Agudath Israel of America is outraged by the antisemitic commencement address given at the CUNY Law School graduation. The use of a commencement speech on May 12 at the City University of New York (CUNY) Law School to deliver a wild tirade against Israel was an ugly example of the sort of hatred that has been reported on CUNY campuses, as on others, that crosses the line of antisemitism.
Student activist Fatima Mohammed's libels about Israel, characterizing the country's responses to attacks from without and within its territory as indiscriminate murder of innocents and asserting that Israel encourages "lynch mobs," are textbook examples of the vilest sort of propaganda. Equally odious is her accusation that the U.S. government deserves condemnation for its imprisonment of "Palestinian political prisoners" — those convicted of terrorist activities.
We are gratified at the outpouring of outrage over Ms. Mohammed's slander from public officials. And we hope that the exposure of this recent expression of hate to the light of day will serve to advance the cause of truth and peace.
Sadly, the CUNY campus has become a breeding ground for antisemitism, hate, and bigotry aimed at Israel and Jewish students. That CUNY Law School adopted the antisemitic BDS as a policy is indicative that these are not merely the opinions of one student but a deeper problem that CUNY needs to address. Agudath Israel calls on CUNY to denounce Ms. Mohammed's hateful screed and to commit to creating a safe environment for its Jewish students
In a related matter, the Agudah responded to the release of the National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism.
Agudath Israel of America congratulates the Biden Administration in the wake of the release of its National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism. It is a historic, comprehensive, "all-of-government," initiative that seeks to fight Jew-hatred and its various ugly manifestations. Equally important, it sends a clear message that the United States - in its fundamental values, laws, and policies - finds antisemitism an unmitigated evil that is repugnant and intolerable and must be rooted out of the mindset and actions of American society.
As we approach the Jewish holiday of Shavuos, there is little time to review in detail all the pillars of the strategy, and we will have to delay that analysis until after the festival. We are pleased to note, however, that in it many Agudath Israel priorities are addressed - boosting the security of our people and institutions; the teaching of the Holocaust and its hate-filled horrors; combating antisemitic discrimination and violence, so much of which is directed toward the Orthodox Jewish community; accommodating Jewish and other religious needs in federal programs run by the USDA, HHS, ED and other agencies; and many other areas in which we have worked for decades.
