Vermonters for Justice in Palestine

Rally at UVM – September 21st, 2022

Rally at UVM – September 21st, 2022

Speech on UVM campus, read by John Heermans, September 21st 2022  here

In October 2021, a complaint was presented by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and Jewish On Campus to the Department of Education claiming that the University of Vermont (UVM) has violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The complaint is based on documentation of alleged incidents and social messaging on campus. It claims that “Jewish students at the University of Vermont (“UVM”) have been subjected to a campaign of intimidation, harassment and discrimination targeting them on the basis of their Jewish ethnic identity – This has created a hostile environment on campus in which Jewish students are being excluded from clubs and support groups”. The complaint details alleged vandalism of UVM’s Hillel building, online harassment of Jewish students by an unnamed teaching assistant and exclusion of Jewish students supporting Israel from a sexual assault survivors’ group. Further, it is claimed that UVM has not adequately addressed the alleged campaign of intimidation.

The complaint implies that criticism of Israel is antisemitic and asserts that “for many Jewish students at UVM, Zionism is an integral component of their Jewish identity”.

On Sept. 13, 2022, The Vermont Digger reported that the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights has opened an investigation into this complaint. On September 15th 2022 UVM’s President Suresh Garimella issued a statement contesting the veracity of the alleged antisemitic occurrences, and defending UVM’s response.

The complaint proposes several  “Suggested Remedies” including:
– UVM must adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Anti-Semitism and its contemporary examples
(Note: the examples in the IHRA definition are problematic)
– UVM must issue a statement denouncing anti-Semitism in all its forms and recognizing that Zionism is a key component of Jewish identity for many students at UVM.
– The University must conduct mandatory training for the University community regarding its revised Policy that includes a specific focus on the different manifestation of anti-Semitism including anti-Zionism and national origin-based discrimination.

What is VTJP’s position?
VTJP is concerned that the complaint is part of a larger-scale, bad-faith attempt to weaponize the reality of antisemitism in order to advance a goal of silencing a conversation about justice for Palestinians.

There is a pervasive atmosphere of fear and surveillance surrounding those who speak out for justice for Palestinians. Groups such as Canary Mission seek specifically to target students, faculty, and staff at colleges and universities, as witnessed nationally, at UVM previously and at peer institutions including Middlebury College.  McGill University has been sued because 71% of undergraduate students voted for a policy committing the Student Society to actions favorable to Palestinian people.   The stakes are already incredibly high for pro-Palestinian activists, and adopting definitions of antisemitism that paint any criticism of Israel and Zionism as antisemitic raises those stakes and risks seriously encroaching on the free speech rights of any individual. These smear campaigns are simply intended to distract from the ongoing suffering of Palestinians.

UVM has done its part
UVM investigated the complaints and determined either that antisemitism was not part of the reported actions, or acted within its control to resolve the situation. This should be the end of the story. Instead, the complainants are following their strategy: they are attempting to use any allegation of antisemitism to scares universities into adopting a highly-contested and condemned definition of antisemitism that is being used to target Palestinians and their allies–not to keep Jews safe.

Students who speak up and organize for the rights of Palestinian people put themselves at risk of being labeled as antisemitic; meanwhile those who feel intimidated by anti-Zionist sentiment are adequately protected by University policies and procedures and can seek redress.

Related: Pressure is being applied to the Education Justice Coalition of Vermont to identify anti-semitism specifically and to adopt the IHRA definition.  The Coalition is advising the State on developing and promoting Ethnic studies, Disability studies, Native American Studies, and LGBTQIA+ curriculum and pedagogy.

Reports and links
– Vermont Digger article (September 13th, 2022)
– Link to the Brandeis complaint (link from the Digger article) October 2021
– UVM President Garimella statement (September 15, 2022)
– UVM Provost Prelock statement “Supporting Jewish students in our community” (September 22, 2022)
– Local advocacy group hosts rally on campus in support of Palestine Vermont Cynic (UVM Student Newspaper). by Andrew Gould, September 26, 2022.
–  American Jewish Committee Criticizes University of Vermont Response to Antisemitism Complaints September 16, 2022.
– Wikipedia – about revocation of UN Resolution identifying Zionism as racist
– Kenneth Marcus: UVM’s president is making a bad problem worse VTDigger Commentary Sep 25 2022.
–  Felicia Kornbluh: On UVM President’s response to charges of antisemitism VTDigger, Commentary Sep 26 2022.
– UVM president rejects antisemitism charges, but university remains target of pro-Israel groups. Pro-Israel groups claim that recent incidents at the University of Vermont constitute antisemitism because for some Jewish students, “Zionism is integral to their Jewish ethnic identity.” Mondoweiss, By Michael Arria, September 30, 2022

Antisemitism – Various Definitions
– Intenational Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) ‘Definition’ (pay attention to examples).
– The IHRA definition of anti-Semitism and why people are fighting over it, explained. Jewish Telegraphic Agency, by Ben Sales, January 15, 2021.
– The Jerusalem Declaration On Antisemitism
– A Palestinian civil society critique of the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism March 25, 2021. Palestinian BDS National Committee.

Anti-Semitism and the Department of Education
– Combating Discrimination Against Jewish Students U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.
– Questions and Answers on Executive Order 13899 (Combating Anti-Semitism) United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights – Enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Israeli Apartheid
– Amnesty International about the Crime of Apartheid
– This is Apartheid B’Tselem. The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories.

Israeli franchise owner Avi Zinger (as American Quality Products) is now the owner – with blessing of Unilever

Unilever is clearly overrun with the worst kind of Zionist sentiment.
From cnbc.com Zinger said “this is the best thing that I could have dreamed for me and my employees.”
and From Jerusalem Post
“Earlier this month, activist investor Nelson Peltz joined Unilever’s board after his investment firm Trian Fund Management LP bought a 1.5% share in the company. Peltz is a philanthropist and the honorary co-chairman of the board of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which put Unilever on its top-10 list of worst antisemitism around the world for 2021, after Ben & Jerry’s announced it would no longer sell ice cream in settlements.”

Commentary and insights
Interview with former Ben & Jerry’s board chairperson Jeff Furnam – by Alex Kane, Jewish Currents, July 26, 2022
Israel, BDS and the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream wars
Perspective by Richard Silverstein in AlAraby.co.uk 07 Jul, 2022.

Reports about Unilever Statement of June 29th 2022:
Israel’s claim it defeated BDS is hollow Electronic Intifada
Electronic Intifada About General Mills and Pillsbury
From Vermont Digger
From The Forward This is a win for the settlers

It seems that the only real change is that the name/logo ‘Ben & Jerry’s’ will be transliterated into Hebrew and Arabic (so they can export to friendly countries?)

Reports about Ben & Jerry’s suing Unilever:
Reuters
Al Jazeera
Haaretz
Electronic Intifada
Mondoweiss

A Commentary in the Digger by VTJP people here

Anthony Apodaca: Why support boycott and sanctions for Ukraine, but not Palestine?