More anti-antisemitism as fig leaf

Wesleyan President Michael Roth offers the latest "Trump is using Jews and it will end badly" take. He highlights the White House "Shalom ____" tweets ("Shalom Khalil," "Shalom Columbia," whatever) and the large dose of sarcasm in which Jews should not find comfort. And he calls out the ADL for losing sight of its mission in defending Musk's Nazi salute and in only belatedly (and under pressure) supporting due process for Khalil.

Roth makes one interesting move--highlighting why Jews are safe at Wesleyan (my kid feels perfectly at home) and why the "situation was different at Columbia. Protests became violent (both in the actions of the participants and those of the police who were called in to quell them). Tensions between supporters of Palestinians and Israelis were at times extreme." He highlights a March Atlantic article by Franklin Foer that "document[s] some serious antisemitic activity."

I read Foer's article (missed it in March). It discusses numerous incidents of antisemitic violence and harassment. But it mixes them with examples of obnoxious-but-protected speech, obnoxious-but-core faculty speech, and violations of neutral regulations (e.g., occupying buildings) that would be unprotected regardless of the occupiers' motivation (although the university's selective non-enforcement raises distinct discrimination concerns). For example, academic freedom and the First Amendment protect professors who engage in polemic, inside- and outside-of the classroom, at least to a point; Foer describes a prof's actions without identifying any line or where it might be. Foer argues (and Roth accepts) that this reflects an overall antisemitic environment. But the conversation must separate the protected from the unprotected--what makes students uncomfortable from what violates their rights.