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City University of New York Professors Ask US Supreme Court to Sever Ties to ‘Antisemitic’ Public Sector Union
CUNY School of Law in New York City. Photo: Evulaj90 / Wikimedia Commons.
Attorneys for the National Right to Work Foundation (NRTW) and the Fairness Center have asked the US Supreme Court to hear the case of six City University of New York (CUNY) professors who are suing to be “freed” from their public sector union, The Algemeiner has learned.
According to court documents, the professors, five of whom are Jewish, resigned from CUNY’s Professional Staff Congress (PSC-CUNY) after it passed a resolution during Israel’s May 2021 war with Hamas that declared solidarity with Palestinians and accused the Jewish state of ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and crimes against humanity.
But the professors, because of New York State’s “Taylor Law,” must remain in the union’s “bargaining unit” — which, according to the plaintiffs, is coercive, denying the professors’ right to freedom of speech and association by forcing them to be represented in collective bargaining negotiations by an organization they claim holds antisemitic views. Beyond the plaintiffs, 263 other professors and staff have resigned from the union as well, according to the website of the Resign.PSC campaign, which accuses the body of having “violated its mandate” by weighing in on a contentious political issue.
A New York district judge dismissed the professors’ suit in November 2022, ruling that several previous cases have affirmed the constitutionality of compulsory union representation and rejected the argument now advanced by NRTW.
“Taken to its logical extreme, plaintiffs’ theory would entitle every single member of a bargaining group to negotiate separately with the public employer over terms and conditions of employment,” the judge wrote in his opinion.
In appealing the decision, NRTW and the Fairness Center argued that the court’s dismissal was “misguided.” They are betting on the nation’s highest court, which holds a 6-3 conservative majority, sharing its view of the matter.
“The core issue in this case is straightforward: can the government force Jewish professors to accept the representation of an advocacy group they rightly consider to be antisemitic?” says the petition filed with the court on Friday. “The answer plainly should be ‘no.’ The First Amendment protects the rights of individuals, and especially religious dissenters, to disaffiliate themselves from associations and speech they abhor.”
It continued, “The professors want to completely dissociate themselves from PSC’s representation to protest its anti-Israel conduct and other failings. In other words, because PSC wants to boycott Israel, the Jewish professors want to boycott PSC. The State of New York is prohibiting the professors from engaging in this expressive activity by forcing them to remain exclusively represented by PSC. This amounts to compelled expressive association under the First Amendment because it means PSC has legal authority to speak and contract for the professors.”
On Monday, one of the plaintiffs in the case, CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College professor Avraham Goldstein, issued a public plea for justice.
“I see in this union the kind of antisemitism that my family suffered while they were trapped in the Soviet Union,” Goldstein said. “I want to no part of this organization, but the law says I have no escape. I must accept its representation, no mater how it treats Jews.”
The Professional Staff Congress has not responded to The Algemeiner‘s request for comment for this story.
The City University of New York is a microcosm of the antisemitism crisis on American college campuses, higher education experts and lawmakers have said.
This year alone, the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) resolved half a dozen investigations of antisemitism on its campuses, a consortium of undergraduate colleges located throughout New York City’s five boroughs.
The inquiries, which reviewed incidents that happened as far back as 2020, were aimed at determining whether school officials neglected to prevent and respond to antisemitic discrimination, bullying, and harassment. Hunter College and CUNY Law combined for three resolutions in total, representing half of all the antisemitism cases settled by OCR. Baruch College, Brooklyn College, and CUNY’s Central Office were the subjects of three other investigations.
One of the cases which OCR resolved, involving Brooklyn College, prompted widespread concern when it was announced in 2022. According to witness testimony provided by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law — which filed the complaint prompting the investigation — Jewish students enrolled in the college’s Mental Health Counseling (MCH) program were repeatedly pressured into saying that Jews are white people who should be excluded from discussions about social justice.
The badgering of Jewish students, the students said at the time, became so severe that one student said in a WhatsApp group chat that she wanted to “strangle” a Jewish classmate.
As part of an agreement with the federal agency, CUNY will, among other steps, “reopen” past internal investigations of antisemitic conduct, report to OCR on its progress, and train its employees to conduct “thorough and impartial investigations” of any bigoted conduct reported by them. CUNY also agreed to issue climate surveys, a series of questions posed to students to measure their opinions on discrimination at their school and administrators’ handling of it.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post City University of New York Professors Ask US Supreme Court to Sever Ties to ‘Antisemitic’ Public Sector Union first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Kamala Harris Condemns ‘Abhorrent’ Pro-Hamas Protests in DC
US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an event with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as part of the US-ASEAN Special Summit, in Washington, DC, May 13, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
US Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday rebuked the rampant anti-Israel protests that have erupted across Washington, DC in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the US capital city and speech to a joint session of Congress, calling the demonstrations “abhorrent.”
