Dr. Miriam Elman, who delivered the Shindleman Lecture for the Canadian Institute for the Study of Antisemitism gave an insightful overview of the extensive challenges facing Jewish/Zionist students and faculty on university campuses across the United States, and by implication Canada. I will outline some of the key “take aways” from her hour long presentation.

Elman serves as the Executive Director of the Academic Engagement Network, a non-profit organisation that combats the de-legitimization of Israel and campus antisemitism. In her  talk she spoke of  the disturbing fact that since Oct 7 (but even before then) many Jewish students  have been purposely hiding their affiliations/affinity with Israel and Zionism, in order not to be socially ostracized from other students on campus, especially those other students who identify as left-wing. Jewish students  especially those who identify with “progressive” causes increasingly have been resorting to hiding their Zionism in order that they are able to “fit in” and participate in other progressive groups, such as those groups promoting women’s rights or gay rights. Young Jews who want to fit in, must check their Zionism at the door.

Elman, an Associate Professor of Political Science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, Syracuse University Elman, frequently writes on contemporary left-wing antisemitism in the US. Last year she was listed last year by the Algemeiner among the top 100 people worldwide who are positively influencing Jewish life.

I her talk Elman alsoe noted that increasingly on university campuses Zionism (the belief in the  right of the Jewish people, like  other people, to self-determination,) has been wrongly associated with “white supremacy.” Of course, Hitler certainly did not see Jews as “white”, and 50% of the Jews living in Israel do not even originate from Europe but from Middle Eastern countries, and these Sephardic Jews are certainly not white. Further, she pointed out Jews are not colonizers of the land of Israel, but are indigenous to the region, having lived in the Holy Land continuously for over 3000 years. But the claim that Zionist Jews are “white supremacists” is made in order to unfairly paint Jews as racist and Israel as a racist endeavour. I thought of Elman’s remarks as I drove past a demonstration of about 40 people outside the Canadian Museum for Human Rights recently. A demonstrator held a sign that read “All Zionists are racists.” Since surveys show that the vast majority of Jewish people believe that Jews, like other peoples have the right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland, this demonstrator is in essence saying that “Jews are racist.” This poisonous discourse is tolerated, where if  a person said “All Palestinians are racist,” would they not be accused of  anti-Palestinian racism, and Islamophobia?  

Elman emphasized in her talk that on US campuses not only do Jewish students not feel safe, but many Jewish/Zionist faculty do not feel safe, and on some campuses  have had to teach their classes remotely. Moreover, faculty who would normally be conducting research in Israel or collaborations with Israeli researchers are feeling pressure not to do so, out of fear that this will not enhance their career prospects, advancement, etc. The result of this trend is that Israeli academics are experiencing growing international isolation, and Jewish faculty are self-selecting out of  research/ academic exchange  programs in Israel. 

On listening to Elman’s talk in this regard, I can’t help but wonder how many Jewish/Zionist faculty  (i.e. those who believe in Israel’s right to exist) will be likely in the future to choose to go into academia. Any Zionist choosing academia as a career path now would understand that they are going to have a tough time advancing in their career if they express their Zionist identity. As a result, it seems more likely that Jews who are anti-Zionists are the ones who are more likely to choose to a life of academia. It seems clear to me that Zionists will in the future be more likely to self-select outside academia.

In a city such as Winnipeg, with a relatively small Jewish community this will have profound implications. Even if one sends a child to a Jewish day school and this child enters university as a Zionist, they are less and less likely to find professors who would appreciate and embrace this Zionist identity. Instead a young adult on entering university is more likely to be surrounded by anti-Israel academics who may influence them away from Zionism. Moreover, in other provinces, there are some campuses that have Israel Institutes or Jewish Studies Programs that have a lot of Zionist faculty. But in Winnipeg, that is not the situation. As a community we never invested in establishing Chairs in Israel or Jewish studies when it would have been possible to hire Zionist faculty. This infrastructure is simply not there.

Elman also spoke about the fact that Pro-Palestinian groups like to give prominence to anti-Zionist Jewish groups, (in Canada this would be Independent Jewish Voices) as it insulates the pro-Palestinian groups from criticism that they are anti-Semitic. This is the case even though for the vast majority of Jews in Canada and the United States, Israel is a positive tenet of their Jewish identity. Anti-Zionist groups in the U.S. such as Jewish Voices for Peace are marginal in the Jewish community but provide a convenient fig leaf to anti-Israel groups against accusations of being antisemitic.

On the whole, Elman painted a very problematic picture for Jewish/Zionist students and faculty on campus.