Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth has come under fire after a disastrous antisemitism hearing in front of Congress.The MIT governing board reiterated its support for Kornbluth:
The MIT Corporation chose Sally to be our president for her excellent academic leadership, her judgment, her integrity, her moral compass, and her ability to unite our community around MIT’s core values. She has done excellent work in leading our community, including in addressing antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate, all of which we reject utterly at MIT. She has our full and unreserved support.
I guess it does not matter that Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) dragged Kornbluth, who is Jewish, for trying to water down unmistakable antisemitic chants and phrases heard on the MIT campus:
Congresswoman Stefanik: Dr. Kornbluth, at MIT, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate MIT’s code of conduct or rules regarding bullying and harassment? Yes or no?President Kornbluth: If targeted at individuals not making public statements.Congresswoman Stefanik: Yes or no, calling for the genocide of Jews does not constitute bullying and harassment?President Kornbluth: I have not heard calling for the genocide for Jews on our campus.Congresswoman Stefanik: But you’ve heard chants for Intifada.President Kornbluth: I’ve heard chants which can be antisemitic depending on the context when calling for the elimination of the Jewish people.Congresswoman Stefanik: So those would not be, according to the MIT’s code of conduct or rules.President Kornbluth: That would be investigated as harassment if pervasive and severe.
You cannot twist “Intifada.” Context does not exist when it comes to “Intifada.” Using the word “context” in the answer is stupid.
Intifada means “uprising” or “shaking off.” The Arabs and other antisemitics use the word “to describe periods of intense Palestinian protest against Israel, mainly in the form of violent terrorism.”
The First Intifada took place from 1987-1990. The Second Intifada took place from 2000-2005.
“Globalize the Intifada” literally means unite people around the world against Israel.
Intifada is always antisemitic.
Kornbluth, along with the other two presidents, tried to clarify their damning remarks. They tried to hide behind the Constitution and free speech because we all know how they love to apply that to conservatives on their campus.
Antisemitic speech, like all hate speech, is protected by the First Amendment.
But when you violate another person’s rights protected by the Constitution…you can no longer hide behind it.
Also, last time I checked, Harvard, UPenn, and MIT are not public schools. They are private schools.
Nowhere in Kornbluth’s supposed “clarification” does she even bother to single out the Jew haters who literally call for people to eliminate Jews and Israel.
Kornbluth’s statement is hogwash, empty of any substance.
Kornbluth does not condemn the antisemitism shouted all over her campus. Instead, it’s about feels and coming together. Let’s gather around the bonfire and sing Kumbaya:
I also hope we can all reflect on a remarkable letter circulated by a group of faculty, already co-signed by hundreds across MIT. It says in part:
Despite these tragedies, we can model the kind of future we wish for ourselves and our students. We must maintain and strengthen the bonds of friendship and collegiality that cut across political, ethnic, and religious differences, especially in the face of the rising tides of violence and hatred abroad and on university campuses. Our fate here at MIT can and must be different. Through living and working together we can become wiser and more compassionate.
I share this sentiment entirely. I hope you will join with me in standing up against hate of any kind, anywhere, but especially within our own community – and in reaching out to anyone who may be struggling with the burden of recent events. After these past weeks, I know many of you are exhausted and hurting. We have to make room for each other, in our hearts and in our daily lives. We cannot and must not let events in the world drive us apart, or erode our respect for each other’s humanity, or thwart the great mission we’re here to pursue together.
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