JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

Taking on Chabad

By Ben Harris · September 29, 2008

The latest issue of New Voices, the Jewish student magazine, is devoted entirely to Chabad, whose rabbis are rising in prominence on college campuses and often challenging the hegemony of the local Hillel chapters. As one JTA staffer noted, it’s pretty “ballsy” of NV to take on Lubavitch, though takedown is probably a more accurate description.

The articles – about a Chabad renegade and Iraq war vet, about the subordinate role of the typical Chabad rabbi’s wife, about the controversy surrounding Princeton’s Chabad rabbi, about the movement’s latent messianism, about its role in the settler movement (a topic virtually ignored by the media) – paint a picture of the movement that is almost uniformly negative. There are even two articles about the scandal at Agriprocessors, a company whose owners are Chabad affiliated but otherwise have little apparent connection to Jewish campus life.

As David Samuels contends in the latest issue of New York, Chabad’s success has much to do with filling a spiritual gap left by the existing Jewish communal infrastructure. On campuses, that indictment would extend to Hillel and, yes, the Jewish Student Press Service, which publishes New Voices. If Samuels is right, then the pushback from New Voices can be seen as an attempt to reclaim some of its lost territory – or to de-legitimize the competition.

6 Comments | Share This | On Campus, Orthodox, Uncategorized

Michael Drake in a ZOA constrictor

By Ben Harris · March 26, 2008

The much anticipated showdown with the University of California, Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake went down Monday afternoon at the Hillel summit in Washington. Hillel was criticized for inviting Drake, who presides over a campus with a history of inviting inflammatory, anti-Israel speakers, with some criticizing the chancellor for not denouncing specific acts of anti-Semitic and/or anti-Israel activity. Hillel defended the invitation as a chance to engage the chancellor and allow him to hear the concerns of the Jewish community.

Well, here’s how it played out, in three acts:

Act I, Drake responds to a question put to him by ZOA President Mort Klein.

Act II, Klein confronts Drake after the forum directly (cutting me off in the process).

[audio:/images/archive/drake1.mp3]

Act III, JTA tries again to get Drake to say how he feels about comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany. Drake’s response: the university must remain “content neutral.”

[audio:/images/archive/drake2.mp3]

[Update] Leaders of four UCI Jewish organizations issued a release praising Drake and telling “off campus organizations” (read: ZOA) they don’t know what they’re talking about.

Download (Word Document)

See also: Hillel invite to Irvine chancellor spurs debate over campus issues

5 Comments | Share This | Anti-Zionism, On Campus

MSU’s best little hate house in town

By Jacob Berkman · February 7, 2008

The Intelligence Report, the publication of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which covers all things racist all the time, has a fascinating article on Michigan State University’s Young Americans for Freedom club. According to the SPLC, it is the country’s only university sanctioned student group that is also listed as a hate group.

The MSU-YAF was reportedly simply a fairly right-wing conservative group, until MSU junior Kyle Bristow became its chairman in 2006.

Since then Bristow, according to the Intelligence Report, has pushed it over the racist edge.

In November 2006, the group held a “Straight Power” demonstration in Lansing to protest proposed local legislation to protect gays, lesbians and bisexuals. Protesters carried signs reading “End Faggotry” and “Go Back in the Closet,” according to the IR.

The group has also held such patriotic events as “Catch an illegal immigrant day” and a “Koran Desecration” competition.

Here’s the kicker: Bristow and other group members like to wear black cowboy hats, which means if you’re at MSU’s campus and looking for MSU’s Chabad rabbi, you might go terribly, terribly wrong.

1 Comment | Share This | Hate, On Campus

Wherever we stand, we stand with Springfield

By Ami Eden · January 28, 2008

Hillel got a shoutout on last night’s episode of the Simpsons, which had some sort of weird flashback thing going with Marge attending college in the ‘90s.

The following image appears as she mentions “fraternity pledges in their beanies”:

1 Comment | Share This | On Campus, Pop Culture

Foxman in a Tutu

By Ami Eden · October 15, 2007

Abe Foxman is taking it on all sides for calling on the University of St. Thomas to reinvite Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

The Zionist Organization of America issued a statement slamming the ADL leader.

At the same time, some of Foxman’s Jewish critics on the left who accuse him of attempting to stifle criticism of Israel, are giving him zero credit. For example, here are a few quotes that NYU professor Tony Judt gave to JTA reporter Ben Harris:

“Life is complicated. And sometimes people do the right thing for the wrong reasons.”

“It doesn’t mean I think he’s a completely reformed man.”

“This is a very particular case. To be seen to be censoring Desmond Tutu is to put yourself on the wrong side of history.”

3 Comments | Share This | Hate, Israel, On Campus

Columbia’s next speaker

By Ami Eden · October 11, 2007

If Columbia Univeristy officials ever figure out who hung the noose on Professor Madonna Constantine’s office door, they will probably expel the culprit.

Unless of course it turns out he’s a Holocaust and homosexual denier, who has a hand in killing American troops, a desire to see Israel disappear and an appetite for nuclear weapons.

In that case, they’ll invite him to deliver a public lecture.

0 Comments | Share This | Hate, On Campus

He spoke at Columbia

By Ami Eden · September 25, 2007

Thanks to JTA staff writer Ben Harris for noticing this unreported detail from Ahmadinejad’s speech at Columbia on Monday: It appears as if someone made a point of making sure that the school’s name and insignia did not appear anywhere near the Iranian leader during his talk.

0 Comments | Share This | Iran, On Campus