Image: http://www.barbararisman.com/bio.html
Barbara J. Risman, distinguished College of Arts & Sciences sociology professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, plans to continue teaching at the school she has called her “beloved academic home” for the past 17 years.
But the disgusting display of antisemitism from pro-Hamas protesters on college campuses changed everything.
When asked about the tenor of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations and the overall climate on campus since October 7 by the Times of Israel, Risman noted, “The demonstrations have never been portrayed as being about ending the war, helping the people of Gaza, or rebuilding Gaza; all the things I can throw at it. But , everything was portrayed as an attack on the right of the Jews to have a homeland. At that time I personally felt attacked.”
“Jewish students don’t want people to know they are Jewish. Israeli students don’t want to speak in public because their voices will attract attention.
In an Op-Ed for The Chicago Tribune, Risman expanded on how the anti-Jewish sentiment infecting campuses across the country led to the difficult decision to leave his post.
Just days after the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel on October 7, the faculty of women and gender studies and Black studies posted a joint statement on their website to assure Palestinian and Muslim students that they are valued and that faculty members are concerned for their well-being. . I share that concern, deeply.
Glaringly absent from the statement is concern for Jewish and Israeli students. The faculty claimed to be “weeping for the deaths in southern Israel” but continued to “break the escalation of settler colonial violence.” The statement ended with solidarity with those “targeted by colonialism, racism, heteropatriarchy, ableism and state-sanctioned violence” without mentioning antisemitism, terrorist killings or hostages. The global Asian studies program posted a similar statement, but only a statement of concern for the Arab, Palestinian and Muslim communities at this time.
Even worse, several student support centers, including the Disability Resource Center and the Women’s Leadership and Resource Center, issued statements of solidarity with the Palestinians. While concern for students who are worried about their loved ones in Palestine is important and necessary, why are Jewish and Israeli students not visible? Aren’t Jews concerned about being in a center designed to support student success?
Even as the United Nations presented evidence of sexual violence during the October 7 attacks, the Women’s Resource and Leadership Center remained silent on the suffering of Israeli women. In a Zoom meeting with several Jewish students, I learned that some were reluctant to use the state-supported resources available at the center because the political rhetoric made them unpopular. The feeling of being an “other,” not belonging at UIC, goes against our mission of inclusivity.
Risman concluded, “I will retire before I want to because UIC is no longer a comfortable institution for me, as a Jew who believes that Israel has a right to exist. And it is clear, more than 80% of Jews in America share this belief. When university departments and programs have issued statements showing their support for destroying a country where more than half of all Jews live today, they have crossed the line from simple microaggressions against Jewish students and faculty to institutional antisemitism.
Risman also told the Times of Israel that, although he was the only one to speak publicly, he had received his thanks in private.
“I expected to get a lot of personal blows from my peers. Instead, what I got was a lot of secret thanks from all over campus from students, faculty, staff, administrators. Now I know more Jews on campus than I’ve known in 17 years the past
“They all said, ‘You’re so brave. I would never do that.’ People now contact me when something happens because I’m the only one who says anything publicly.
