As a Jewish academic, I cannot sign the open letter defending our university students

This is an open letter responding to the one published in Overland and signed by over 1000 academics, calling for protecting our students and “reimagining our universities”. Sounds good, right? I would sign it too.

Except what stands behind this lovely title is another attack on Israel and Jews, with many antisemitic lies. I was heartbroken to see my colleagues from Macquarie University and other institutions signing it. The letter calls for hate, boycotts and violence. There is nothing constructive, helpful or good about it. I know many are driven by the desire “to do the right thing” but might miss the situation's complexity and the messages sent by this letter.

On October 7, Israel underwent the worst attack in its history by Hamas, who constantly vow to destroy it and kill all Jews. Thousands were slaughtered in the most brutal way, amputated, injured and raped, and over 200 were taken hostage. 128 are still in Gaza, including young women who are reported to be raped and enslaved.

Most people haven’t seen the videos and images that will never leave us. Worse yet, Hamas promised to do it again and again. And again.

Israel was forced to respond, and it did so with the support of most Western countries, including Australia. But wars are ugly. They are awful. With terrible leadership on both sides, this war became a disaster. Many died on both sides, but a lot more in Gaza. There is famine and suffering. Some of it is brought on Gaza by Israel and some of it by Hamas.

Most Israelis want the hostages to be returned and the war to stop. Many of them constantly march in the streets, calling for it. It is a dreadful war against Hamas, where many civilians are killed and suffer.

But to call it a “genocide” is a lie engineered to spread hate. Even the Hague did not declare it as such. There is no intention to wipe off 2.2 million people and no such actions. We all know that if Israel actually wanted to commit genocide, Gaza wouldn’t exist. Instead, Israel is fighting a cruel terrorist organisation which uses women and children as human shields. Nor does Israel “engineer famine”. There is a famine, and it’s terrible, but to say that the Jews engineer it is an antisemitic lie.

Indeed, since October 7, the Jewish community worldwide has been under the worst antisemitic wave we’ve seen since WWII. Just a few days after the October massacre, there was a rally in Sydney chanting “F%$# the Jews” and “Gas the Jews”. Not the Zionists, which for all of us, it is the same thing. Antisemitic reported incidents went up by over 700% in Australia alone, and this is echoed around the globe too. Jews have been harassed, bullied and attacked. So much for "anti-Zionism is not antisemitism".

Our universities, which are supposed to be safe places of knowledge and communities of scholars and students, have become epicentres of hate.

Students march everywhere, calling “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, a call for the genocide of the Jews in Israel. They cry for another Intifada, which in Israel always meant bloody attacks on civilians, killing many.

A Macquarie University academic tweeted that “no Zionist should be safe anywhere”, encouraging violence against Jews. In the name of free speech, The University of Sydney, along with other institutions, allowed students to have protest camps on its grounds, swastikas and other antisemitic symbols and slogans. The same Macquarie University academic led school holiday activities for children, in which she continued indoctrinating hate and teaching kids as young as five to chant hateful phrases.

So, when the open letter called to protect academic freedoms and free speech, it wanted to protect hate and haters, and continue allowing students and staff to shatter our sense of safety and belonging.

But it is hate speech we are talking about. Like any other right, free speech has limits, and its boundaries lie when it undermines greater rights, such as the right to life and safety. We can’t allow hate speech and violence on our campuses in the name of “free speech”. It puts people’s lives in danger and empties the meaning of “free speech”. Universities have a duty of care to offer cultural safety for all its staff and students, even if they happen to be Jewish.

I have been speaking to Jewish students, and I am heartbroken. Students are scared to come on campus or reveal their ethnic background. They are being bullied and attacked. So much hate that resolves nothing. Helping no one.

Yet, I am also encouraged by their immense courage. One told me she keeps wearing her Star of David necklace on campus to help other Jewish students feel a sense of belonging. This is what we’ve come to.

I recently heard of the acronym “WAIT”. Before you speak, ask yourself, “Why Am I Talking”? Is it to spread more hate and violence? Or is it to try and help end the war, violence and hate everywhere, and help build a more peaceful world? If it is the former, go ahead and sign the letter. If it is the latter, let’s talk.

I also want to reimagine universities. I want to reimagine them as a place where people can peacefully discuss the situation – coming together with empathy and open minds to talk and reconcile – a place of cultural safety, inclusion, and belonging for everyone. I want this hate and violence to stop. It’s not helping anyone, including the poor people in Gaza.

In my dream, I want Jewish and Muslim students to be able to converse and work together. In my dream, I can have an open conversation with colleagues who signed the letter. In my dream, the war is over, there is peace and better leaders, and the hate stops.

I will keep on dreaming.

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