The following letter was written and submitted by Professor Andrew Pessin and is in response to the Faculty and Staff Statement of Solidarity with Student Protestors:
Dear Conn College students,
It is a sad day when some 90 Conn College faculty members can publicly sign a statement accusing Jews of “Jewish supremacy”; Nazi propaganda minister Goebbels would be proud to see his trope so widely adopted. What’s next? Deciding that the Nazis were right after all in pursuing the Holocaust?
Never mind that the one sliver of a Jewish state (32 of which would fit inside Texas!) and its 7 million Jews is massively dwarfed by the 460 million Arabs in 20-plus Arab states and the 2 billion Muslims in the 50-plus Muslim states, most of which actively seek to destroy the one tiny Jewish state in the name of Muslim Arab supremacy (read Hamas’s (never renounced) charter!); and that this tiny state is currently under active attack from Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and of course nuclear-approaching Iran. And lest you think that those actors attack Israel in the name of “human rights,” consider that not one of them provides human rights even to its own citizens. As protestors cheered the recent Houthi attacks, the Houthis announced they were crucifying gay men; at least Iran only publicly hangs their gays. Yet somehow the Jews and their little state are the problem.
It is also sad, even tragic, that such educated people can proffer such absolutely terrible advice. But happily we do have some dissenting opinions here, if only as small a minority as the Jews themselves are, perhaps to help you figure out, of course, your own thoughts on the matter.
In general I believe it is inappropriate for a mob of faculty to promote their opinions to you this way. There is a bullying process that goes into acquiring signatures that is inconducive to free and open inquiry. This document may also make some of you uncomfortable, and feel unsafe in the classrooms of those who signed it. Are these professors looking at their Jewish students, thinking about those Jews and their evil Jewish supremacy? How could you object to or protest this statement, and expect to prosper in that professor’s class, under the threat of the professor’s grade? For that reason alone I register my objection to it. (I only share my opinion here in response, having failed to persuade my colleagues to desist from their disgraceful action and unable to let it go uncontested.)
The encampments the statement endorses are not a matter of “free speech.” There are many permissible venues and manners of expression, which many of these same people have been taking voluminous advantage of for the past seven months. These encampments violate numerous campus regulations and sometimes local laws, and create enormously unsafe environments for all parties, not to mention significant destruction of lawns and other property. They also massively infringe upon the rights of other members of the community. Your right to free speech is not a right to commandeer a space, destroy property and occupy buildings, threaten and intimidate others, and inflict your opinions upon people who don’t wish to hear them. Nor does it entitle you to disrupt the activities of others, block their access to campus spaces including libraries, and prevent them from obtaining the education they are paying enormous amounts of money for. These are not activities protected by the First Amendment. These are crimes punishable by law.
Perhaps you support the cause. But just because you think your cause is just doesn’t warrant your breaking the rules, rules you agreed to follow when you matriculated and which actually protect everybody including you. Those who endorse this statement apparently think the rules don’t apply to them and their cause. Well, if they don’t apply to them and their cause then they won’t apply to anyone else and their cause, and we descend into anarchy. We are seeing literally out of control situations on numerous campuses, including many incidents of physical violence. Just this week at UCLA a Jewish woman was beaten unconscious and a Jewish man was chased down and tased. These encampments are anything but peaceful, in manner or in content. We shouldn’t want that here, or anywhere, if we believe in genuine free speech and actual education. You wouldn’t accept the Proud Boys behaving on a campus this way, or the KKK, or the Westboro Baptist Church, and you shouldn’t accept anyone behaving this way, much less behave that way yourself.
For those reasons alone you should distance yourself from this statement.
But there are also the deeper concerns.
In my view the statement depends on, and propagates, repulsive antisemitic lies. The Elders-of-Zion-style antisemitic accusation of “Jewish supremacy” is only the most blatant. The inflammatory lie that Israel is perpetrating a “genocide,” much less an “ongoing” one, is in fact equally vile. “Genocide” is what Hamas explicitly seeks (read their charter!) and repeatedly attempts to perpetrate. In contrast, in an act of anti-genocide, Israel is attempting to remove the relentless genocidal threat on its borders and rescue its hostages, fighting a just war using just means. The massive measures the IDF takes to minimize civilian casualties while targeting militants—far more than any other army in the world—are widely documented, as is the massive quantity of humanitarian aid provided. (It is literally unprecedented for a state to provide such aid to its enemy during a war.) This statement revoltingly takes Israel’s efforts to defend Jews from genocide and converts it into a Jewish effort to perpetrate genocide—thus dehumanizing Israelis and legitimizing those actually pursuing the genocide against the Jews. Here both Orwell and Goebbels would be proud.
There’s more, and I can document and defend everything above in detail, but you get the point. For those interested I have produced a much longer, more detailed response to the Statement, available on request.
