Jewish United Fund leadership and Hillel officials condemned the verbal attacks and attempts to silence former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as he spoke at University of Chicago (U of C) Oct. 15.
“For the past several months, we have seen an upsurge in inflammatory anti-Israel behavior on the streets of Chicago and on local campuses,” said JUF Executive Vice President Michael Kotzin. “The disruption at Olmert’s speech seems clearly to have been an escalation in that behavior in magnitude, coordinated planning and public tone.”
Olmert addressed about 400 people at the King Abdullah II Leadership Lecture series presented through the University’s Harris School of Public Policy, and was interrupted and berated by shouts of “war criminal” and “murderer,” and citations of the alleged death count from Operation Cast Lead throughout his speech, according to news reports.
“The ultimate goal of these agitators was to delegitimize Israel,” Kotzin said. “Significantly, Olmert’s lecture itself centered on his support for a two-state solution.”
Students from the University of Chicago and other area colleges participated in the disruptions, while non-students reportedly comprised the majority of the 150 agitators. At least 25 audience members were ejected from the hall during the speech for disruptive behavior.
JUF quickly shared its concerns about the impact of the disruption with the University administration and reached out to Hillel and faculty contacts. On Oct. 20, U of C President Robert Zimmer issued a statement condemning the disruptive behavior.
The disruption ran counter to the values of the university and of a pluralistic society, said Daniel Libenson, executive director of the Newberger Hillel at the U of C. “It was intimidation [of Israel supporters] and a breach of the norms of reasoned debate and discourse for which the University of Chicago has always stood.”
The organizers of the disruption used an academic forum for “unabashed, hate-filled attacks on Israel, its leadership and, by implication, its people,” Kotzin said. The former Israeli leader was also heckled at University of Kentucky when he spoke there Oct. 14.
Responding to the question of whether there is a growing lack of support in Chicago for Israel in a telephone interview with The Jerusalem Post, Kotzin and JUF President Steven B. Nasatir said that Chicago is among the “most pro-Israel communities in the United States.”
“This [incident] was a campus phenomenon aimed at intimidation and there is by no means a growing Jewish apathy in Chicago. It would be grossly erroneous to think that there has been a sense of diminishing support for Israel in the community,” Nasatir and Kotzin said. “There was strong support for Operation Cast Lead, full condemnation for the Goldstone Report.”
JUF and Hillel have reaffirmed that they will continue to stand with students supportive of Israel and that Israel-related programming will continue at the U of C and on other campuses. Programs will include events brought by the Jewish Community Relations Council/Hillel Israel initiative, which advance understanding of Israel.
“We have a long-term approach to building positive connections to Israel, such as by maximizing the number of students going on Birthright trips and on the University’s study abroad in Israel program,” Libenson said.
Meanwhile JUF Senior Vice President Jay Tcath reported that he and professional leaders of several other groups are working on a coordinated community response, one that addresses both the immediate issues at U of C as well as the implications for other activities at other local campuses.
