Anti-Israel incidents on campus

This year a number of anti-Israel incidents have occurred on US campuses, ranging from vandalism to vitriolic speakers to anti-Semitic cartoons. Are the campuses ablaze or are these relatively insignificant brush fires? The answer depends on whom you ask.

Some pro-Israel advocates will not be satisfied unless no critics exist on campus and believe that virtually every anti-Israel speaker or incident merits a response. The establishment groups focus more on proactive than reactive programming. I continue to believe, and reports from campuses bear this out, that the overwhelming majority of campuses today have more serious problems with apathy than anti-Israel activity.

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Good news from American campuses

Another academic year has come and gone and the big news was that there was little news from the campus. This was a year dominated by positive stories, the enthusiasm for Barack Obama and nationwide Israel at 60 celebrations.

The year began with fears that professors Walt and Mearsheimer would infect students with their venomous inventions about the Israeli lobby, but they barely caused a ripple. Their long-term impact in the classroom as their book is adopted in Middle East courses may yet be corrosive, but their immediate impact was nil.

There were the usual handful of anti-Semitic incidents to report, but nothing unusual in terms of either quality or quantity. The truth is that anti-Semitism is not a problem on American campuses.

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