On Wednesday, the chancellor of Rutgers University-New Brunswick, joined by the provost and executive vice chancellor for research and academic affairs, issued a statement condemning anti-Semitism. The next day, they issued an apology, writing, “In hindsight, it is clear to us that the message failed to communicate support for our Palestinian community members.”
As the Daily Caller noted, the original statement from Chancellor Christopher J. Molloy and Executive Vice-Chancellor Francine Conway, titled “Speaking Out Against Anti-Semitism,” asserted:
We are saddened by and greatly concerned about the sharp rise in hostile sentiments and anti-Semitic violence in the United States. Recent incidents of hate directed toward Jewish members of our community again remind us of what history has to teach us. Tragically, in the last century alone, acts of prejudice and hatred left unaddressed have served as the foundation for many atrocities against targeted groups around the world. …
Although it has been nearly two decades since the U.S. Congress approved the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act, the upward trend of anti-Semitism continues. We have also been witnesses to the increasing violence between Israeli forces and Hamas in the Middle East leading to the deaths of children and adults and mass displacement of citizens in the Gaza region and the loss of lives in Israel.
This recent resurgence of anti-Semitism demands that we again call out and denounce acts of hate and prejudice against members of the Jewish community and any other targeted and oppressed groups on our campus and in our community. …
We call out all forms of bigotry, prejudice, discrimination, xenophobia, and oppression, in whatever ways they may be expressed. We condemn any vile acts of hate against members of our community designed to generate fear, devalue, demonize, or dehumanize. We embrace and affirm the value and dignity of each member of our Rutgers community regardless of religion, race, ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender, and ability.
But the next day, Molloy and Conway apologized, writing this:
We are writing today as a follow-up to the message sent on Wednesday, May 26th to the university community. We understand that intent and impact are two different things, and while the intent of our message was to affirm that Rutgers–New Brunswick is a place where all identities can feel validated and supported, the impact of the message fell short of that intention. In hindsight, it is clear to us that the message failed to communicate support for our Palestinian community members. We sincerely apologize for the hurt that this message has caused. … Our goal of creating a beloved community will not be easy, and while we may make mistakes along the way; we hope we can all learn from them as we continue this vital work together.
The Daily Wire noted in October 2017 that Rutgers University has included faculty members that have pushed openly anti-Semitic rhetoric:
Michael Chikindas, who also serves as director of the school’s Center for Digestive Health, has charged the Jewish people with responsibility for the Armenian genocide, termed Judaism as “the most racist religion in the world,” and sniped that Israel is a “terrorist country.” …
Rutgers features some of the most anti-Semitic professors in the country; Jasbir Puar, an associate professor of women’s and gender studies at Rutgers, spoke at Vassar College in 2016, alleging that the bodies of “young Palestinian men … were mined for organs for scientific research,” according to a transcript from the Vassar alumni group Fairness To Israel. She also claimed Israel’s actions could be called a “genocide in slow motion.”
In November 2017, The Daily Wire also noted:
Since the fall of 2015, Rutgers University has employed a man named Mazen Adi. His employment appears to have remained under the radar until early November when Shiri Moshe of The Algemeiner reported that prior to his teaching gig at Rutgers, Adi was a representative for the Bashar al-Assad regime at the United Nations. …
In addition to defending Syria in general and the vile actions of Bashar al-Assad specifically, Adi has made numerous sickening and shocking remarks. In 2012, during a speech condemning Israel, Adi said: “Indeed, international gangs led by some Israeli officials are now trafficking children’s organs.”