An Open Letter to University Presidents
3 min read
This college student powerfully describes to Congress what it’s like to be a Jew on campus today.
Thank you all for having me and for giving me the opportunity to share with you my story. My name is Bella Ingber. I am a junior at NYU and I'm going to try to answer the following question for you from my personal experiences: What is it like to be a Jew at NYU?
Being a Jew at NYU is walking to class and passing torn and defaced posters of innocent hostages with the words occupier and murderer written across their faces.
It is going to Booth's library to study and being interrupted by unauthorized protests, where students and faculty call for a globalized intifada revolution, an incitement to violence against Jews everywhere, and a call for the annihilation of the Jewish state and my friends and family who live there.
Being a Jew at NYU is being surrounded by students and faculty who support the murder and kidnapping of Jews because after all, as they say, resistance is justified when people are occupied.
It is being surrounded by social justice warriors and self-proclaimed feminists, whose calls for justice end abruptly when the rape victims are Jews.
Being a Jew at NYU has meant being physically assaulted in NYU's library by a fellow student while I was wearing an American Israeli flag, and having my attacker still roam freely throughout the campus.
Being a Jew at NYU is experiencing how diversity, equity, and inclusion is not a value that NYU extends to its Jewish students.
Since October 7th, the unmistakable antisemitism that I've experienced on campus is reminiscent of the Jew hatred I've heard about from my grandparents, Holocaust survivors, who experienced firsthand the deafening silence of their neighbors in Poland and Germany when the Nazis first rose to power. As antisemitic rhetoric and actions became more and more acceptable, their community's shops were looted, their synagogues defaced, and finally, their families were taken away and perished in concentration camps.
Today, in 2023, at NYU, I hear calls to gas the Jews, and I am told that Hitler was right.
To the NYU administration, you are not free to selectively enforce your own rules. You are not free to refuse your Jewish students the same protections that you extend to others. NYU has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Association's definition of antisemitism, which recognizes that calls to harm Jews in the name of radical ideology, calls to eradicate Israel, to deny the Jewish people their right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland, is antisemitism that is punishable under NYU's Code of Conduct.
I am a proud Jew, and I am a proud Zionist. I am the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors.
We are not going anywhere.
Antisemitism and the support for terror should have no home at NYU or any other college campus. We made the promise of never again, and never again is now. Thank you.
If we don’t stand and speak up for our Jewish brothers now we are displaying a condoning of the violence and hatred that is happening worldwide
It is time to close all schools where Pro-Palestinian protestors have interrupted or threatened. This includes middle schools, high schools and colleges that receive taxpayer dollars.
Stand; stand strong, believe and know that He is your Rock and the rock is His. You'll never walk alone.
I would like to know the political party these antisemite protestors vote for.
I would like to know who the organizers of thses antisemitism protest are that are making calls to these individuals on their phones.
I would like these organizers investigated for terrorism or at minimum, exposed just like the professors should be.
I don't believe anyone can be sincerely opposed to prejudice if they only mention crimes & insults by "them" against "us," and never mention crimes & insults by "us" against "them." If they only mention the first category, then all they're doing is attacking the enemy out of ethnic nationalism -- which is the motivation for the worst crimes in history. In fact, if I were to ask Ms. Ingber about this, she would probably reply that anti-Palestinian racism doesn't exist. Really? For instance, I see anti-Palestinian racism in the ever-present, unquestioned assumption that Israelis love their homeland more than Palestinians do. And that therefore Palestinians can ethically be exiled to countries they have never laid eyes upon.
This is Bob Applebaum. After his tirades against Israel, against Jews, this antisemite changes his name. All Aish readers saw the true face of the Hamas lover and he realized he had to change names. Just compare his writing. Jeff=Bob Applebaum. An enemy of everything that we hold dear.
What a courageous woman, B'H!
Right on Bella. At least do far you are able to speak to Congress, unlike your ancestors in Europe. I like your term, “social justice warriors” -they have lost sight of reality; they do not know our history- especially the Jewish ones—they know not what they do . Right on, Bella!
She said it as it is - unfortunately. The way to get all these institutions to do something about this is by persuading the wealthy donors to withhold their pledges. Money talks loudest.
But I thought it's antisemitism to say there are lots of wealthy Jews!
Ah, jeff always has racist remarks against Jewish people. No jeff, wealthy donors are not all Jews. I wonder if you would have said the same of the wealthy in Germany who helped holocaust Jewish people escape hitler.
