Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.
Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.
Claudine Gay and Liz Magill were recently forced to resign for letting students use slogans like “globalize the intifada” and “from river to sea” on campus. Are such slogans antisemitic? Antisemitic refers to “prejudice, discrimination, or hostility directed against Jewish people.”
The term “intifada” has come to symbolize popular resistance and expressions of Palestinian grievances against Israeli policies, not Jews. Likewise, the second controversial slogan “river to sea” is used by proponents of a one-state solution that would include both Israel and the Palestinian territories, with equal rights for all citizens, regardless of their ethnicity or religion.
To interpret these slogans used in antiwar protests as antisemitic is incorrect. Students should be allowed to criticize the state of Israel, without being labeled as “haters” of Jewish people.
Alex Shah
Kailua-Kona
EXPRESS YOURSELF
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser welcomes all opinions. Want your voice to be heard? Submit a letter to the editor.
>> Write us: We welcome letters up to 150 words, and guest columns of 500-600 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Include your name, address and daytime phone number.
>> Mail: Letters to the Editor, Honolulu Star-Advertiser 7 Waterfront Plaza, 500 Ala Moana, Suite #7-500 Honolulu, HI 96813
>> Contact: 529-4831 (phone), letters@staradvertiser.com, staradvertiser.com/editorial/submit-letter