INTRODUCTION Following are three examples of inexcusable antisemites on campus who were protected under the veil of free speech: Nerdeen Kiswani, the former President and VP of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Founder of Within Our Lifetime (WOL) at CUNY Law and Hunter College, was chosen as a CUNY Law commencement speaker despite being named in a Department 1of Education Title VI complaint alleging antisemitism and threatening to set a black man on fire for wearing an Israeli Defense Force (IDF) sweatshirt. Kiswani was also named StopAntisemitismʼs Antisemite of the Year in 2020 due to her vile Jew hatred. Steven Salaita, a Professor from Washington D.C. who was fired from two teaching positions at different universities because of his long track record of antisemitic social media posts, was invited to the Virginia Tech Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) this past March to take part in its Research Symposium and Exposition. 2Students, staff, and various advocacy groups called on the university to rescind his invitation, but they refused. He was paid a $12,000 speaking fee by the Virginia Tech Student Government Association, a program thatʼs funded by dues paid by the entire student population. This means that Jewish students attending Virginia Tech unwillingly contributed to his platform at the event. Mohammed El-Kurd, a Palestinian activist with a history of antisemitic rhetoric in speeches and on social media, has experienced his fair share of controversies. El-Kurd used his book tour to spew antisemitism on campuses across the country in 2022, including Arizona State University where he received nearly $10,000 in speaking fees. These fees 3were funded by ASUʼs Undergraduate Student Government, which receives money from the student body that pays semesterly dues to the organization as part of their tuition. Yet another example of how a schoolʼs Jewish population is unwillingly paying for hateful speakers. In his speech, El-Kurd spouted antisemitic tropes such as “they (Jews) control the media” as well as joking that “if you heckle me, you will get shot.” 1 2 3 2
Antisemitism on U.S. Campuses | 2022 Report Page 2 Page 4