Adam Sabes Assistant Editor @asabes10 on Aug 10, 2020 at 10:52 PM EDT . “Over the last several years, incidents of anti-Semitism in American higher education have dramatically increased, and anti-Semitic attacks remain the most common religiously motivated hate crime in the United States.”In November, a bathroom at the university was defaced with antisemitic graffiti that included a swastika and the message, “Holocaust is a lie says the liar with a nose bigger than any Jews.” In March 2016, USC printers were hacked with Daily Stormer flyers featuring swastikas and antisemitic language.Ritch told JI that until recently, the campus had been relatively quiet.
during Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break, and Spring Break. While all physical library locations are closed, other resources are available including Ask-a-Librarian virtual reference service, subject specialists, and more. You can reach him at “And a realization that I could not stay safe mentally or physically if I stayed in this role.”Ritch’s letter got over 1,000 likes and nearly 100 comments on Facebook. and support students and student organizations in their academic and community endeavors. If you want to actually serve on the Student Government Association, start by joining a student organization or talking to someone in your academic program. Rose Ritch in a public resignation letter said “an attack on my Zionist identity is an attack on my Jewish identity.”

Rose Ritch, who was elected vice president of USC’s Undergraduate Student Government in April, said she was sent a wave of harassing messages over social media starting in late June, accusing her of being “complicit in racism” and unfit for the role in part because of her support for Israel. “People in general feel safer behind a screen. This is a pattern and a growing trend. If you wear a sombrero on Cinco De Mayo, the university will crack down on you. “There is a disturbing lack of nuance or willingness to grapple with the messy complexities of an issue, and there is no longer any room for change or growth. Since 1908, Student Government has had a distinguished history at the Univeristy of

USC Student Affairs. These programs include the Carolina Closet, Across the country, Zionist students are being asked to disavow their identities or beliefs to enter many spaces on their campuses.”The university’s statement also addressed growing antisemitism on college campuses. who are elected by the student body each Spring semester.

A University of Southern California senior from San Francisco resigned from her student government position last week after intense backlash for her pro-Israel and Zionist views.Rose Ritch, who was elected vice president of USC’s Undergraduate Student Government in April, said she was sent a wave of harassing messages over social media starting in late June, accusing her of being “complicit in racism” and unfit for the role in part because of her support for Israel.“An attack on my Zionist identity is an attack on my Jewish identity,” she wrote. “This is a very normal thing.”Born and raised in the city’s Castro District, Ritch and her family are longtime members of the Conservative synagogue Kol Shofar in Tiburon, where her parents were married and where she celebrated her bat mitzvah.Ritch, a double major in sociology and law, history and culture, is involved with a number of Jewish campus organizations, including Hillel, Trojans for Israel and Nice Jewish Queers.My Zionism should not and cannot disqualify me from being a leader on campus, nor should others presume what that means about my position on social justice issues.She began her run for student government in January, campaigning on a ticket with fellow student Truman Fritz, who was running for president. student body vice president, speaker of the Student Senate, and student body treasurer She said she wishes her critics would be willing to sit and have a conversation with her about Israel.“It’s easier to ‘cancel’ than to have those conversations,” Ritch told J., “and to have real, honest conversations that create that vulnerable space.” She believes the increase in online communication during the coronavirus pandemic has heightened the chances of words or views being misinterpreted.USC students will start remote classes on Aug. 17.
In her letter of resignation, Ritch wrote that she was “harassed and pressured for weeks by my fellow students because they opposed one of […] As long as student government is a zone where no one who supports Israel is allowed to serve at USC, the university is an effectively antisemitic environment. upon request of the president of the university and oversees the Executive Cabinet. It’s been very civil and that’s what it’s been quite frankly my entire time here at USC,” she said.“You know, I never thought my belief in the existence of the State of Israel would ever put me in this position.”Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) is nonpartisan 501(c)(3), grass-roots community of scholars who have united to promote honest, fact-based, and civil discourse, especially in regard to Middle East issues.USC vows to counter hate after Jewish student government leader resignsUSC vows to counter hate after Jewish student government leader resigns

Students made presumptions about my Zionist identity and leapt to unfair conclusions.”With about 20,000 undergrads, the school’s Jewish student population is around 9 percent, according to a Hillel study.In an interview with J., Ritch described what happened to her as “frustrating” but not surprising.“This is not an uncommon story for Jewish students,” she said.