During the fall and spring semesters of 2016-2017, I taught a course at City College entitled “Jews and Social Justice.” The majority of my students both semesters were non-Jewish, Black and Latino New Yorkers whose interest in Jewish studies derived from living in New York and certainly knowing about Jews but not having any real substantive interactions with them.
To my rabbi and dear friend. I am `so sorry you had to go through this although I'm not really surprised especially with what's going on in the world these days. As one of the principal organizers of many of the events you listed, I know that in your days at CBE, we made ourselves a forum for speakers that few American congregations would have hosted. In fact, I usually couldn't even get a response from local synagogues that I reached out to cosponsor. Having not seen the film yet, I don't have an opinion on the merits of it, although I wouldn't be surprised to find that I agreed with some or a lot of it. That's not the point here. It would have been an interesting and useful conversation and might have produced a lot more common ground than these students and faculity[!] can fathom, which is a shame.
Ah, David, thanks for your note. Useful conversation is not something that some are interested in these days. So we keep moving forward. Happy Hanukah. Andy
Dear Rabbi, Andy, yes, we need to learn how to hold and honor two different narratives. And we need to learn how to speak about both Respectfully and compassionately. Thank you for reminding us. And please, stay safe.
As one of those former students in your Jews and Social Justice courses I am deeply saddened by your recent experience. CUNY as a whole needs to do better. Especially as the largest public university system in the world with dozens of international campus and a plethora of countries, languages, and religions reflected in its student body. Hunter and the film department failed not only you but everyone in that room for not allowing for all opinions and voices to be heard.
The world continues to be a scary place but it is made a bit better by people like you who continue to inspire, educate, and embrace those you come across. I know this will not stop you and I look forward to the great things you will continue to do!
I am sorry you had to experience that. This not listening and talking and respecting others is antithetical to my approach to life, I am glad you will continue to try and engage.
I already saw it coming at Queens College in the early 1980's. It was a left Jewish organization that first supported CISPES and had speakers from El Salvador giving witness to the horrors being funded by the Reagan administration. We organized Queens College buses to D.C. for the major rally opposing administration support for 'death squads' and other policies harming Central Americans. Certain neo-Stalinist groups (my interpretation with strong historical grounding) took credit for the mobilization (though barely involved) and proceeded to demean 'the Zionists' in a radical school newspaper. At no point did the subject of Israel even come up while we were organizing for CISPES. Queens College in the early 1980's. Here we are 40 years later and the anti-Israel, anti-Jewish cesspool has grown while being ever more shallow as to scholarly examination. Addictive engagement with the internet and social media causes severe decline in expositional thinking, to be replaced by algorithmic binary codes and slogans. City College's anti-Jewish, anti-Israel hostility rises to the absurd. Farrakhan is a hero to many. What an irony that a college system created by Jewish labor unions, then turned over to the city, should be hotbeds of anti-Jewish hatred. These don't even know what a 'debt' they owe to Stalin, whose antisemitism and anti-Zionism reached a murderous peak in 1953...and then he dropped dead, leaving those animosities branded into the far left. They would rebrand themselves as 'Marxist-Leninist,' it not being correct to identify as 'Stalinist,' which by the way, Putin is doing lately. He intends to bring back Stalin statues. Perhaps a few at CUNY colleges? Andy - You're an inspiration. shalom / salaam - Anna
Hi Andy you seem to be somebody being able to go to difficult places without losing your mind and that is why I am more than happy to subcribe to your writings. Looking forward to hearing more from you is Ulrich from Berlin. Take care.
Having read the article in the Forward about what happened, I have to say that I'm pretty sympathetic to the hecklers.
You had a wide assortment of questions on index cards given to you, but instead, you chose questions with only one ideological bent, which is not dialogue.
I've had this happen before when I attended an event in Oklahoma sponsored by AIPAC. The presentation solicited questions from the audience on index cards, but then the moderators proceeded to only ask easy softball questions and to not ask any questions that had the slightest hint of criticism of the agenda that the presenters had. I and many others left the presentation deeply offended, because we thought we were coming to participate in thoughtful civil dialogue. It was disrespectful to us as an audience to mislead us about the nature of the event.
I realize that press accounts might get the details wrong, so if my characterization of what happened is not correct please say so. Otherwise though, I think you need to give some serious thought to the importance of dialogue in the Jewish community and why many but especially young Jews feel silenced on this topic --- in fact that is the whole point of the documentary, which makes this all the more surreal. Some Teshuvah is in order.
Wow. I am so sorry for the situation you describe. Education and listening to one another--even if, and, especially if we disagree--is critical to understanding and moving forward. Please keep posting. I learn so much from you. Thank you.
