P E N E T R AT I N G T HE C AMPUS : U N D E R S TA N D IN G HOW A N TI -WE S TER N BIA S ES RE LATE

TO A N TI-S EM IT ISM AN D A NT I-IS R AE LIS M

A RYE H WE IN BE RG IN ST ITU TE F OR JE W ISH & COM MU NIT Y R ES EA R CH

INTRODUCTION

heInstituteforJewish&Community Research(IJCR)hasdocumentedadisturb ingriseinantiSemitismandantiIsraelism withinAmericancollegesanduniversities.1 Atthe sametime,aseriesoffacultystudiesfieldedby IJCRrevealedaleftwardslantedpoliticalspec trumwithinacademiathatincludecriticalviews oftheWest.2 Thesetwotrendsarenotunrelated. Amongthehundredsofexamplesofanti SemitismandantiIsraelismcollectedbythe Institute,manyincorporatecorecriticismsofthe Westthatareembracedbyasignificantpercent ageoffacultyandholdtractiononcampus. AntiSemitismandantiIsraelismoncampusoften usesthelanguageofresistanceagainstWestern powerandisembeddedwithinalooselydefined setofideologiesthatinclude,butarenotlimited to,antiAmericanism,oppositiontofreemarkets anddistrustofbusiness.Inthisframework,Israel isviewedasanextensionofWesternneocolo nialismandJewsastheepitomeoftheoppres sivepowerfulelite.Themischaracterizationof IsraelasacolonizingapartheidnationandJewsas powerfulwhiteoppressorshasframedthemas

primaryantagonistsinthegreaterconflict betweentheWestandtherest.Previously unacceptableantiJewishandantiIsraelsenti mentisthenrepackagedandreintroducedina morepalatableformbyleaningheavilyupon moreacceptableexpressionsofdiscontent againsttheWest. Thisresearchprovidesanexploratorylookatthe relationshipbetweencriticalviewsoftheWest andnegativeviewsofJewsandIsrael.Thefind ingspresentedinthisreportrevealconsistentand significantdifferencesthatshedlightontherela tionshipbetweenexistingcriticismsofAmerica, capitalismandbusiness,andrisingantiIsraeland antiSemiticviews.Inmanyways,antiJewish rhetorichasmovedawayfromtheJewasthe subversiveoutsiderandtowardavisionofthe Jewastheoppressiveinsider.Itreflectsthe undercurrentofanimositytowardpower,hege mony,militarismandcapitalismthatflourisheson campus.Manyquestionsremain,butthefindings confirmthatantiWestideologiesexhibitaninti materelationshipwithantiSemitismandanti Israelism.

1. Tobin,GaryA.andAryehWeinberg. TheUnCivilUniversity:IntoleranceonCollegeCampuses.RevisedEdition. SanFrancisco:InstituteforJewish&CommunityResearch,2009 andAloneontheQuad:UnderstandingJewish IsolationonCampus. InstituteforJewishandCommunityResearch,2011 2. Tobin,GaryA.andAryehWeinberg.ProfilesoftheAmericanUniversity/VolumeI:PoliticalBeliefs&Behaviorof CollegeFaculty.SanFrancisco:InstituteforJewish&CommunityResearch,2006

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METHODOLOGY

hisresearchexplorestherelationship betweenthesuiteofexistingbiasesoncam pusthatincludeantiAmericanism,opposi tiontofreemarketsanddistrustofbusiness,and negativeattitudestowardsIsraelandJews.Using datafromanIJCRnationalsurveyofover1400col legestudentsfieldedin20102011,asimpletestis performedusingbivariatemodelsthatsplitstu dentsintothosewhoaremoreandlesscriticalof America,capitalismandbusiness.Thehypothesis positsthatthosewhoaremorecriticalwillbe morelikelytoembracenegativeviewsofJewsand Israel. Thefollowingproxyindicatorswereusedtodivide studentsbasedupontheirlevelofcriticismof America,capitalismandbusiness: AntiAmericanIndicator IfAmericawerefairerinitsdealingwiththe internationalcommunity,fewercountrieswould behostiletowardAmerica. AntiBusinessIndicator Businesspeopletendtobelessmoralandethical thanothers. AntiCapitalismIndicator Capitalisteconomiesareunfair.

Thepurposeofthesequestionsistodividestu dentsintogroupsthatrepresenthigherandlower levelsofcriticismagainstAmerica,capitalismand business.Thelabelsusedhereandinthefollowing charts(antiAmerican,anticapitalistandantibusi ness)areusedforbrevityandsimplicity.Students who,forexample,answeredthatAmericawould facelesshostilityifitwerefairerinitsdealings withothercountriesarenotnecessarilyanti American,butdoaccuratelyportrayamorecritical stancetowardsAmerica.Likewise,studentswho aremorecriticalofcapitalismandbusinessarenot necessarilyanticapitalistorantibusiness. ThefollowingquestionsonJewsandIsraelwere testedagainsttheindicatorsabove: AntiJewishIndicator JewswieldtoomuchpowerintheUnitedStates. AntiIsraelIndicators IsraelstreatmentofthePalestiniansissimilarto SouthAfricanApartheid. Israelsfoundingideology,Zionismisgroundedin racism. IsraelisacolonizingnationbecausePalestinians continuetobedisposedoftheirland.

