Slain reporter's father fearful of anti-Semitism on campus

[47of74]

Source: CNN

Judea Pearl, whose son, Daniel Pearl, was kidnapped and killed by al Qaeda extremists while on assignment in Pakistan in 2002, told reporters at a news conference that anti-Semitic e-mail and verbal threats have escalated since Israel's three-week invasion of Gaza in January.

"I received hate messages (after a recent panel on "Human Rights and Gaza") from someone at UCLA who did not identify himself and said, 'I saw you in Ackerman Union and I know where your office is and I'm going to beat the (expletive) out of you,'" said Pearl, who teaches computer science on UCLA's Westwood campus. "I handed it to the campus police, and they did not do anything."

UCLA spokeswoman Elizabeth Boatright-Simon told CNN there is no record of Pearl's complaint to campus police but said the university plans to meet with him. On its Web site, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block issued a statement about the university's policy.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/27/anti.semitism.campus/index.html

---

Now that's despicable behavior on the part of whoever sent that message to Mr. Pearl.

[barb162]

1. I hope the cops can trace the messages. This is so sick. n/t

[No Elephants]

2. ONE anonymous emailer =anti-Semitism at UCLA? Campus police have no record of the

report Pearl claimed he had made? Pearl claims verbal abuse and several email messages, but he quotes only one email. Even if he got more than one, Pearl specified only one emailer is involved.

This is what Pearl said the email said.

'I saw you in Ackerman Union and I know where your office is and I'm going to beat the (expletive) out of you,'"

No mention of Israel, Jews or Pearl's being a Jew.

The article is not totally clear on this, but it seems that Ackerman Union had been the place where Pearl had participated in a panel on Gaza. If I am correct, this is probably indeed in retaliation for what he said on the panel. As despicable as that is, it is about a position that Pearl had stated, not about Judaism; and it is ONE person saying this. Further, no one as yet knows if that one person even has any connection with UCLA.

Assuming that Pearl did in fact get and report a terrible email, how unusual is it for a professor to get an awful email? And does one email mean that anti-Semitism is on the rise in a university in, of all places, Los Angeles?

Whether the email threatens Pearl over his position or over his religion, it is a despicable email. However, I think the reporter is over the top claiming anti-Semitism is on the rise at UCLA on ths basis cited in the article.

[Ticonderoga]

40. There is understandably

a lot of anger out there towards the Israeli massacre, starvation, and imprisonment of innocent Palestinian civilians. Israel needs to be held accountable and untill they are, outbursts of anger like this towards the apologists can be expected.

[MrModerate]

3. Does anyone doubt that when Israel behaves murderously . . .

That genuine antisemites get all stirred up? Regardless of whether this hate message has anything to do with antisemitism at UCLA, it has a lot to do with the fact that Israel brings a lot of wrath down on its head by its own behavior.

[Behind the Aegis]

4. self-delete

who the fuck cares.

[MrModerate]

5. Well, I guess that's one way to look at it . . . n/t

[Behind the Aegis]

6. It is. You don't seem to care.

Actions of Israel = hate against Jews = understandable.

[MrModerate]

14. And you *don't* understand the relationship between Israeli actions . . .

and increased intensity of feeling among antisemites?

[cali]

16. It's an excuse to exercise loathsome hate. duh.

not that hard to figure out, genius.

[MrModerate]

17. Replace "excuse" with "reason" and I'm with you. n/t

[cali]

18. reason doesn't enter in to it. When people indulge in hate

based on culture, race, religion, gender, etc, because of the actions of a state, they're simply seizing on an excuse to express their hate.

[MrModerate]

19. Please. Let's try some logic.

Israel is self-identified as a Jewish state. Consequently, actions of the Israeli state are inextricably bound up with people's beliefs regarding Jewish people worldwide. To the degree that Jewish people decline to disavow actions of the Israeli state that are widely (though not universally) viewed as criminal, people who hate what Israel does understandably transfer their hate to Jews generally. When you add in historical antisemitism, it's a potent mix. A potent mix that is unquestionably made more toxic by wicked actions on the part of the state of Israel.

You can call it "seizing on an excuse" and say that reason has nothing to do with it, but I don't think you can make a convincing argument that the whole situation is not made worse by Israeli state actions. Which was my original point.

