The Tutu Affair and Accusations of Undue Jewish Influence
Mark Rotenberg, general counsel and adjunct law professor at the University of Minnesota, wrote a perceptive piece for the Minneapolis Star Tribune over the decision to reinvite Archbishop Desmond Tutu to speak at the University of St. Thomas. Tutu was initially disinvited to speak after he made offensive remarks about Israel.
Rotenberg observes that many automatically assumed that the initial decision to disinvite the Archbishop was due to pressure from Jewish groups, but the President of the university, Dennis Dease, denied this. Commenting further upon the increasingly popular belief that pro-Israel Jews wield disproportionate power over the public debate on Israel, Rotenberg remarks:
That an esteemed Catholic university leader would feel compelled to make such a public denial is sad testimony to an upsurge of sinister theories about Jewish power in America today.
The truth is that university campuses are awash with anti-Israel sentiment. Harsh critics of Israel — including diverse Israeli and American Jewish voices — are commonplace in academic settings. Their books receive broad popular attention in the United States, and their perspectives dominate international forums. It takes no courage to be an Israel basher and no effort to find anti-Israel literature and speakers on college campuses, in the media and on the Web. Those who bewail secret Jewish influences in American politics are not describing reality, but are dabbling in a dangerous cesspool of prejudice.
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