Karen Alexander writes an error-filled article about UC Berkeley and possible anti-semitism in the New Republic.

First, she repeats unconditionally the rumor that the two Orthodox Jews were beaten on campus for anti-semitic reasons. While possible, this has never been confirmed, and other reports indicate it was a random, gang-related attack.

Second, she writes

During a vigil for Holocaust Remembrance Day on April 9, students reciting the Mourner's Kaddish--the Jewish prayer for the dead--were shouted down by protesters who said prayers in memory of suicide bombers.

This is exactly backwards. A Palestinian supporter recited the Kaddish in honor of dead Palestinians and was shouted at by Israeli supporters. Here's the line from the Daily Cal:

At its low point, crowd members waved Israeli flags and shouted "sacrilege," "anti-Semite," "shame" and "fuck you" amid a general uproar as speaker Micah Bazant, a Jewish supporter of Palestine, invoked the kaddish—a traditional Jewish prayer of mourning—in honor of Palestinians who had been killed in the conflict.

Besides the factual errors, the article shows cluelessness in many ways. Alexander claims that groups like SJP have been receiving newfound-- and unexpected-- support from outside groups like the International Socialists.

The pro-Palestinian organization at UC Berkeley, for instance, receives assistance from Left Turn (a Socialist group), the Revolutionary Communist Party, and the International Socialists Organization (ISO). The pro-Palestinian camp at SFSU also benefits from such outside help. "I don't know their background or their history," SFSU Palestinian activist Shamieh says of his ISO allies, "but all I know is they support us in anything we do."

Please. The extensive interlinks between ISO and SJP are extremely well documented. The two groups have been intertwined for years; it's no coincidence that Snehal is an organizer for both groups. It's understandable that Alexander wants to show a wellspring of new support for Palestinian causes, but the truth is these institutions have been tied for years; only the level of their militancy and activism is new.

Also, Alexander writes that

]." Indeed, California has become something of a magnet for anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic figures from across the country

Her proof is a couple of supportive letters to the editor from prominent Jew-haters across the country, which proves nothing besides that David Duke will get support where he can.

It's not that I don't fundamentally agree with Alexander; there is a large and persistent level of anti-semitism at Berkeley and SFSU. But it's sadly clear that she wrote the lede before she started research: she seems to have felt that the Bay Area was significantly different in the underlying permissiveness and anti-semitism in the area, and that this has gotten worse in the past few months. Possible, but she doesn't have the facts to prove it, and it shows.Email This Post!