Maybe you think there was to much racism against Germans at the time?
I am an alumni of a post graduate program at NYU. I was thankful for the program and the fair and equitable staff. I am sad to hear of how Jews are treated on campus and that it is now not a safe space.
The guy besides her in upper photo is U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson. Mike, is a Christian Zionist. He would love for her to go to Israel to fulfill the "prophecy" of the second coming of Jesus, whereby all Jews will accept Jesus or be destroyed. The irony.
Nice shift away from those actually attacking this brave girl to your favorite political hobbyhorse.
I call on any rabbi reviewing this to point out where it is a mitzvah to spit on those that defend us.
Apparently irony is beyond your grasp.
I would sponsor a ticket for you mr applebaum to go to Gaza so you can experience first hand how it feels to have all your limbs chopped off one at a time, - while you’re conscious of course, so that you can enjoy the pleasure (?) before these lovely savages climax your pleasure by simply beheading you. And yes, I would conclude “the irony…”
That's a pretty "savage" response yourself ...
When my Jewish friends and I were applying to colleges 45 years ago, some joked that they were applying to “NYJew”! It was a fond reference to one of the best schools in NYC that were not religiously affiliated nor discriminate against Jewish applicants. What a disgrace to a formerly admired institution.
How many students attend NYU?
Too many Jewish ones. They should quit and form a Jewish college and leave NYU for all the lowlifes.
And you know what else gets to me?! It is the fact that so many of NYU’s buildings have Jewish names on them!!
Absolutely wonderful. I'm proud of her. G-d bless her!
Thank you for being brave and speaking out ! I am sorry for what you’ve experienced and have to go through.Praying for a solution and that justice is served in NYU and every where in the world!
NYC is a disgrace to this country when are people of NY C going to wake up it’s the leadership of the state of the city ! Yes the universities ! Any University who allows the behavior of this hatred should be striped of all funding just shows who their benefactors are .. Left wing ! Shows ignorance of Palestinians in this country or maybe not ! Maybe they know know exactly what they protest afterall I have seen some say wipe out the Jews ! That shows they support Terrorist Hamas , and other terrorist , Terrorist countries ! If so they need to be gathered and sent in middle of the terrorist they don’t belong in the United States ! NYC is State people if you want peace need to run from that hell hole ! Never will have peace it’s run by evil ! God bless Jewish community and this Young woman !
If the target of this relentless discrimination, intimidation and violence were Black, the response from the administration would be immediate and meaningful, faculty would be fired, and the streets would be filled with rioters. I guess it's "Jew York" no more.
Funny, considering NYU's President is Jewish.
Not funny at all that there are, apparently, plenty of Jews who know nothing about being Jewish, and/or they're completely assimilated and therefore very uncomfortable around antisemites -- so they join them and become radical leftists!
Prove it.
I will answer your challenge with a question of my own: What about any of this do you find funny? Also, have you seen any evidence that the NYU President is taking a stand against all of these heinous actions towards Jewish students? (Okay, 2 questions).
Your first statement proves nothing. Unfortunately, children of Holocaust survivors can be as far away from Torah-true Judaism as several generation "Reform" Jews or those who don't identify as Jews at all. Surely, you must know that.
As for #2, to quote your words in an earlier comment, "prove it, wit6hout being one of those who "just make up stuff."
I wasn't proving anything with my first statement, I was explaining why I had wrote "funny" under the original comment.
As for the second comment, NYU is creating a Center for the Study of Antisemitism costing millions of dollars.
You are such a pathetic mixed up ignorant soul, really to be pitied
A one word answer to my second question does not tell me anything new.
Why aren't you concerned that the NYU president hasn't taken a stand on the use of US weapons & funds to bomb 8,700 children (and counting) to bits?
Wat do gazans expect when they start war -candy .
Rate of assimilation is readily available; last I heard it was 75-80%.
And c'mon, you of all people should know that veering radically left usually goes hand-in-hand with that!
Why don't you prove some of your ludicrous claims, by the way.
Name one "ludicrous" claim, since I know of none.
And a huge self serving coward.
He was being nice. Instead of saying what a fool you are, basically not worth talking to
Yes! And btw, the harassment at NYU and other schools is actually not a new phenomenon. It has merely become more acceptable to express this vitriol towards Jews. During the '60s and '70s/anti war era, anti Semitism was merely wrapped up in a polite package and excused. ("I have nothing against Jews. Some of my best friends are Jewish.")