To my rabbi and dear friend. I am `so sorry you had to go through this although I'm not really surprised especially with what's going on in the world these days. As one of the principal organizers of many of the events you listed, I know that in your days at CBE, we made ourselves a forum for speakers that few American congregations would have hosted. In fact, I usually couldn't even get a response from local synagogues that I reached out to cosponsor. Having not seen the film yet, I don't have an opinion on the merits of it, although I wouldn't be surprised to find that I agreed with some or a lot of it. That's not the point here. It would have been an interesting and useful conversation and might have produced a lot more common ground than these students and faculity[!] can fathom, which is a shame.
Ah, David, thanks for your note. Useful conversation is not something that some are interested in these days. So we keep moving forward. Happy Hanukah. Andy
Dear Rabbi, Andy, yes, we need to learn how to hold and honor two different narratives. And we need to learn how to speak about both Respectfully and compassionately. Thank you for reminding us. And please, stay safe.
Thank you, Sandy. I appreciate your words. Happy Hanukah. Andy
Andy,
As one of those former students in your Jews and Social Justice courses I am deeply saddened by your recent experience. CUNY as a whole needs to do better. Especially as the largest public university system in the world with dozens of international campus and a plethora of countries, languages, and religions reflected in its student body. Hunter and the film department failed not only you but everyone in that room for not allowing for all opinions and voices to be heard.
The world continues to be a scary place but it is made a bit better by people like you who continue to inspire, educate, and embrace those you come across. I know this will not stop you and I look forward to the great things you will continue to do!
Thank you Bryanna! I was thinking exactly of you! Here’s to hoping you’re keeping up faith in the future and strength in challenging times
Thank you for doing this.
I am sorry you had to experience that. This not listening and talking and respecting others is antithetical to my approach to life, I am glad you will continue to try and engage.
Amanda Leath
Thank you Amanda. I hope you and the kids are well.
I already saw it coming at Queens College in the early 1980's. It was a left Jewish organization that first supported CISPES and had speakers from El Salvador giving witness to the horrors being funded by the Reagan administration. We organized Queens College buses to D.C. for the major rally opposing administration support for 'death squads' and other policies harming Central Americans. Certain neo-Stalinist groups (my interpretation with strong historical grounding) took credit for the mobilization (though barely involved) and proceeded to demean 'the Zionists' in a radical school newspaper. At no point did the subject of Israel even come up while we were organizing for CISPES. Queens College in the early 1980's. Here we are 40 years later and the anti-Israel, anti-Jewish cesspool has grown while being ever more shallow as to scholarly examination. Addictive engagement with the internet and social media causes severe decline in expositional thinking, to be replaced by algorithmic binary codes and slogans. City College's anti-Jewish, anti-Israel hostility rises to the absurd. Farrakhan is a hero to many. What an irony that a college system created by Jewish labor unions, then turned over to the city, should be hotbeds of anti-Jewish hatred. These don't even know what a 'debt' they owe to Stalin, whose antisemitism and anti-Zionism reached a murderous peak in 1953...and then he dropped dead, leaving those animosities branded into the far left. They would rebrand themselves as 'Marxist-Leninist,' it not being correct to identify as 'Stalinist,' which by the way, Putin is doing lately. He intends to bring back Stalin statues. Perhaps a few at CUNY colleges? Andy - You're an inspiration. shalom / salaam - Anna
Hi Andy you seem to be somebody being able to go to difficult places without losing your mind and that is why I am more than happy to subcribe to your writings. Looking forward to hearing more from you is Ulrich from Berlin. Take care.
Having read the article in the Forward about what happened, I have to say that I'm pretty sympathetic to the hecklers.
You had a wide assortment of questions on index cards given to you, but instead, you chose questions with only one ideological bent, which is not dialogue.
I've had this happen before when I attended an event in Oklahoma sponsored by AIPAC. The presentation solicited questions from the audience on index cards, but then the moderators proceeded to only ask easy softball questions and to not ask any questions that had the slightest hint of criticism of the agenda that the presenters had. I and many others left the presentation deeply offended, because we thought we were coming to participate in thoughtful civil dialogue. It was disrespectful to us as an audience to mislead us about the nature of the event.
I realize that press accounts might get the details wrong, so if my characterization of what happened is not correct please say so. Otherwise though, I think you need to give some serious thought to the importance of dialogue in the Jewish community and why many but especially young Jews feel silenced on this topic --- in fact that is the whole point of the documentary, which makes this all the more surreal. Some Teshuvah is in order.
Beautiful piece Andy, thank you ❤️
Wow. I am so sorry for the situation you describe. Education and listening to one another--even if, and, especially if we disagree--is critical to understanding and moving forward. Please keep posting. I learn so much from you. Thank you.