The JewishPress.com spoke with several current Oberlin students, a parent of a current student, many alumni and a Jewish professional on campus in order to find out what is going on. What we heard is that the one voice that is not permitted at Oberlin is a voice, no matter how firmly embedded in the left, that expresses any support for the right of the Jewish State to exist.
SO WHAT’S THE PROBLEM AT OBERLIN?
Several Oberlin insiders with whom we spoke mentioned a pivotal event.
Several Oberlin insiders mentioned an incident in March of 2013, following what had been described as a sighting of a Ku Klux Klansman on campus, which later turned out to have been a hoax.
Most of the student body had convened to meet with the administration. After speeches were made, students stood up to share their own experiences with racism or other traumatic incidents. After several others spoke, one student stood and began to talk about her fears about being targeted as an Israeli on campus. From the back of the room someone shouted out: “Free Palestine!” and the room erupted with applause.
After discussing how the Oberlin Jewish community initially was paralyzed by that incident, a current senior pointed out that although the sighting of the klansman turned out to be a hoax, there had been swastikas scrawled in several places on campus.
“Most students had no idea that the swastika symbol was an anti-Semitic one. It was treated as evidence of racism, and there was no effort to reach out to Jewish students who might have been upset by that symbol,” he said.
This student, who explained that he “opposes the occupation,” said that Jews are afraid to speak up. “There is nothing we can do.”
“Lots of students are pro-Israel, even if opposed to the occupation, but that isn’t allowed. I oppose the occupation but that doesn’t take away from the right of the Jewish people to self-determination.”
This student explained that the “progressives are mirroring the very image they claim to hate, they allow no room for conversation. If you’re not with us in any way you are against us. It should be inclusive, but it isn’t.”
“The Students for Free Palestine have a clear objective: get rid of Israel,” the Oberlin senior explained. “We have diversity of thought, so it’s harder to build cohesion. That is especially so at a school where diversity of thought is not welcome.”
Think about that. Oberlin is being described by a current student as a place “where diversity of thought is not welcome.”
BLACK FLAGS FOR GAZA ON ROSH HASHANA
Another incident mentioned by nearly every Oberlin student, current or former, took place on Rosh Hashanah in 2014.
Several hundred small black flags were placed outside of Wilder Hall while Rosh Hashana services were taking place within the building. Next to the black flags was placed a sign, explaining that the black flags represented Palestinians in Gaza who were murdered by Israelis during Operation Cast Lead.
The sign used the term genocide to describe what happened.
Several Jewish students recounted feeling awful when they saw the flags. It was “yet another” reminder of how much anyone who attempts to experience their Jewishness at Oberlin is forced to recognize how much Israel is hated and blamed for everything bad that happens in the region.
A sophomore explained that the Rosh Hashana black flags incident happened shortly after she arrived on campus. This student was coming from having spent part of her gap year in Israel. She knew Oberlin would not be overly welcoming of pro-Israel sentiments, but the “misinformation” about the Gaza War really bugged her.