You are right on target. But more than that the black students and idiot white liberals would be demonstrating, rioting, destroying the college etc.
My Catholic father used to speak of the distinguished scientists and mathematicians who obtained doctorates from NYU in the early to mid twentieth century. He called NYU “the Jewish Harvard,” and said that NYU was a place where Jews could escape the quotas limiting their admissions to private universities. How times change.
I wouldn't take one person's word to conclude that times have changed.The person may have her own agenda.
Just like you do, and kindly don't insult us by denying that: You ignore or twist every provable fact to suit your odious purpose and have the chutzpah to pretend you know what you're talking about!
The fact that not once in your many posts have you condemned what happened on Oct. 7, but rather have tried to justify it, clearly shows who you are.
My agenda is the truth. I condemn what happened on Oct. 7. I haven't ignored or twisted any provable fact. You ignore the facts which don't agree with your preconceived bias, and commit the fallacy of ad hominem.
My thoughts exactly and well said. Bob Applebaum is what we call a Jewish antisemite. Nothing but a useful idiot .
Ad hominem fallacy again.
I wouldn't call him an idiot; probably a rasha (and not necessarily Jewish either).
What makes me a rasha in your fact free opinion? (and another ad hominem, fallacies all you got?)
I doubt he's Jewish. Even self-hating Jews don't support terrorism and call for the destruction of Israel like this hateful antisemite does. He just uses the last name Applebaum, to give his hateful comments credibility, that they come from a Jew. We all have to ignore him, don't give him credibility by engaging in meaningless discussions with him. Israel is crashing his beloved Hamas. Let him drown in his bitterness.
You should just stick to apples. You’ll look smarter…
Like all the others including our good friend Georgie sorros. I don’t envy him when he finally keels over . He is going to fry like crazy.as will all the other self hating jews
Don't give this enemy of Judaism, of Israel, this antisemite, credibility. He tries to take over Aish, his comments are everywhere. His on a paid mission, to convince Jews that they're responsible for all wrongs, that they murdered their own on October 7. This supporter of the destruction of Israel and the annihilation of the Jews, must be a paid provocateur, with the mission to discredit everything that is dear to Jews, to Zionists, to Israelis, and all decent human beings who admire and support Israel in its fight to exist.
Very true unfortunately Mary!
I hope you've taken a history course regarding the forced removal of Palestinians to make way for Israel, after the Palestinians were promised the land by the Allies. That doesn't excuse additional murdering of Israeli civilians or any intimidation at a U.S. university. But you would be naive to think you'll be welcomed with wine and chocolates.
The Palestinians turned down the land offer.
Yeah, I would too. As David ben Gurion said, "If I were an Arab leader I would never sign an agreement with Israel; we have taken their country."
It wasn't the only mistake Ben Gurion made. He allowed the Far right
religious too many powers. Other than that Ben Gurion is a hero.
History is it? Have you looked up the history of the name “Palestine” yet? Have you checked any primary sources to verify your accusations?
Off topic, a distraction.
This person wouldn't admit the truth if it had a 0.1% chance of making his beloved (Arabs) look as bad as they actually are, and unfortunately, the corollary of that is the case as well.
Ironically, he paints us as the villain instead of the those who have proudly proven that they're evil incarnate!
And yet, you can't list one thing I've gotten wrong. The facts tell the story, not the biased storyteller.
You need to educate yourself. Read Alan Dershowitz book entitled Defending Israel.
I am educated, and I have no need for Dershowitz.
Thank you for this, Bella. Well delivered with passion and completely convincing. You are right - to have to put up with this is utterly inappropriate for any undergraduate student. You deserve and expect better, much better. Not to oppose and prevent it would be hypocritical collusion with evil. Continue to speak out, and know you are not alone. Oh, and I speak as a non-Jewish senior university professor in the UK!
Well said. The hypocrisy is blatant - this is pure anti-semitism. The excuse "they have bought the Palestinian propaganda" should not apply to university students and faculty members at a place of higher learning where seeking the truth is the aim of education.
It is too bad that no one holds the Nazi administration, the 'instructors,' and the students responsible for advocating genocidal Jew hatred. It is unconscionable that ANYONE in this country would allow such flagrant abuse of fellow Americans. The Nazis are breaking the law, CHARGE THEM!!!!!