Legislation & Resolutions
Associated Students | San Diego State University

A Resolution to Condemn Anti-Semitism

Campus Community Commission

Whereas, the United States Department of State adopts the definition of anti-Semitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”1

Whereas, the Department of State outlines the following as contemporary examples of anti-Semitism:

  • Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews
  • Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as a collective—especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.
  • Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews.
  • Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.

Whereas, the Department of State recognizes that anti-Semitism manifests itself relative to Israel through words and actions that:

Demonize Israel 2

  • Using the symbols and images associated with classic anti-Semitism to characterize Jews or Israelis
  • Accusing Jews as a people of behaviors similar to or reflecting those of the Nazis, based on their cultural and religious identity
  • Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis
  • Blaming Israel for all inter religious or political tensions
  • Apply a double standard for Israel
  • Applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other nation
  • Delegitimize Israel; Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination and denying Israel the right to exist

However, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as anti-Semitic

Whereas, this legislation’s does not represent any political position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and should not be interpreted as a statement of support for one side or another. Its only purpose is to define the line between civil, academic debate and hate speech.

Whereas, this legislation is not intended to create restrictions on anyone’s right to free speech, academic freedom, or participation in social activism. It solely represents SDSU exercising its 1st amendment rights by using good speech to counter slander, libel, and hateful speech.

Whereas, according to the ADL Global 100, 1.09 billion people in the world today harbor anti-Semitic attitudes3. ADL also reported that the 2014-2015 school year “marked increase in the number and intensity of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incidents on American college campuses.”4;

Whereas, anti-Semitism is the bigoted targeting of a historically and currently oppressed minority and should be taken as seriously as bigotry against all other oppressed minorities;

Whereas, The SDSU Campus diversity statement approved on November 4, 2003 states that SDSU has a commitment to diversity and strives to “foster a campus climate in which those diverse influences are respected and valued.”5;

Whereas, under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, students are protected from discrimination based on their race, color, or national origin at federally funded post-secondary educational institutions. Under the Marcus Policy initiated in 2004, Jewish students are now protected under Title VI, based on their ethnic or ancestral background6

Whereas, increasing incidents of anti-Semitism have occurred in Europe, most notably:

  • On January 9, 2015 a kosher grocery store was attacked by men associated with terrorist organizations; they left four hostages dead7
  • On February 6, 2015 hundreds of Jewish graves in France were discovered knocked over and desecrated with swastikas8; the swastika is a symbol of hatred and terror meant to evoke the atrocities committed in the Holocaust
  • On February 16, 2015 the Great Synagogue of Copenhagen was attacked, and a volunteer security guard was shot dead9

Whereas, Prime Minister Manuel Valls declared in his speech to the French National Assembly, “when the Jews of France are attacked, France is attacked and the universal conscience is attacked”10; so too, when the Jewish students of San Diego State University are attacked, the San Diego State University system is attacked; and

Whereas, incidents of anti-Semitism have occurred within San Diego State University most notably:

  • In October of 2015, an unknown group of individuals vandalized and broke the Menorah outside the Chabad house at SDSU.11
  • In October of 2015, graffiti was found at multiple SDSU parking lots containing the phrase “White Power” and large swastikas.12
  • In April of 2015, posts made to the popular anonymous social media outlet Yik-Yak read “#SDSUDivest so we can get rid of the Jews” as well as posts which venerated Hitler.13
  • **On September 2016, Miko Peled was invited to speak at SDSU by a registered student organization despite references to Jews on social media as “sleazy thieves;14
  • San Diego State University is ranked as one of the top 40 worst campuses for Jewish students15

Whereas, incidents of anti-Semitism have occurred throughout the United States on college campuses most notably:

  • On February 27, 2015 disturbing anti-Semitic comments on the University of Chicago’s social media “yik yak” were posted stating “Gas them, burn them and dismantle their power structure. Humanity cannot progress with the parasitic Jew.”16
  • On April 9, 2015 a swastika, the illuminati symbol, and the word “hail” were drawn in ash on the walls of University of Missouri, the following day another swastika and the words “you have been warned” were drawn.17
  • On April 20, 2015 a menorah was knocked down and damaged outside of the University of Illinois Chabad the weekend before National Israel Week began. The same incident happened again four months later in August.18
  • At UC Berkeley on March 2, 2015 “Zionists should be sent to the gas chamber” was written in a campus restroom19
  • Multiple swastikas have been found on the houses of Jewish fraternities, the most notable reports in 2015 have happened at the campuses of University of California: Davis, George Washington University, Vanderbilt University, Tufts University, and Stanford University.20

Whereas, campus anti-Semitism is a global problem:

  • In February 2015 the student council at the Durban University of Technology in South Africa called for Jewish students to be expelled, referencing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement against Israel in their decision.