[cali]

20. ugh. sick reasoning there, Mr. M.

As sick as the freaks who hate Muslims and Islam. Ireland is self-identified as an Irish state. Iran is self-identified as a Muslim state. Hating Iranians or Muslims because of Iranian gov't actions is sick, dear. Hating Jews because of the actions of the Israeli gov't is equally sick. Your explanation that it's natural for people to hate Jews because they don't universally disavow the actions of Israel is, simply weak, and sadly sick. That you can't see the sickness you're espousing and excusing is lame.

[MrModerate]

21. I don't recall saying it was healthy . . .

Just that it was understandable.

You seem to be saying that antisemitism springs into people's heads solely because they're sick, rather than (IMO) a combination of cultural indoctrination ("hate learned at daddy's knee") and input from the real world. Have you noticed that some people hate and fear Muslim people precisely because of the actions of the Iranian state? For that matter, have you noticed that some people hate and fear Palestinian people because of the actions of Hamas? Have you also noticed that commentators (mostly in America, it seems) have justified their hate of Muslims *precisely* because the "Islamic street" has been insufficiently ardent in its disavowal of violent actions taken in the name of Islam?

It's like myth. There's a portion of truth there that makes the myth more powerful. And wise leaders know that truth is not the only motivator in their relationships with peoples and states and moderate their vengeful impulses lest they stir up hate against themselves outside the borders of their local conflict.

The Israeli government seems, consistently from at least the 1960s, to have rejected that particular bit of wisdom entirely.

[NikolaC]

46. How Is It Understandable?

Since when does the Israeli government speak for the Jewish people as a whole? I'm African American and, you can be sure that, Michael Steele and Alan Keyes do not speak for or represent me. While I am sure that the Israeli government acts as though they are speaking for Jewish people as a whole, it is simply not true. Your reasoning is incredibly flawed. Yes, in my opinion, the actions of the Israeli government have been horrific and reprehensible. However, to excuse the anti-semitism of some bigots because of Israel's actions is to be part of the problem IMO. Hate and bigotry are wrong, no matter where it comes from. There may be reasons why it occurs, but that does not make them valid or excusable.

[MrModerate]

53. OK. To understand is not to approve. The whole reason I started this subthread . . .

Was because I saw statement after statement that antisemitism was not only evil, but inexplicable. When it's really quite easy to figure out. It's the intersection between human nature and the actions of a sovereign state. In other words, the real world.

What you seem to be objecting to is the notion that people's grievances turn into hate. Sadly that *is* the case. And the government of Israel is largely to blame because they could have acted differently and ameliorated those grievances in a hundred different ways.

[Chef Eric]

25. Yes, let's try some logic.

Since I find your post despicable, I guess I should think of your entire extended family as despicable. It's completely understandable, isn't it?

[MrModerate]

52. Now you get it. That's how prejudice spreads and grows.

I don't happen to think my posts are despicable, but you do. so now you're ready to hate an entire class of people -- my extended family.

It's the same with Israel, except the government's actions there are undeniably evil, and the stain of those crimes gets splashed on Jewish people everywhere.

[No Elephants]

7. Not really. We ave no idea what motivated the hate message. For one thing, the emailer

could simply be psychotic. Or have received an F from Professor Pearl at some point. The article simply does not give the info you claim. And it says nothing at all about Israel's bringing wrath down on its own head. Prof. Pearl inbox is not Israel's head.

[regnaD kciN]

8. For all we know...

...it might have been from a hard-line supporter of Israel thinking Pearl was too conciliatory toward the residents of Gaza.

:shrug:

[LeftishBrit]

10. All good points

At any rate, it's sick behaviour and I hope he is caught soon.

[MrModerate]

15. Got me. I expressed myself clumsily . . .

I meant to reference the reports of increased antisemtic activity in the aftermath of Israel's recent incursion into Gaza.

[R Merm]

24. an answer

MrModerate,

Maybe the answer is to place all Jews into internment camps for there own protection, just like we did with the Japinise during WWII. They can stay there until Israel starts to act reasonably.

[MrModerate]

54. A couple of things wrong with that idea.

Aside from the obvious, only one of which is that the Japanese-Americans were interned because the government of the United States was convinced it was endangered by THEM, not the reverse. And the US has rightly been apologizing for that error/crime ever since.

