California was known for decades as being “laid back” and accepting, and nowhere more so than in the sleepy town of Santa Barbara, the home of the University of California, Santa Barbara. The home of “epic” surfing, it inspired Bruce Brown to make the film “The Endless Summer.”
Now, it is accepting of everyone except Jews. And the UCSB administration seems to be just fine with that Jew hatred.
The Multicultural Center at UCSB is supposed to be a place for students of different cultures to get to know each other. Students and faculty can learn about each other’s cultures, traditions, beliefs, and practices. But that purpose doesn’t apply to Jews, who are now not even allowed in the center.
There is a large sign prominently placed at the center that says, “Zionists Are Not Welcome. And Stay Away From Our Kitchen Too!” This sign is on university property (paid for by state and federal taxes). A sign expressing the hatred Jews have experienced throughout history is condoned by the university. “No Jews Allowed” is a sign that has haunted civilized societies for ages, but no Jew ever thought we would see that hate in 21st century America.
And yes, there is no question that this is Jew hatred. Anti-Zionism is just the latest form of anti-Semitism to darken the world. While it is possible to disagree with Israeli governmental decisions, to be against the existence of the only Jewish nation in the world (there are over 50 Muslim nations and over 120 Christian nations) is simply another way to express hatred for Jews themselves. To want the destruction of a country that is a mere one quarter of one percent the size of the rest of the Middle East region is to express hate towards every Jew, whether they live in Israel or abroad.
Jonathan Sacks, the former chief rabbi of the United Kingdom, made it a point in the last years of his life to repeatedly teach how and why “anti-Zionism” is actually “anti-Semitism” and how the conflicts in the Middle East against Israel will be the defining battle of our time -- a battle between a culture that worships life and one that worships death. We saw the truth of his statement not only on October 7, but ever since with attacks against Israel in the media and at the United Nations and with the absolute abandonment of the United States under the Biden administration in the last few weeks. We have seen a world in shock at the horrors perpetuated by Hamas turn to a world that supports Hamas and calls them “victims.” We all saw the videos of what Hamas did to civilians. It was the most despicable example of animalistic behavior since the Holocaust. We must not forget those images: murder, dismemberment, beheadings of babies, rape, torture, and more. But in their Jew-hating passion, the “anti-Zionists” would have us forget about Israelis being beheaded and the murders of children and the elderly. They would have us not think about the female hostages who have been repeatedly raped for almost five months.
The UCSB Multicultural Center would rather we not think about the reality that those women who have been raped five and six times per day as hostages are probably pregnant right now. Apparently, UCSB doesn’t really care about those women’s rights. Because after all, they are Jews.
The administration knows about the intense Jew hatred at UCSB since October 7; they cannot claim plausible deniability. The campus Chabad rabbi has repeatedly reported acts of hate on the formerly idyllic campus. Hate graffiti has been painted on the Chabad House driveway. Bags of rocks with images of “Jews with oversized noses” were distributed around campus. Similar materials were left at dorm rooms, apartments, and houses of Jewish students.
Henry Yang, the chancellor of UCSB, has been made aware of this hatred but has done nothing to address it. He was sent emails by concerned parents about this latest hate at the Multicultural Center, but as of now has still done nothing. Yang is aware of the targeted hate towards Tessa Veksler, the first observant Jew elected as the student president of UCSB, who in the last week has had over a dozen placards of anti-Jew hate placed around her office.
But Yang and the university have remained silent.
There was a time when UCSB was a school that was the epitome of a diverse campus that embraced respecting differences. But that was when students were concerned with riding waves and getting good grades. Now, with the tacit approval of Chancellor Yang and the administration, the school is more focused on allowing (and encouraging) Jew hatred than educating its students about the historical realities of the Middle East, the horrors of October 7, and the evils embedded in the very charter documents of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Palestinian Authority.
The Hamas Charter (the Covenant of 1988) specifically calls for the obliteration of all Jews in Article 7. The Palestinian Authority has yet to condemn October 7 in even the slightest way. And now, UCSB has joined other colleges like Harvard and Columbia in embracing Jew hatred under the guise of “anti-Zionism.” And like the heads of Harvard, MIT, and Penn, Yang needs to be held responsible for the hate he has continued to allow against Jews on his campus.
Never again is now, and Yang must be held responsible.
As of Monday afternoon, UCSB and Chancellor Yang have still not responded about this issue.
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