(Jewish Group) University professors' organization misunderstands the nature of antisemitism
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is among the most respected and influential college and university teachers’ organizations in the U.S. Founded in 1915, the AAUP’s stated mission is “to advance academic freedom [and] define fundamental professional values and standards for higher education.”
It is therefore disheartening that the organization has badly failed to comprehend the nature of antisemitism, which, as just reported by CNN, is a growing problem on many campuses.
A new “policy document” by the AAUP’s Committee on Academic Freedom acknowledges the “threat of antisemitism” in a perfunctory half-sentence and then spends two full pages – half its length – explaining it away.
The report, published in the AAUP’s 2022 Summer Bulletin, addresses the “Legislative Threats to Academic Freedom” found in recent statutes, mostly in red states, restricting subject matter and mandating approaches to history instruction in public schools from kindergarten through college. The opening section of the document is devoted to the committee’s rejection of a Florida statute that codifies the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, imposing financial penalties on school districts and institutions whose practices are found out of compliance.
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No surprises here. Yet another attempt to "intellectualize" anti-Semitism in a way that makes it palatable and allows those who aren't Jews to define what is and isn't anti-Semitism.