However, this example does nicely highlight my point. The government of Japan circa 1940 engaged in evil acts and a side effect was persecution of people of Japanese extraction in many countries of the world. Does anyone doubt that internment would never have taken place if the Japanese government had behaved differently?

[R Merm]

56. The simple truth

The simple truth is that you either can not admit that antisemitism exists, or if it does it is the fault of jews for not denouncing Israel. Because, if you were able to admit either of these statements you would have to admit that you yourself is a racist like so many on this board.

[MrModerate]

58. Antisemitism exists; it is exacerbated by the actions of the state of Israel . . .

And when antisemites observe Jews around the world not denouncing the actions of the Israeli state it confirms for them every hateful thing they believe.

Here's a hard fact: being opposed to the policies and actions of the state of Israel is not synonymous with antisemitism. A preponderance of American Jews want Israel to sincerely and effectively seek peace with the Palestinian people. They oppose the policies of the Israeli government. Are they antisemites?

[LeftishBrit]

59. OF COURSE beng opposed to the policies and actions of the state of Israel..

is not synonymous with antisemitism.

'A preponderance of American Jews want Israel to sincerely and effectively seek peace with the Palestinian people. They oppose the policies of the Israeli government. Are they antisemites?'

NO. I am a British Jew who opposes the policies of the Israeli government, and I am bloody well not an antisemite!

However, if people punish Jews everywhere for the actions of the Israeli government, they *are* antisemitic. Just as if they punish Muslims everywhere for the actions of the Iranian government, they are Islamophobic.

[MrModerate]

60. I agree with you completely. And that's what I've been saying . . .

For several posts now.

My point has always been that the reasons antisemites behave this way (or alternatively, why Islamophobes behave this way) are not remotely inexplicable. It's a combination of learned hatred and resentment against Israeli government acts. If you'll look further up this subthread, you'll see the posters positing that even acknowledging Israeli government actions as a contributor to antisemetic sentiments was itself antisemetic. And that's what I've been trying to debunk.

[LeftishBrit]

9. There is never any excuse for bigotry and especially for bigoted violence

Antisemites use violent actions by Israel as an excuse, just as Islamophobes use violent actions by Muslim groups and countries, and racists and anti-immigrant bigots use any crime that happens to be committed by an immigrant. In no case is it ever justifiable, or even acceptable, to excuse the racist attacks.

[No Elephants]

11. You are correct. However, based on the facts in the article, it is far

from clear that the reason for the email was bigotry and no one excused racist attacks. What the article presents is a sensational headline and not much to back it up.

[LeftishBrit]

12. I was specifically disagreeing with the statement...

'it has a lot to do with the fact that Israel brings a lot of wrath down on its head by its own behavior'.

I agree that we don't yet know who the nutter is, or exactly why he sent that e-mail.

[No Elephants]

13. Whoever and whatever, the emailer (unless sick) is despicable. But it is not fair to malign an

entire university or student body bc of him or her. We don't even know if the emailer has anything to do with UCLA. Or with anti-Semitism. For that matter, we don't know that the emailer is not a pacifist Jew in Israel who is angry about the position that Pearl took during the paenal discussion.

'it has a lot to do with the fact that Israel brings a lot of wrath down on its head by its own behavior'.

Does that statement imply that threatening the life of an individual American Jew is a logical outcome of action taken by the government of Israel, or even of that American's support of action taken by Israel? If so, WOW! I had not read it that way at first.

[Chef Eric]

23. Beware of pacifist Jews! They're always threatening violence. nt

[No Elephants]

26. Good point. Bad example. I should have said an Israeli who disagrees

with the actions of the govt. Pacifists tend not to threaten to kill.

[dcindian]

22. It is a shame that some cannot differentiate between the hateful shit that the government of Israel

perpetrates in it's slaughter of innocents and the peaceful Jewish people.

Quote form Mr. Pearl

But the clearest endorsement of terror as a legitimate instrument of political bargaining came from former President Jimmy Carter. In his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," Mr. Carter appeals to the sponsors of suicide bombing. "It is imperative that the general Arab community and all significant Palestinian groups make it clear that they will end the suicide bombings and other acts of terrorism when international laws and the ultimate goals of the Road-map for Peace are accepted by Israel."