Whereas, these incidences of blatant anti-Semitism, whether across the country, globe or within SDSU, are unacceptable and must never be tolerated;

Whereas, the San Diego State University Associated Students can play an essential role in illustrating and counteracting the resurgence of anti-Semitism, especially within the campus community; therefore be it

Resolved, that The San Diego State University Associated Students adopts the definition of anti-Semitism as stated in the first whereas; and let it be

Resolved, the above clause will not be used to condemn future Israel related words or actions on campus unless they fall under the aforementioned categories of demonization, double standards, and delegitimization; and let it be

Resolved, the San Diego State University Associated Students unequivocally condemns all forms of anti-Semitism, including the incidents on the SDSU campus, around the nation and Durban Institute of Technology, and rejects attempts to justify anti-Jewish hatred or violent attacks as an acceptable expression of disapproval or frustration; and let it be

Resolved, the San Diego State University Associated Students recognizes that the Jewish people, like all peoples, have a collective right to self-determination,and let it be

Resolved, the current San Diego State University Associated Students will ensure, before the completion of its term, diversity training for future council members and executives that pertains to the history of anti-Semitism and how it manifests today; and let it be

Resolved, the San Diego State University Associated Students supports efforts against any form of hatred based on religion, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability, nationality, citizenship status, class, or identity on our campus; and let it be

Resolved, while student government will respect the right of all students to freedom of speech, it will not condone any activities that directly promote anti-Semitism, as stated in the adopted definition of anti-Semitism, stated in the first whereas or undermine the rights of the Jewish people to self-determination; and let it be

Resolved, as the representatives of the student body, San Diego State University Associated Students will strive to be allies of the Jewish community and all diverse communities within SDSU and pledge to actively seek open lines of communication with the leaders of the organized diverse communities on issues pertaining to their constituency; and let it be

Resolved, this resolution will be shared with University Senate, the Division of Student Affairs, the Office of the President, The Jewish Student Union, the SDSU Hillel Center, The Daily Aztec, and other organization directly associated with SDSU.

  1. http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/fs/2010/122352.htm
  2. http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/fs/2010/122352.htm
  3. http://global100.adl.org
  4. http://www.adl.org/press-center/press-releases/anti-semitism-usa/adl-voices-concern-about-increase-in-anti-semitic-anti-israel-activity-on-campus.html - .VhGWNrTUh_I
  5. http://www.indiana.edu/~affirm/pdf/Policies & Procedures/Diversity Statement.pdf
  6. http://www.brandeiscenter.com/images/uploads/practices/title06.pdf **Miko Peled was uninvited by the registered student organization after these comments were brought to their attention and he never spoke at SDSU.
  7. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/paris-kosher-market-seized-in-second-hostage-drama-in-nervous-france/2015/01/09/f171b97e-97ff-11e4-8005-1924ede3e54a_story.html
  8. http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/jewish-graves-france-desecrated-nazi-slogans-teens-held
  9. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/danish-police-kill-copenhagen-shooting-suspect/2015/02/15/8bed7a70-b50a-11e4-9423-f3d0a1ec335c_story.html
  10. http://www.adl.org/sp/condemn-european-anti-semitism/
  11. http://www.thedailyaztec.com/70841/news/menorah-vandalized-at-chabad-house/
  12. http://sandiego.adl.org/news/adl-condemns-anti-semitic-incident-at-sdsu-campus/
  13. http://www.thedailyaztec.com/66142/opinion/anti-semitic-posts-divest-from-social-progress/
  14. https://www.algemeiner.com/2016/09/26/san-diego-state-university-anti-israel-group-host-israeli-radical-miko-peled-prompted-recent-controversy-with-antisemitic-tweets/
  15. https://www.algemeiner.com/the-40-worst-colleges-for-jewish-students-2016/
  16. http://www.amchainitiative.org/ongoing-antisemitism-tracker-2015/
  17. http://www.amchainitiative.org/ongoing-antisemitism-tracker-2015/
  18. http://www.amchainitiative.org/ongoing-antisemitism-tracker-2015/
  19. http://www.amchainitiative.org/ongoing-antisemitism-tracker-2015/
  20. http://www.amchainitiative.org/ongoing-antisemitism-tracker-2015/