President Hamilton Writes Op-Ed Defending NYU, Denounces SJP
The op-ed comes as a response to another opinion piece which claimed NYU was anti-Semitic.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Monday, President Andrew Hamilton refutes claims that NYU is anti-semitic, citing the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life, the department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and NYU Tel Aviv.
The piece is a response to another Wall Street Journal op-ed published earlier this month, “Anti-Semitism at NYU.” The earlier op-ed claims that NYU has been tolerant of anti-Semitism on its campus. The author, Susan Shapiro, a writing professor at NYU, cited the awarding of the university’s President’s Service Award to Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) as well as the events at an Israeli Independence Day celebration in Washington Square Park in which two students were arrested for confrontations with Zionists in attendance as evidence for this anti-Semitism.
President Hamilton did not attend the President’s Award Ceremony which caused outrage among the students who were selected to receive the award. In his op-ed, President Hamilton stated that, “Had it been up to me, SJP would not have received the award.” He also makes it clear that his office is not involved in the selection process, despite the name of the award.
He made a point to downplay the significance of SJP’s selection, writing that, “It is an award given annually to 150 clubs and individuals chosen by a committee of volunteer staffers and a student.”
The university declined to comment further on the content of the op-ed.
“No, no comment,” University spokesperson John Beckman said in an email to Local.“It speaks for itself.”
In addition to this op-ed, NYU is also facing a lawsuit based on its awarding of the President’s Service Award to SJP.
“[T]arring NYU as anti-Semitic is wrong and unfair. NYU is committed to its Jewish community, and that is not ever going to change,” Hamilton wrote.
Local has reached out to members of SJP for comment and will update this story accordingly.
