I’m ashamed to be an alumna – Professor Pessin deserves support and an apology
To the Editor:
For the first time in 41 years, I am ashamed to be an alumna of Connecticut College (Class of 1974).
Professor Andrew Pessin embodies one of the values for which Connecticut College prides itself – free expression of ideas. Furthermore, to allow one student, Lamiya Khandaker, to interpret a Facebook post as “racist” because it suits her anti-Israel agenda, and then condemn Professor Pessin for expressing his point of view, is unconscionable. Second, Prof. Pessin apologized for and clarified that he was referring to Hamas in his post and not the Palestinians, the rationale for Israel’s blockage of Gaza.
All Professor Pessin did was criticize a terrorist organization, Hamas that has been labeled as such by the U.S. government and the European Union. He criticized an organization that uses children as human shields, blows up school buses, reigns missiles on Israeli towns, murders gay people, persecutes Christians, and murders its own people for suspected business transactions with Israelis. Khandaker is speaking for a radical anti-Israel organization, yet she offers no criticism for Hamas.
Khandaker is an example of the radical anti-Israel thought police pervading campuses, which students and professors of sounder minds are trying valiantly to combat with facts and free expression. I never thought Connecticut College would get caught in this web of anti-Israel, anti-Semitic propaganda and lies.
Kudos to Professor Pessin for speaking up for the only democracy in the Middle East. Shame on Connecticut College for abandoning him and running a mandatory session on racism that featured his Facebook post. Shame on the College Voice for running letters attacking him without first giving him the opportunity to respond to the accusation. Shame on me for donating to a college that supports scapegoating and propaganda. Back in the early 70s, I wrote articles for the student newspaper – when journalism was fair and balanced.
Perhaps the remedy is for Connecticut College to hold a follow-up mandatory session on anti-Semitism and anti-Israel hate speech, featuring Khandaker’s emails.
-Sherry Alpert ‘74
I have been keeping screen shots of all the comments you have been deleting, so please delete these too so I can complete my dossier on you…
One thought on “I Guess This Is It: A Final Sign Off’
Stop Deleting Comments, Ayla May 8,2015 at 9:45 am
Ayla Zuraw-Friedland continues to delete comments in an attempt to defend herself and her minions. She
has now admitted in print that she has no sense of journalist ethics, and this is just another example of her
completely unethical behavior.
From her final op-ed, we learn that the paper actually has a faculty advisor:Jim Downs,a radical who has-
surprise,surprise!-expressed his support for the ASA’s anti-Semitic boycott of Israel:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-downs/back-to-the-future-americ_b_6143258.html
What a shock to learn from Ayla’s column that Professor Downs, a history professor, doesn’t even care
about the truth. As long as it advances his anti-Semitic agenda, lies are just fine with Jim Downs. As they
are with Ayla, Michael Fratt, Lamiya Khandaker, Kaitlyn Garbe, Henry Sinnock, and the rest of the anti-
Semitic agitators who attempted to ruin a professor’s life on false pretenses. These academic
McCarthyites should be expelled, not coddled.
But, at Conn College under President Bergeron, anti-Semitic McCarthyism is welcomed as part of
“inclusive excellence.” Just ask Sandy Grande, who brought an anti-Israel terrorist-supporter to campus,
and was praised by the College.
Supporters of Israel beware: Conn College is enemy territory.
Again, another deleted post….
One thought on “Letter to the Editor”
Ayla Has No Integrity May 5, 2015 at 10:28 pm
Bravo, Ms. Alpert, for speaking out against this anti-Semitic campus lynch mob.
One should note that Ayla and her minions have yet again demonstrated a complete lack of journalistic
ethics. They have re-removed a comment originally written by Lamiya Khandaker,in an obvious attempt
to shield her from criticism. And they’ve closed the comments sections on contentious articles,so that they
don’t have to endure any more criticism either. Ayla, in her ridiculous op-ed, admits that she may not
have any journalistic integrity.Gee: Yah think so?!
From Ayla’s commentary we also learn that the paper actually has a faculty advisor: Jim Downs, another
campus radical. Boy, he was caught napping on thejob, letting the campus newspaper be misused for a
coordinated smear job against a professor? Sounds hunky dory to Ayla and Professor Downs, it seems.
I hope you all (Ayla, Lamiya, Michael Fratt, Kaitlyn Garbe,andJim Downs) get sued. You deserve it.