[Marxism] UC-Santa Barbara faculty member goes public about ADL pressure

["Cesar \"El Che\" Rodriguez" <elche48@xxxxxxxxx>]

Begin forwarded message:

> UC-Santa Barbara faculty member goes public about ADL pressure
>
> History professor attended meeting where Abraham Foxman pushed UCSB  
> to act against sociology professor
>
> Date: May 2, 2009
> Contact: Daniel Olmos, (818) 468-8894, olmos@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>               Alba Peña-Leon, (626) 665-9212, alba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
> SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Harold Marcuse, associate professor of  
> history at the University of California at Santa Barbara, said he  
> attended a March 9 meeting on campus where Anti-Defamation League  
> National Director Abraham Foxman pressured university officials to  
> investigate charges of “anti-Semitism” against sociology professor  
> William I. Robinson.
>
> Marcuse said Foxman discussed the charges against Robinson for  
> nearly an hour with about a dozen faculty members and university  
> officials, including Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Michael  
> Young and the executive dean of the College of Letters and Science,  
> David B. Marshall.
>
> “When the meeting started, Foxman quickly launched into what I would  
> call a rant about what he said was an anti-Semitic email that  
> professor Robinson sent to his class,” Marcuse said. “We then had an  
> open discussion about Foxman’s comments and the charges against  
> Robinson. In my recollection, that was the only thing we talked  
> about at the meeting. Nothing else was discussed.”
>
> Marcuse said the meeting lasted about an hour, from 11:30 a.m. to  
> 12:30 p.m.
>
> During Foxman’s presentation and the ensuing discussion, Foxman  
> demanded that Robinson be investigated for introducing materials  
> critical of Israeli state policies in a course on globalization in  
> January.
>
> The materials included a photo essay that Robinson forwarded to  
> students from the Internet and that had been circulating in the  
> public realm. The photos juxtaposed images of Israeli treatment of  
> Palestinians during the recent military invasion of Gaza with Nazi  
> abuses during the holocaust. Two students took offense at the images  
> and withdrew from the course, prompting the Anti-Defamation League  
> to pressure the university to investigate Robinson for “anti- 
> Semitism.”
>
> Cynthia Silverman, director of the ADL’s Santa Barbara office,  
> accompanied Foxman to the meeting on campus.
>
> Marcuse said the meeting was organized by Leonard Wallock, associate  
> director of the Walter Capps Center for the Study of Ethics,  
> Religion, and Public Life. Wallock sent an e-mail invitation to  
> Marcuse on Feb. 24 to attend a luncheon with Foxman, although  
> Wallock didn’t mention any specific agenda items in his e-mail.
>
> When the meeting began, religious studies professor and Capps board  
> member Richard Hecht introduced Foxman. Hecht said Foxman was there  
> to discuss the situation of Jewish students on campus, at which  
> point Foxman launched into his “rant” about the Robinson email,  
> Marcuse said.
>
> At one point, Foxman apparently thought Michael Young was the  
> university chancellor, Henry Yang.
>
> “Foxman was talking directly to Young, chastising him that he should  
> have been reprimanding Robinson,” Marcuse said. “Young had to  
> clarify that he was not the chancellor and that he had nothing to do  
> with overseeing faculty.”
>
> When the meeting was opened to discussion, a number of faculty  
> members intervened. “One professor rose in support of Foxman,”  
> Marcuse said. “He was vehemently on Foxman’s side.”
>
> Marcuse intervened to say that he could envision using an e-mail  
> like the one sent by Robinson in his own courses to examine  
> similarities and differences between Nazi policy in occupied Poland  
> and Israeli policies in Gaza.
>
> Eventually, Hecht intervened because it appeared Foxman was  
> chastising the attendees for doing nothing about Robinson, Marcuse  
> said.
>
> “Hecht said not to blame the faculty members or Young because the  
> incident was being handled through normal channels,” Marcuse said.  
> “That’s when the meeting broke up.”
>
> Marcuse’s statements contrast with the official university response  
> to press inquiries about the Foxman meeting.
>
> University spokesman Paul Desruisseaux told the Chronicle of Higher  
> Education that David Marshall intervened in the meeting to say an  
> investigation was already underway in response to two students’  
> complaints, and that it would be inappropriate to continue to  
> discuss the Robinson case. At that point, Desruisseaux said Marshall  
> ended discussion of the subject.
>
> Marcuse said many, if not most, of the meeting participants appeared  
> to have no knowledge of the Robinson incident prior to the event.
>
> Marcuse also said he didn’t recall anybody at the meeting stating  
> that it was “inappropriate” to discuss the Robinson case.
>
> “There was quite a bit of discussion and exchange of ideas,” Marcuse  
> said. “One colleague rose in staunch support of Foxman, I made my  
> comments, and so did many others. It went on for awhile.”
>
> It’s unclear if Foxman’s pressure had any impact on university  
> officials. However, the Academic Senate has opened a formal  
> investigation of the charges against Robinson.
>
> For more information about the Robinson case, visit the Committee to  
> Defend Academic Freedom Web site at www.sb4af.wordpress.com.

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