Los Angeles Review of Books
Jun 2, 2021
The recent increase in violence between the Israeli state and Palestinians, triggered by ongoing Israeli attempts to expel Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah area of East Jerusalem and culminating in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, was felt locally as well as globally. An uptick in incidents of antisemitism led to a May 26 letter to the UCLA community by Chancellor Gene D. Block and Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Anna Spain Bradley to express the university’s stance against antisemitism both in Los Angeles and across the US. By contrast, the comparative silence of the office of the Chancellor on anti-Arab and especially anti-Palestinian racism, both this time and in the past, has elicited a response from UCLA faculty members, convened by Professor Saree Makdisi, who wish to express concern over what seems to be a blind spot in the university’s claim to embrace diversity, equity, and the inclusion of all communities.