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F IN DI NG S: A N T I - A M E R I C A N I S M
heaffinityfortheunderdogandskepticism ofpowerthatisprevalentinacademia todaypaintstheWest,andinparticular America,inanunflatteringlight.3 Americaisthe worldssolehegemonicpower.Itdominatescul turally,politically,economicallyandmilitarily.As such,itisaprimetargetofcriticismoncampus. Studentswereaskedtoagreeordisagreewiththe followingstatement:IfAmericaweremorefairin itsdealingswiththeinternationalcommunity, fewercountrieswouldbehostiletoward America.Overall,65%ofstudentsagreedand 35%disagreed. Amongthosewhoagreed,indicatingamorecriti calviewofAmerica,13.7%believeJewshavetoo muchpowerintheUnitedStatescomparedto 7.6%ofthoselesscritical.AntiJewishsentiment isnearlytwiceashighamongthosestudentswho aremorecriticalofAmerica.

Asimilartrendappearswhenlookingatsomeof themoreextremeantiIsraelindicators.Those studentswhoaremorecriticalofAmericaare over2.5timesaslikelytoseeIsraelasacoloniz ingnation,50%morelikelytobelieveZionism= Racism,andovertwiceaslikelytoagreethat Israelpracticesapartheid. Americascloseeconomic,culturalandsecurity relationshipwithIsraelhasmadetheintegration ofantiAmericanismandantiIsraelismparticularly easy.AnimositytowardAmericashiftstoIsraelas itisperceivedaseitheranextensionofAmerican powerandbellicosity,orworse,aspullingthe stringsofAmericanpolicy.Thislineofreasoning bridgesthedividebetweenantiIsraelandanti Semiticattitudes,leadingtoaccusationsofJewish controloverAmerica.Asaresult,theAmerican Jewishcommunitybecomesatargetofanimosity towardAmericaandIsrael,chargedwithaffecting AmericanforeignpolicyforJewishinterests.

3. SeeSowell,Thomas,InsideAmericanEducation:TheDecline,TheDeception,TheDogmas,NewYork:FreePress, 1993andA.Wolfe,AntiAmericanStudies,NewRepublic,February10,2003/(TobinandWeinberg,2006)

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F IN DI N GS : A N T I - C A P I TA L I S M
heinsulationofthecampusandtheleft wardtiltedpoliticalspectrumthatcharac terizestheuniversityenvironment4 fostersa highlevelofcriticismofcapitalism.Oncampus, manyfacultyandstudentsarguetheinherentevil ofthefreemarketwhileentertainingtheideals ofsocialismandcommunism.Despitethesuffer ingthatcommunismcaused,oncampusitiscapi talismthatcanbeadirtyword. Studentswereaskedtoagreeordisagreewith thefollowingstatement:Capitalisteconomies areunfair.Overall,39.7%agreedwiththestate mentand60.3%disagreed. Morethantwiceasmanystudentswithcritical viewsofcapitalismagreethatJewshavetoo

muchpowerintheUnitedStateswhencompared tostudentswithpositiveviewsofcapitalism. Studentswhoarecriticalofcapitalismareover 70%morelikelytoagreethatIsraelisacolonizing nation,80%morelikelytoagreethatZionism= Racism,andmorethantwiceaslikelytoagree thatIsraelpracticesapartheidwhencomparedto studentswithmorepositiveviewsofcapitalism. PerceptionsofJewishfinancialsuccessandIsraeli achievements,insteadofbeingviewedasmerit basedsuccess,canberegardedasthequintes senceofcapitalistexploitationandinequity. Jews,caricaturedastheultimatecapitalists, becometargetsofhostilityamongthosewho perceivecapitalismasinherentlyunfair.

4. SeeGross,NeilandSolonSimmons,TheSocialandPoliticalViewsofAmericanProfessors,HarvardWorking Paper,September24,2007/Klein,DanielandCharlottaStern,"ProfessorsandTheirPolitics:ThePolicyViewsof SocialScientists,"CriticalReview,vol.17(2005),nos.34,237/Cardiff,ChristopherF.andDanielB.Klein,"Faculty PartisanAffiliationsinAllDisciplines[at11Californiauniversities]:AVoterRegistrationStudy,"CriticalReview, vol.17(2005),nos.34,257

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F IN DI N GS : A N T I - B U S I N E S S
tridentcriticismandevenhostilitytoward businesspeopleandcorporationsisclosely relatedtoanticapitalismandisexhibitedin manydifferentforumsoncampus.Afrequent sightatanycampusprotest,regardlessofthe cause,istheAdbustersflag,analtered Americanflagwiththestarsreplacedwiththe logosofvariousbusinesses.Theimplicationis thatcorporationscontrolAmerica. Despitethestrongtiesmostuniversitieshaveto bigbusiness,corporationsareoftenthesacrificial lambofthebroaderhostilitytowardcapitalism. Negativeviewsofbusinessarenotrelegatedto largecorporations,asmorethan25%ofstudents regardbusinesspeopleasfundamentallylesseth icalthanothers. Studentswereaskedtoagreeordisagreewith thefollowingstatement:Businesspeopletendto belessmoralandethicalthanotherpeople. Overall,26.4%agreedand73.6%disagreed.