Acts of terror, according to Mr. Carter, are no longer taboo, but effective tools for terrorists to address perceived injustices. Mr. Carter's logic has become the dominant paradigm in rationalizing terror.

But it is even more of a shame to see certain DU'ers look past the murder and get worked up over some emails like the emails are somehow worse then actually murdering innocents. By blaming those who offer peace as if they themselves are terrorist.

Mr. Pearl is every bit as guilty of such and should be just as or even more reviled then the emailer themselves.


Truly a shame

[No Elephants]

27. What are you talking about. This thread is not about Israel. It is about an

emailed death threat sent to Prof Pearl. Although it is not certain that the emailer threatened to kill Pearl because of Pearl's support of Israel, it seems that way.

Threatening to kill someone for expressing an opinion is not acceptable, no matter what. Nor is threatening to kill someone bc they are Jewish, if indeed that is what the emailer was doing (though that is even less clear from the story).

And I don't have to either love Israel or hate Israel to reach those conclusions.

[dcindian]

28. I disagree.

To separate the words of Pearl from the words of an email is wrong. Pearl is just as guilty of hate as the emailer themselves. To ignore the murdering of the indigenous Palestinian peoples and to then huff and puff over an email is no different then what the emailer is doing.

Pearl is justifying the murder of innocents by using the actions of a few terrorist.

The emailer is justifying the threat against pearl because of the actions of Israel.

All the while certain DU'ers do the same.

[No Elephants]

29. Sorry, but each thread has its own topic. There are plenty of threads about Israel, if that

is what you want to discuss. I stay off those because they always seem to contain too much heat (and hate) from all sides and far too little light.

This thread is about whether anti-Semitism is increasing at UCLA. If you don't believe me, check the thread title.

[dcindian]

32. sorry but you cannot seperate them just because you don't have an arguement .

This thread is about a biased news story based on the words of a known hater. Mr. Pearls words of hate are every bit a part of the story as the words of hate in the alleged email.

And part of a lesson we all should learn.

[No Elephants]

48. Who said I don't have an argument? As I said, I choose to stay away from threads where

posters seem obsessed more by hate and bile than anything else.

Find one of those threads--there are way too many of them--and respect the thread topic.

[cali]

30. It is absurd to compare Pearl's opinion re Israel

with a threatening hate message. It is, in fact, a spectacular failure of logic. And since you know so much, what exactly is Pearl's opinion of Israel's policies toward the Palestinians? Does he advocate killing them all? Expelling Palestinian Israelis? And who are you to make a judgment about someone who lost his son to virulant hate and bigotry.

Your post is disguting and utterly inexcusable. You are what you are. And it's ugly.

[dcindian]

34. And you did not just do what you wrote?

Hypocrite

Mr. Pearls words on Jimmy Carter alone should make one pause.

[cali]

36. say what, dear?

as if what you wrote made a scintilla of sense. YOU have provided no links, and sorry, you don't get a pass on that. And political criticism is not the same thing as threatening hate mail. Duh.

[dcindian]

38. Quote form Mr. Pearl

But the clearest endorsement of terror as a legitimate instrument of political bargaining came from former President Jimmy Carter. In his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," Mr. Carter appeals to the sponsors of suicide bombing. "It is imperative that the general Arab community and all significant Palestinian groups make it clear that they will end the suicide bombings and other acts of terrorism when international laws and the ultimate goals of the Road-map for Peace are accepted by Israel."

Acts of terror, according to Mr. Carter, are no longer taboo, but effective tools for terrorists to address perceived injustices. Mr. Carter's logic has become the dominant paradigm in rationalizing terror.

[Chef Eric]

31. What are you talking about, dcindian?

Why is Pearl guilty of hate? What hateful thing did he say that made you reach that conclusion? Or are you just assuming that he is guilty of hate?

[dcindian]

33. Mr. Pearls words on Mr. Carters work on peace.

And his lack of any remorse for the deaths of Palestinians. Pearl has characterized a recent UCLA Symposium on Gaza as “Hamas recruiting rally,” all the while ignoring the fact that UCLA has gone out of it's way to have Jewish leaders speak unopposed many times.