Outside of Union Station, rioters vandalized numerous statues and landmarks, and the phrase “Hamas is coming,” written in all capital letters, was spray-painted on a monument, along with an upside-down red triangle, a symbol used by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas when attacking Israeli targets.
“F—k Israel” was also spray-painted at various spots in Washington, DC.
Meanwhile, video emerged on social media showing rioters attacking police officers and burning American flags. They also tore down the American flag in front of Union Station and replaced it with a Palestinian flag. They subsequently set the American flag on fire.
Harris, the presumptive 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, released a statement condemning the “despicable acts by unpatriotic protesters,” specifically referencing the demonstrations at Union Station.
“I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews. Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent and we must not tolerate it in our nation,” Harris said. “I condemn the burning of the American flag. That flag is a symbol of our highest ideals as a nation and represents the promise of America. It should never be desecrated in that way.”
Harris concluded, “I support the right to peacefully protest, but let’s be clear: Antisemitism, hate, and violence of any kind have no place in our nation.”
The statement came after Harris received criticism for not attend Netanyahu’s speech on Wednesday. Instead, the vice president agreed to deliver the keynote address for the national conference of a historically black sorority.
Earlier this month, Harris expressed sympathy for anti-Israel protesters on US university campuses. In an interview, Harris said that college students protesting Israel’s defensive military efforts against Hamas are “showing exactly what the human emotion should be.”
“There are things some of the protesters are saying that I absolutely reject, so I don’t mean to wholesale endorse their points,” she added. “But we have to navigate it. I understand the emotion behind it.”
Harris has previously criticized Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. The vice president, for example, emphatically condemned Israel’s operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, insisting that she “studied the maps, there’s nowhere for [Palestinians] to go.” White House aides also reportedly forced Harris to tone down a speech that was highly critical of Israel earlier this year.
Beyond Harris, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates this week also lambasted the “disgraceful” anti-Israel demonstrators for openly endorsing terrorism and extremism. Bates rebuked the protests for their “antisemitism and violence.”
“Identifying with evil terrorist organizations like Hamas, burning the American flag, or forcibly removing the American flag and replacing it with another, is disgraceful,” he said in a statement. “Antisemitism and violence are never acceptable. Period. Every American has the right to peaceful protest. But shamefully, not everyone demonstrated peacefulness today.”
Anti-Israel protests have rocked the US in the months following Hamas’ massacre of over 1200 people in southern Israel on Oct. 7. Demonstrators have rallied across college campuses and rallied at synagogues and Jewish cultural spaces to express their disapproval of Israel. Many agitators at these protests have openly endorsed the Hamas, the terrorist group that runs Gaza, and have called for the complete destruction of Israel.
In response, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) on Wednesday unveiled new legislation to sanction non-citizens who participate in violent protests. The proposed “No Visas for Violent Criminals Act” would void visas for foreign nationals convicted for their conduct in protests and require their deportation within 60 days. Specifically, the legislation targets non-citizens arrested for obstructing traffic, defacing federal property, and participating in disruptive college campus demonstrations.
Many of the most vocal anti-Israel agitators on college campuses, in particular, have been foreign students.
“The Biden administration’s inaction against pro-Hamas mobs has only emboldened these extremists. Our legislation makes clear that a green card does not give individuals the right to break our laws in support of antisemitic views,” Cotton wrote in a statement.
The post Kamala Harris Condemns ‘Abhorrent’ Pro-Hamas Protests in DC first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Democrats, Republicans Divided on Netanyahu Congressional Speech as US Lawmakers Give Mixed Response
US House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Foreign Relations Chair, US Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), listen as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, July 24, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Craig Hudson
The reaction of US lawmakers to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress largely fell along partisan lines, with prominent Democrats condemning the speech and Republicans praising its message.
Netanyahu on Wednesday broadly outlined his vision for the future of Gaza after the Israel-Hamas war ends, emphasized the necessity of maintaining a strong US-Israel relationship, and proposed a new Middle Eastern security alliance in his address in Washington, DC. The Israeli premier also honored the victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks and thanked both US President Joe Biden and his White House predecessor, Donald Trump, for their support of the Jewish state.
