an environment as safe as that for any other student. We encourage the University of Florida community to eschew simplistic explanations for this conflict and to exercise understanding and thought that befits a major research university.
* For an up-to-date list of antisemitic incidents see the website of the Anti-Defamation League, https://www.adl.org/. See also most recent FBI hate crime statistics from 2019 in which anti-Jewish incidents made up 953 of 1,521 religious-based incidents. https://ucr.fbi.gov/hate-crime/2019/topic-pages/tables/table-1.xls