Pearl has characterized Mr. Carter as a terrorist supporter. And has characterized any critique of Israels use of terrorism against the people of Palestine as antisemitic.

I am suggesting that when you look past your own transgressions and are overly quick to label those who call into light those transgressions as enemies then you too are guilty of the same hate as this alleged emailer.

[cali]

35. links, please.

sorry, but asserting that someone said this or that without providing direct quotes or links, just doesn't cut it.

[dcindian]

37. Again I am not condoning any type of threat against anyone.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123362422088941893.html
http://www.jewishjournal.com/community/article/ucla_symposium_on_gaza_ignites_strong_criticism_20090211/


But we need to call this one sided labeling for what it is.

[Chef Eric]

42. You keep saying that Pearl is "as guilty" as the emailer.

But the emailer allegedly threatened Pearl. Did Pearl threaten anybody? If so, whom? Please inform us.

[cali]

39. Truly a shame to see such morally bankrupt postings as yours here.

I disagree with Mr. Pearl, but his is political criticism, not hate. Pathetic that you haven't the ability to discern the difference. There is nothing hateful about Pearl's criticism of Carter. There is no threat in his criticism.

[dcindian]

41. To ignore his one sided writings is absured in my opinion.

This myopic approach to the situation is what gives you things like the emailer. To criticize one side and not the other denotes an underlying bias. And when either side of the bias includes overlooking murder then you call that moral bankruptcy.

[Chef Eric]

43. No, to see "sides" when there are none denotes a bias.

There are no sides here. An emailer allegedly threatened Pearl. If it happened, there was no justification for it. If you can't see that, then you are an apologist.

[dcindian]

44. The emailer is wrong

That is plain and simple.

[Howardx]

47. there was no email to begin with

are we expected to believe that the UCLA campus police IGNORED an email threat to a high profile person like mr pearl? i call bullshit on the whole email story.

[No Elephants]

49. The story does say that the campus police had no record of the email, but, even giving

that issue the benefit of the doubt, the story in the thread header is way over the top, IMO>

[Howardx]

51. the email story is just cover

for having the press conference. israel supporters are feeling the heat because of gaza and they dont like it, this is attempted pushback imo. not sure the same old tired "anonymous anti semitism" story works anymore though.

[LanternWaste]

50. I do perceive quite a bit of of one-sided, biased myopia...

"This myopic approach to the situation is what gives you things like the emailer"

I do perceive quite a bit of of one-sided, biased myopia, but the vast majority of it seems to coming from you. :shrug:

And I say that with very little invested in either side. But then again, I imagine you feel yourself to be absolutely correct in your perceptions of who's right and who's wrong-- which is I think, part and parcel of the definition of myopia...

[dcindian]

45. I will read the other writings by Mr. Pearl.

I based my opinion on recent articles by him. I should have waited.


After reading 8 of his articles and researching his wording on the symposium especially his labeling of those invited to speak I stand by my assumptions.

[surrealAmerican]

55. I guess the lesson here is that if you receive e-mail threats ...

... you need to report them to actual police, instead of campus security.

[IndianaGreen]

57. Perhaps we should read what Professor Pearl has written

Daniel Pearl and the Normalization of Evil

When will our luminaries stop making excuses for terror?

By JUDEA PEARL

When we ask ourselves what it is about the American psyche that enables genocidal organizations like Hamas -- the charter of which would offend every neuron in our brains -- to become tolerated in public discourse, we should take a hard look at our universities and the way they are currently being manipulated by terrorist sympathizers.

At my own university, UCLA, a symposium last week on human rights turned into a Hamas recruitment rally by a clever academic gimmick. The director of the Center for Near East Studies carefully selected only Israel bashers for the panel, each of whom concluded that the Jewish state is the greatest criminal in human history.

The primary purpose of the event was evident the morning after, when unsuspecting, uninvolved students read an article in the campus newspaper titled, "Scholars say: Israel is in violation of human rights in Gaza," to which the good name of the University of California was attached. This is where Hamas scored its main triumph -- another inch of academic respectability, another inroad into Western minds.

Danny's picture is hanging just in front of me, his warm smile as reassuring as ever. But I find it hard to look him straight in the eyes and say: You did not die in vain.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123362422088941893.html