I’ve been reluctant these past few days to comment on this week’s executive order on antisemitism. I identified with those deeply appreciative of executive efforts towards combating antisemitism on campus, and I identified with those who were troubled by an order applying a definition of race or nation to the Jewish people in a time where the status of “other” is put on us in a highly troubling manner.
I feel ready to speak up now though, having had a few days to think it through, and having had opportunity to read up on the order itself.
What has been made clear to me is that this order does not actually set up Jews as a nationality or race; it allows for protection of Jews under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act which does not explicitly cover religious groups, but which does cover races and nationalities. Were one to look at this executive order in isolation, one could read it as saying that Jews should be classified as a nationality in order to receive government protection. Read with the events of these past two years in mind, one would not be far off in this reading. However, this order should not be viewed through the bubble of this current administration, as it is simply building on executive action taken under the previous administration. Journalist, blogger, and friend Yair Rosenberg writes:
The full text, which was released today, simply echoes Obama era doctrine for protecting Jews under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Because Title VI does not mention discrimination based on religion, it could be interpreted to exclude protection for religious groups like Sikhs, Muslims, Jews, and others. To close this loophole, the Obama administration’s assistant attorney general for civil rights Tom Perez—now the head of the Democratic National Committee—crafted a policy based on prior precedent that stated that these religious groups were nonetheless covered under Title VI’s provisions, despite the language of the act. Basically, the idea was that although these groups might not define themselves as a “nation” or “race,” because racists define them that way and attack them as such, they are protected.
Rosenberg includes text from the current order and from the previous iteration:
* [A first look at the language of Trump’s executive order on antisemitism](https://jewishinsider.com/2019/12/exclusive-a-first-look-at-the-language-of-trumps-executive-order-on-antisemitism/)
(https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/crt/legacy/2011/05/04/090810_AAG_Perez_Letter_to_Ed_OCR_Title%20VI_and_Religiously_Identifiable_Groups.pdf)
It seems to me that there is little that is new here, and what we in fact have is an executive order during a period of intense antisemitism under the guise of Anti-Zionism declaring that the government has a means for protecting the interests of young Jews on campus.
This order generic viagra browse around this circumstance brings about erectile disappointment in men. Some of the foreign viagra india pharmacies that supply medicine by order do not take any kind of medical history like kidney, liver or cardiovascular disorder, then it better to stay away from this medication. It is worth online levitra their drugshop mentioning that this problem affects millions of people worldwide. Some people find lowest price viagra it difficult to sleep after consuming Adderrall or Adderral. I’ll be honest— this is personal. Not only because I’m Jewish, and not only because I am a rabbi with many congregants on college campuses throughout this nation. This is personal because my college experience made the history books as one of the first occurrences of on-campus Anti-Zionist Antisemitic activities. Though I do look fondly on my experiences as an undergrad at York University, there were many moments where we Jews faced an inordinate amount of hostility from the student government and administration. This hostility took the form of angry protests, threatening demonstrations against Israel and Jews, violent comments including one made directly to me from a young man saying “I won’t be happy until I’m dancing on a tank in Jerusalem,” and disruptive efforts to shut down any speaker on Israel-related topics who did not come out as staunchly Anti-Israel. This toxic atmosphere has only been increasing since my days there.
Some argue that this executive order works to stifle free speech. To this, I respond as follows:
- Those spewing antisemitism under the guise of Anti-Zionism are already doing all they can to stifle free speech on campus when it runs counter to their goals.
- Coming from a nation where there are limits on free speech when it comes to issues of hate, I am very much in favor of extending the reasonable limits on free speech in this nation in order to protect threatened minorities and combat hate in the many places it is to be found.
While other actions to protect Jewish college students could have been taken, including passing legislation to extend Title VI to protecting religious groups, I for one am appreciative of this executive order. We need to do whatever we can to create safe spaces for learning for all young people.
For more information, see the following sites:
Anti-Defamation League. “The President’s Executive Order on Anti-Semitism: Frequently Asked Questions.”
Rosenberg, Yair. ”Trump’s Redefinition of Jewish Identity That Wasn’t.”
Burack, Emily. “Why Are Jews Freaking Out About Trump’s Latest Executive Order?“
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