When NCCI learned that Duke Student Government recognized a new Duke Students Supporting Israel chapter this November 10th, we reached out to offer our congratulations and support. Unfortunately, just a few days later, DSG revoked its recognition.
It started when a Duke student claimed that “My school promotes settler colonialism” in response to SSI’s establishment. Our readers understand well that this accusation is used by those who wish to destroy the Jewish state. SSI responded as they should have, saying “please allow us to educate you on what settler colonialism actually is” and explaining that this is a false narrative as applied to Israel.
Duke Students Supporting Israel are Fighting the Antisemitism
So, what excuse did DSG cook up to punish Duke students for standing up against this antisemitic trope? DSG president Christina Wang claimed that SSI should not have used the student’s name in their response—even though her name was on the original message. She claimed that there was already a pro-Israel group on campus, Duke Friends of Israel. This group, along with Duke Israel Public Affairs Committee, wrote a strong letter to Duke’s Chronicle in support of SSI, but there were many more letters published attacking the group. The authors of the anti-SSI letters displayed profound ignorance about Israel, demonstrating what a poor job Duke is doing to educate its students.
Unfortunately, in response to the bullying, SSI apologized for calling out the antisemitic trope. Appropriately, they have since rescinded the apology. They will not give up their fight against discrimination at Duke. NCCI is assisting SSI with their next steps. We were pleased to participate in a Chanukah event on December 1st to show our support. We will be sure to keep our followers informed about how they may continue to help. In the meantime, please do order your “End Jew Hatred at Duke” bumper and window stickers – click here to order. It’s past time to alert the public to the need to end Jew hatred at Duke!
Caption for featured photo: NCCI supports SSI for their Chanukah celebration
