from The Gray Area:

10/28/23; updated 10/30/23:

While the above statement is good, they specifically do not stand in support of Israel. But, at least they can see evil in the form of Hamas and condemn it. To this portion of the art community, supporting social and regime change  'by any means necessary' is an unacceptable strategy!

• Universities United Against Terrorism published this statement in full page ads:We Stand Together with Israel against Hamas. We are horrified and sickened by the brutality and inhumanity of Hamas. Murdering innocent civilians including babies and children, raping women and taking the elderly as hostages are not the actions of political disagreement but the actions of hate and terrorism. The basis of all universities is a pursuit of truth, and it is times like these that require moral clarity. Like the fight against ISIS, the fight against Hamas is a fight against evil. We, the presidents and chancellors of universities, colleges and higher education associations across the United States of America and the world, stand with Israel, with the Palestinians who suffer under Hamas’ cruel rule in Gaza and with all people of moral conscience.

The radical let has infiltrated our universities. It about time a university, in this case 100 universities, stood up for their educational mission. I hope it is not just a publicity narrative or a direct appeal to donors not to close their checkbooks. what can alumni do to root out radicalism on college campuses? We have seen the opposite from university students and groups all over the news the past three weeks. Why Was It So Hard for Elite Universities to Condemn Hamas Terrorism? America’s leading universities have an antisemitism problem—and it starts at the top. This past week, university presidents and deans across the country wrote to their students and faculties to express concern in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas. What they said, and what they did not say, provides a window into the culture of intellectual and moral rot and cowardice that reigns at these once-great institutions. At Harvard University, President Claudine Gay has issued three muddled statements, under pressure, on the horrific events. Her first statement was a tepid confession of “heartbreak” that implied an equivalence between the Hamas attacks and Israel neutralizing the terrorists. This embarrassment was signed by all the university’s senior deans. Only after a barrage of online criticism—and threats by donors—did she muster the strength to condemn the child killers. Not content to leave it alone, she has issued another statement, but still without criticizing the 30-odd student groups who professed to “hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible” for the murder, rape, kidnapping, and torture of Jews, referring instead to the principle of freedom of speech. Let us be clear that these students have freedom of speech, but so does Claudine Gay. She has the right to condemn their words. In 2022, Harvard denounced in no uncertain terms “the capricious and senseless invasion of Ukraine.” Harvard knows how to speak clearly about Ukrainian victims but not, apparently, about Jewish victims. By the way, Harvard was not on the above list of Universities United Against Terrorism! Clearly the 'rot' continues and is deeply embedded in our institutions. Many people support the World Economic Forum, formed in 1971 as an International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation and they support its published mission. The WEF engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Their advocacy is pervasive & illustrated in this article from 2020: How arts and culture can serve as a force for social change. Their shaping of global agendas, in reality, is that of a revolutionary organization hiding in plain site. The Wall Street Journal article, goes into more detail and summarizes what we are against institutionally with all this: Where did these people get such ideas? The universities. Here’s an introductory-level EMR (Ethnicity, Migration, Rights) class at Harvard: “Global Rebellion: Race, Solidarity, and Decolonization.” For those who think we may be too late in turning around these destructive and rebellious ideals, the two public statements above may be, at least, a promising step out away from narratives and into reality for  clarity in morality & justice. Maybe the tide is beginning to turn! More From The Wall Street Journal (subscription required): More From The Global Arts Community More From Universities United Against Terrorism: More From Politico: More From World Economic Forum: More From The Art of Education University: