Calling All CUNY Alumni: Time To Speak Out
Re: “How to Tackle Campus Antisemitism 101” by By Hana Levi Julian (September 10, www.JewishPress.com):
The college school year has only just begun, but already there are emerging portents of accelerated and expanded anti-Israel activity. University of Michigan student government tried to freeze all funding for accredited student organizations so as to force university divestment from Israel. At the University of Maryland, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) obtained a permit, later canceled, for an October 7 celebration. National attention has focused on disruptive demonstrations at Columbia University as classes resumed.
Less noted, but especially ominous, was a September 3 menacing mob besieging a “welcome back” Hillel dinner at a kosher restaurant near CUNY’s Baruch College. The mob blocked the facility’s doorway, shouted crude obscenities and genocidal slogans, hit a Hillel staffer, and even harassed Jewish passersby. A half hour later, the police showed up. The mob (including one faculty member) that they pushed to the eatery’s windows began banging on them, still screaming epithets. No arrests were made.
The city’s official response was muted. CUNY Chancellor Matos Rodriguez was “deeply disappointed” and would “investigate.” Baruch College president David Wu didn’t respond to media inquiry. William Thompson, Jr., chair of the CUNY Board of Trustees, called out the protestors’ “deplorable behavior.” More perceptively, Ilya Bratman, Hillel director at eight area CUNY and SUNY schools, saw a scene reminiscent of November 9, 1938 Berlin, and having grown up in the Soviet Union, said he feared “where all this is headed.” In his words, “These people are dangerous.” This incident should set off all-hands-on-deck alarm bells in the NYC Jewish community.
One likely formerly untapped resource – CUNY alumni – could provide potent aid. Alums for Campus Fairness, now with 80 chapters and nearly 70,000 individual members, has chapters at Brooklyn College, Brooklyn Law School, CUNY, City College, Hunter College, NYC College of Technology, Queens College, and John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Alumni can join their CUNY college chapter at https://www.campusfairness.org with a simple click. Such a swelling organized voice cannot be ignored by administrators, who have shown unconscionable indifference to the antisemitic cancers metastasizing on their campuses.
Richard D. Wilkins
Syracuse University Chapter,
Alums for Campus Fairness
Trump Is A Danger
In response to many recent letters to the editor, which have strongly supported Trump and disparaged Harris: During the late 1920s and early 1930s in Germany, a block of primarily well-off urban Jews voted for Adolf Hitler despite his public statements disparaging German Jews and the actions of his “Brown Shirts” gang. He doesn’t mean us; he means the poor and lower-class Jews, they rationalized. Then the Holocaust happened for all Jews.
Now, Donald Trump, the convicted felon, twice impeached, indicted thief of top-secret documents as well as instigator of a plot to overturn the 2020 election, and constantly lying morally bankrupt leader of the far-right white supremacists who act in fear that our government will be controlled by the Jews, Blacks, and Browns (the Great Replacement Theory) is once again running for president of the United States and some Jews will vote for him.
Each week, it seems, Trump insults all Jews with statements like “Jews are fools for voting for Democrats; if they vote for Democrats, they should have their head examined” and “The Jewish governor of Pennsylvania.” Trump’s prejudice and intentions are right out front. He thinks he’s entitled to our vote, and when he doesn’t get it, Trump attacks us, thus encouraging more antisemitism. He is already talking about revenge against those who oppose him.
Then, the far-right Heritage Foundation published Project 2025, a plan for limiting our freedoms. Where do you think this will all lead? With the recent far-right-dominated Supreme Court’s decision that presidents have immunity for official acts, Trump can get away with almost anything if he regains the White House. In the past, Jews were “purged” from many countries where they had centuries-long residence. Don’t say it can’t happen here.
If you are a Jewish Republican, consider this: Donald Trump heads up the far-right MAGA party that controls the traditional Republicans, many of whom have quit or cowardly stayed in the background. The MAGA party only answers to Trump and not our Constitution. There has been a meteoric rise in antisemitic incidents since Trump came on the scene encouraging his far-right extremists. Why would any Jewish person support him?
While in office, Trump did nothing for Israel except open an embassy office in Jerusalem after a sixty-million-dollar contribution (bribe) from billionaire Sheldon Adelson. On the contrary, he ordered the U.S. military to abandon bases in Syria, leaving Iran a clear path to attack Israel and Turkey, including a direct route to attack U.S. allies, the Kurds.
Here at home, Trump continually ignored his medical experts who warned about the potentially devastating effects of Covid. Trump kept saying Covid would go away, talking about bleach, and obstructing Dr. Fauci. As a consequence, there were slightly over 1.1 million American deaths attributed to Covid-19. (Please note, in all of World War II, we had 291,557 servicepeople killed.)
The biggest threat to our democracy isn’t Russia, China, or any other country; it’s Donald Trump and his extremists. The biggest threat to American Jewry is Donald Trump and his extremists who encourage antisemitism. Unfortunately, however, some Jews will still align themselves with the extremists and vote for the unstable and disgraceful Donald Trump, who belongs in prison and not the White House.
David R. Weinraub
Via E-mail
Get Tough On Fare-Beaters
Re: “Almost Half Of NYC Bus Riders Don’t Pay: An Explanation” by Dennis Prager (September 6):
As a transportation advocate who previously served as a director for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office of Operations and Program Management, I believe that the MTA, including NYC Transit bus and subway, MTA Bus, and the Long Island and Metro North Railroads, need to do a far better job in dealing with fare evasion.
The ongoing growth of fare evasion on the MTA-NYC Transit bus, subway, and commuter rail in 2024 will come close to matching the loss of $700 million in 2023. It is time for the MTA to join elected officials to launch a full-scale marketing campaign to shame those deadbeat riders into paying their fares.
Advertising panels should be placed both outside and inside buses with the words “If you don’t pay your fare, this bus may not be there.” The same advertisements should be posted at all subway and commuter railroad stations, and inside every subway and commuter rail car. Public service announcements should be made on all buses, subway cars, and commuter rail cars reminding riders that if everyone doesn’t pay their way, the bus, subway or commuter rail train you are currently riding might not be there tomorrow. Your waiting time for the next bus, subway, or commuter rail train may be longer than you like.
Public service announcements should run on all radio and TV stations. Full-page ads should be placed in every weekly and daily newspaper. All elected officials should include this information in any future newsletters sent to constituents. When speaking at any public forum, elected officials need to instill in the audience the importance of paying their fare.
NYC District Attorneys need to work with the MTA and enforce the law. Taxpayers and honest commuters who pay should not have to tolerate this theft of service.
City Hall, Albany and Washington are not going to continue providing billions annually to the MTA when, year after year, they refuse to put their own fiscal house in order, including dealing with fare evasion.
A significant reduction in fare evasion during 2024 could raise several hundred million more in revenue. The technology exists to punish fare-beaters. Failure to pay tickets issued by police should be deducted from any future city, state or federal tax refund. Other government benefits paid for by taxpayers should also be withheld.
It is unfair to keep asking commuters to pay a higher fare and continue to see so many who routinely go unpunished for not paying their fare.
Larry Penner
Via-Email