Amongthosewhobelievebusinesspeopleare lessmoreandethicalthanothers,16.2%believe JewshavetoomuchpowerintheUnitedStates versus10%ofthosewhodisagree,anincreaseof over60%. AllthreeindicatorsofhostilitytowardIsraelshow markeddifferences.Studentsareovertwiceas likelytobrandIsraelacolonizeriftheyholdnega tiveviewsofbusinesspeople,nearly75%more likelytoagreeZionism=Racismand60%more likelytobelieveIsraelpracticesapartheid. Traditionalantisemiticstereotypesthatpainta portraitofJewishbusinesspeopleasgreedyor shady5 havemadethelinkagebetweenantibusi nesssentimentsoncampusandattitudestoward Jewsstraightforward.AtantiIsraelrallies,asimi larAdbustersflagcanbefoundalteredtoinclude theStarofDavidamongcorporatelogos.The implicationisthatJews,throughcorporate power,controlAmerica.

5.KaplanEdwardH.andCharlesA.Small,"AntiIsraelSentimentPredictsAntiSemitisminEurope,"Journalof ConflictResolution,Vol.50,No.4,August2006/"ADLPollFindsAntiSemiticAttitudesonRiseinAmerica," AntiDefamationLeaguePressRelease,November3,2011/Michael,Robert,AConciseHistoryofAmerican Antisemitism,Oxford,Rowman&Littlefield,2005

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CONCLUSION
AntiSemitismandantiIsraelismoncampusdo notexistinavacuum.Theyareintimatelytiedto existingcampusideologiesandmovements.The findingsofthisresearchconfirmthatcriticalviews ofAmerica,capitalismandbusinesscorrelatewith negativeviewsofJewsandIsrael.Thesefindings underscorethatantiSemitismandantiIsraelism oncampusarenotjustJewishissues.Thoughcon demnableontheirown,theyareanintegralpart ofalargersetofbiasesoncampus. Thepresenceandacceptanceofbiaswithinhigh ereducationopensthedoortotheintroduction ofmorenefariousprejudice.AntiAmerican,anti capitalistandantibusinessattitudesdonotrepre sentbigotryperse,buttheydorepresentalevel oftoleranceforsimplisticscapegoatingthatcan morphintomoredangerousforms.AntiSemitism andantiIsraelismhavegainedaccesstothecam pus,inpart,throughexploitingthisweakness. Thisresearchprovidesevidencefortheexistence oftherelationship,howeveritprovidesonlypart ofamuchlargerpicture.Contemporaryanti Semitism,exemplifiedoncampus,isunfamiliar andoftenlooksdifferentfromclassicformsof antiSemitism.Oneofthemostperplexingaspects ofantiSemitismtodayisthatitscontemporary expressionoccurswithingroupsandmovements thatpreviouslystoodinoppositiontotraditional antiSemitism.WhereastraditionalantiSemitism haslargelybeenseenashavingflourishedamong thereligiousrightandamonguneducated,insular communities,todayantiSemitismisalsofoundin verydifferentenvironments.Modernanti Semitismisexpressedwithinleftistmovements andexhibitedinsomeofthemostopenandintel lectuallyadvancedforumsintheworld:theuni versitycampus.Deconstructingcampusanti Semitismiskeytounderstandingnewerexpres sionsofantiSemitism.Existingmeasuresofanti Semitismremainstuckinthepast,incapableof accuratelycapturingitsriseoncampusand beyond. Moreextensiveanddetailedanalysisisneededto betterunderstandthenatureoftherelationship betweenantiWesternattitudesandbothanti SemitismandantiIsraelism.Thiseffortisneeded notsimplytodefendtheJewishcommunity,but rathertosupportthecoreidealsof theuniversity. AntiSemitismandantiIsraelismaresymptomsof adeepermalaiseafflictingtheuniversityandthe implicationsrangewellbeyondtheJewishcom munity.MakingthiscasetothewiderAmerican populationisanessentialpartofreversingthe trajectoryofthecampusandreinstitutingthe socialnormsagainstantiSemitism.

TheInstituteforJewish&Community Research(IJCR)isanindependent,non partisanthinktankthatprovidesinno vativeresearchandpragmaticpolicy analysisonabroadrangeofissues includingracialandreligiousidentity, philanthropy,andantiSemitism.

Formoreinformationcontact: AryehWeinberg,ResearchDirector InstituteforJewish& CommunityResearch 415.386.2604 www.JewishResearch.org

2012Allrightsreserved.InstituteforJewish&CommunityResearch I N STI T UTE F O R J E WI SH & C O MM U NI T Y R E SE AR C H WWW. J E WI SH RE S E AR C H. O RG