Happy to engage in good-faith conversation with anyone so interested.
Andrew Pessin
Professor of Philosophy
apessin@conncoll.edu
Sanity and reason prevail! Thank you Professor Pessin.
The NYPD posted photos of some of the nefarious items found at the anti-Israel protest at Columbia: a hammer, knives, ropes and a book on terrorism.
The “book on terrorism” was an academic book published by oxford press.
Thank you Professor Pessin for standing up against anarchy and hate.
Thank you for this!
Yes! A lonely voice of reason. Stay strong, professor.
The statement’s accusations of genocide and Jewish supremacy are unwarranted and despicable. Pessin is right to stand against them.
I’ve sometimes disagreed with Andrew Pessin about how bad things have gotten at our colleges and universities. It’s a shame that so many faculty at Connecticut College have chosen to undermine my case with so ill-considered a letter, indicating no deeper a knowledge of or more informed a perspective on the matters it discusses than their non-Ph.D. bearing neighbors possess. To present onself to the public in this manner as scholars undermines the profession. No doubt if Biden loses the election partly because the anti-Israel movement has made it impossible to mobilize some essential young voters for “genocide Joe,” and these scholars, though distressed, will comfort themselves with the memory of their bold letter writing in favor of a movement indelibly stained with the celebration of violence against and torture of Israel civilians.
Thanks to Professor Pessin for saying something about all this.
Stand strong everyone. The hot breath of Jew hatred was fully unleashed upon the world on 10/7. It will take the kind of courage you are demonstrating to counter the hordes who are succumbing to the ancient hatred. May this pass quickly and in our time.
Thank You for taking a principled stand Professor. I never thought we would see dark days like these again.
A valiant attempt to protect the college’s reputation. Are there another 89 professors ready to plead the case for sanity?
The charges of genocide are reprehensible. I support in full Professor Andrew Pressin’s response.
Thanks Dr. Pessin, for your elloquent and much needed defense of your school’s students and your attempt to stop the madness destroying our liberal democracy in the ivory towers that should have been its fortress.
I support Professor Pessin. I am a University Professor and see how ignorant of the facts these students are and how antisemitic the banners and slogans they wave are.
Thank you for taking a stand, professor! The statement is simply despicable. I am sure there are many members of the faculty that silently agree with you, I wish they would be more vocal. Thank you for being brave and fighting the battle for your students.
Thank you for standing up for not only truth, but reason. Where were all those professors defending free speech when you were getting hounded off campus?
Thank you Professor Pessin for being the voice of reason and sanity!!
Just as a matter of perplexity: the United Nations decided on November 29, 1947 that a “Jewish State” should come into existence. On July 24, 1922, the League of Nations decided that due to “the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine and to the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country”, that country would become the “Jewish national home”. On December 3, 1924, the United States entered into a treaty with Great Britain that recognized the Jewish state in Palestine.
My perplexity is why is “Jewish supremacy” in the sense of the existence of a Jewish state a problem?
Thank you professor.
Thanks Andy for your courageous statement. As an emeritus of Conn, I know how much rot there is in the faculty, but now it has finally been publicly exposed. Though I’m no longer there I support my former Jewish colleagues, and express concern for the current Jewish students.
Yet another example of Andy Pessin proving why he is actually the most intelligent, most in touch with reality, most thoughtful professor at Connecticut College.
It’s sad and disheartening that the signatories of the original letter used the term, “Jewish Supremacy.” That term has been embraced and espoused by David Duke (KKK) and was coined by forebears to the Nazis to incite Jewish hatred. I sincerely hope that the signatories of the letter were merely ignorant of that term, it’s origin and it’s current use in Neo-Nazi circles.
Thank you Professor Pessin for your clear-sightedness and bravery, and for being a sign of sanity for our Jewish students who feel alone and scared.
Thank you, professor, for taking a principled stance against the disgraceful, hivemind Israel hate that is sweeping across the country.
Thank you so much for this clear, well-articulated, and rational response. Please spread your message far and wide. We desperately need voices like yours to be heard.
Thank you professor Pessin for being a beacon of moral clarity amidst a cesspool of disgraceful antisemitism, lies and support by your colleagues for a terror organization. Your courage to stand alone on the right side of history will not be forgotten
Thank you Prof Pessin for standing up to ignorance and hatred, and doing so as a lone voice. I, along with many other educated parents, are appalled by the faculty’s support for a letter that is not only damaging and antisemitic, but flat out incorrect. I’m very concerned that teachers at a respected college are so naive. We are with you!
Thank you, professor, for your fact-based reasoning, sincere and compassionate perspective and also your brave, principled stance throughout, helping to shine a light on the truth! You will undoubtedly serve as a role model for all your students, inspiring them – and all of us – to stand up for truth in the midst of this upside-down world insanity. Connecticut College is lucky to have you, though right now, from what it sounds like, I’m not so sure that they deserve you!