Roughly half of House and Senate Democrats skipped the speech, with many making clear they were boycotting the event in protest of Israel’s prosecution of the war in Gaza. Some argued Netanyahu was meddling in US politics or using the speech to boost his own position at home, taking shots at the Israeli premier over social media.
“Netanyahu is not only a war criminal. He is a liar. All humanitarian organizations agree: Tens of thousands of children face starvation because his extremist government continues to block aid. Israelis want him out of office. So he came to Congress to campaign,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wrote on X/Twitter.
Sanders did not provide evidence to substantiate his claim. A June report provided by the United Nations Famine Review Committee (FRC), a panel of experts in international food security and nutrition, found there was a lack of evidence to conclude that mass starvation has taken hold of Gaza.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, lambasted Netanyahu’s speech for being political in nature, arguing that it serves as a “setback” in US-Israel relations.
“The speech was more a commentary of US politics, rather than a path forward for Israeli and US security. The suggestion that any American who objects to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is a Hamas sympathizer was way out of bound,” Murphy said on X/Twitter. “The downplaying of the humanitarian crisis was astonishing to hear. The truth is that the civilian deaths in Gaza will be bulletin board recruiting material for terrorists for years. That hurts Israel and the US.”
Israel says it has gone to unprecedented lengths to try and avoid civilian casualties, noting its efforts to allow tens of thousands of aid trucks into Gaza, evacuate areas before it targets them, and warn residents of impending military operations with leaflets, text messages, and other forms of communication. However, Hamas, which rules Gaza, has in many cases prevented people from leaving, according to the Israeli military,
Another challenge for Israel is Hamas’ widely recognized military strategy of embedding its terrorists within Gaza’s civilian population and commandeering civilian facilities like hospitals, schools, and mosques to run operations and direct attacks.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), a former speaker of the House, skewered Netanyahu’s speech as “the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary invited and honored with the privilege of addressing the Congress of the United States.”
“Many of us who love Israel spent time today listening to Israeli citizens whose families have suffered in the wake of the October 7th Hamas terror attack and kidnappings. These families are asking for a ceasefire deal that will bring the hostages home — and we hope the Prime Minister would spend his time achieving that goal,” Pelosi wrote on X/Twitter.
Israel has been engaging in ongoing negotiations with Hamas — brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the US — to reach a ceasefire deal to halt fighting in Gaza and release at least some of the Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7. According to reports, the talks appear to be in their closing stages.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) accused Israel of committing “apartheid” and “genocide” against Palestinians. Tlaib, the first Palestinian American woman elected to Congress, expressed “solidarity” with protesters of Netanyahu’s speech.
“The apartheid government of Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians. Palestinians will not be erased. Solidarity with all those outside of these walls in the streets protesting and exercising their right to dissent,” Tlaib wrote.
The protests against Netanyahu in Washington, DC to which Tlaib referred included demonstrators who burned American flags; expressed support for Hamas, a US-designated terrorist organization; and defaced US monuments.
Some pro-Israel Democrats expressed support for Netanyahu’s speech despite the criticism from many in their party. Republicans in general were broadly more supportive.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) praised Netanyahu’s speech as “eloquent.”
“The Prime Minister spoke eloquently about the shared interests and values between our two nations. The American people continue to stand strongly with Israel,” Cotton said on X/Twitter.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) compared Netanyahu to former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and vowed to continue supporting the Jewish state to ensure it eradicates Hamas from Gaza.
“Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the joint session of Congress today was Churchillian. He understands the gravity of the war in Israel, the existential threat to our Israeli allies, and the staggering risks posed to American national security,” he posted on social media. “The same terrorists who hate Jews also hate Christians. I am proud to stand unequivocally with Israel — they have the right and indeed the obligation to defend their citizens. The US should support Israel as they utterly eradicate Hamas, for as long as it takes.”
Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the Senate Republican Whip, stated that it was a “privilege” to welcome Netanyahu to address Congress.
“In front of Congress today, Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized the important bond between the United States and Israel and outlined the threats posed by Iran and other malign actors. It was a privilege to welcome the prime minister and stand beside our ally, Israel,” Thune posted on X/Twitter.
Iran is the chief international sponsor of Hamas, providing the Palestinian terrorist group with funding, weapons, and training.
The post Democrats, Republicans Divided on Netanyahu Congressional Speech as US Lawmakers Give Mixed Response first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Canada’s Jewish community wins court reprieve halting new federal kosher slaughter rules
Jewish advocacy leaders hope this will translate into lower prices on kosher meat.
The post Canada’s Jewish community wins court reprieve halting new federal kosher slaughter rules appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.