“Those who endorse this statement apparently think the rules don’t apply to them and their cause. Well, if they don’t apply to them and their cause then they won’t apply to anyone else and their cause, and we descend into anarchy.” <– THIS! What's to stop anyone with a strong point of view on any controversial issue (gun rights/control, abortion rights, immigration, the environment, etc.) from doing the same.
Yashar Koach!👏👏👏👏
Thank you professor for objecting to the faculty statement that helps to target and marginalize Jewish students, faculty and staff.
Thank you for writing this response. As an alum, I am appalled by the faculty statement. Where is the condemnation of Hamas?
Wow–one lone voice of sanity at Conn! Thank you prof Pessin. Keep speaking truth to power. The bullies cannot win. The publication of their letter is a sad moment in Conn’s history but reflects an abhorrent truth, and daylight is the best disinfectant.
Thank you! Your words and teachings at Conn were fair and educational. I was privy to read a paper my son wrote for your class. You taught from both sides of the issue. Impressive!
Regarding the insanity in our world.. Our hostages have been forgotten, the right to defend an attack also seems to be forgotten, divestment… what a joke. Do the protesters know what products come from Israel or pieces of products, Waze, some Apple products, Microsoft, malware software? Our students and educators are being radicalized by the very people who attacked our country on 9/11. We need Israel in the middle east, among many other reasons…
The Holocaust… why are the protestors ok with the Nazis… I think many have forgotten that there were more than just Jews that were persecuted, gays, blacks, Christians, people with handicaps…
Well said and Thank you Thank you!
Stay strong!
Stray strong. You’re on the right side of history. In a few years, your name will be modeled in history book as one of the few moral compasses that lived and spoke up.
Stay strong professor! The truth stands with you.
Thank you Professor Pessin. Sadly there are too few of you. Or at least too few that will speak up.
I stand with Professor Pessin for speaking truth to ignorance and trying to actually do his job as an educator which is to give students the ability to think critically as to combat the exact kind of mob think and indoctrination we’re seeing. It’s reprehensible and perverse that he is being targeted while those brainwashing students in a not so new take on the world’s oldest hate are hailed as social justice icons.
Thank you for your courage , please continue to speak out. It is incredinly
important to do so.
This is shameful the hatred that is allowed to fester in this university. Allowing students to push a false narrative and hate campaign against someone because they are Jewish is deplorable. Also how can you allow lies to be taught to your students. Antizionism is Antisemitism and our government has acknowledged that. The indoctrination of these people is troubling at best. If this were directed at any other person who has been labeled a protected class, there would be outrage and expulsions. Title IV is always an option, in this country hate is not tolerated. Professor Pessin we support you all over the country. We will stand with you and stand up for you.
Thank you for standing up against hate, propaganda, and division with moral clarity. The world needs more professors and people like you!
Thank you for your strong voice of moral clarity! We need more voices like this. Just because the other voices are louder, it doesn’t mean they’re right!
Thank you Professor. Where I have no words for the horror being unleashed on American campuses, you, thankfully, have words of truth and clarity to offer. I hope people wake up soon from their self-inflicted nightmare.
Thank you professor for standing up for the Jewish people
Thank you for your tremendous leadership and moral clarity… Please stay strong and know that we all support you.
Thank you professor! You are not alone !
Thank you for your courage. The world is upside down when defenders of liberty and humanity and women’s & LGBTQ rights and democracy are portrayed as perpetrators all while risking life and limb to defend those rights.
Thank you for standing up and not caving. Contact your congressman’/woman and Virginia. fox head of the Education committee.
I am sure you have contact lawyers. If you feel physically threatened call the police and do not wait for campus security.
Maintain a journal now of every incident. Everything said or written or video date and time stamp it. Make a file of all you emails about and save also to a flash drive.
Thank you so much for your support on this matter.
Thank you for your strength and courage.
Thank you professor your support and your words!
In these troubling times nice to hear a voice of reason and clarity.
I think the administration and the Board are building a fantastic case of an unsafe workplace and workplace harassment for Andy. I hope he and his lawyers take it to them
Thank you for your strength and courage.
Ultimately our love and pursuit of peace will always beat their hate and pursuit of violence.
History will deal with all these bigots the way it always has, with disgust.
Am Yisrael Chai
Thank you for standing up for what is right and for providing accurate information. What is happening right now to the Jewish people and Israel is an abomination and your voice is an important one.
Thank you for standing up for Israel. Standing up for Israel, is standing up for not only the Jewish right to it’s eternal homeland, but is standing up for our society in America.
There is a reason the pro palestinian crowd is surrounded by marxists and communists. Those that oppose Israel, oppose the west and our democracy.
We’re standing with you. Are not alone