At the University of Sydney, the hate fringes have become mainstream - opinion

Once upon a time, a university was a place that produced and disseminated knowledge, and academia earned its name as being associated with Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. What would Athena say if she had accidentally stumbled upon a student assembly at the University of Sydney this week? 

There was no knowledge there, nor wisdom. Instead, the esteemed assembly approved a call for the destruction of the State of Israel and a statement of support for Hamas rapists and murderers.

There was hatred and violence as hundreds of rioters  (“students”) wearing keffiyehs decided to reject a statement condemning Hamas for the crimes of October 7 while cheering ecstatically for the terror group’s atrocities. The rioters, not content with identifying with everything evil and dark in the world, also forcibly prevented a substantive discussion on the subject. They did not allow the representative of the pro-Israeli position to speak, and honestly: What’s the point?

I love the University of Sydney, or rather, I loved it. I taught Jewish history there and felt I was part of the place. Supporters of the axis of evil were there already, but they were few, quiet, and restrained. 

I never understood how a person could have the audacity to live in an advanced and enlightened country, enjoy the pleasures of social openness and pluralism, and at the same time identify with a cruel and dark regime that tramples women, throws homosexuals off roofs, steals food from its citizens, and advocates violence as an acceptable way to resolve disputes. “Well, they’re on the fringes,” I told myself.

Meanwhile, in Sydney, the fringes have become mainstream, the minority has become the majority, and the calls are becoming, accordingly, more extreme.

'University of Sydney has fallen'

“The University of Sydney has fallen. It is no longer a safe place for Jewish students,” announced the pro-Israeli lobby group this week. Faced with this situation, I have no choice but to erase the University of Sydney from my CV, as it is no longer just an educational institution but also the academic arm of the Hamas regime. This is despite the fact that in several countries, including, most notably, Australia, Hamas is a designated terrorist organization.

I have no expectations from an ignorant and hate-filled rabble. They are no different from those sons of Satan that they support. However, from a university – a source of wisdom and knowledge – in an enlightened and advanced country, I do have expectations.

If the university management had delved a little into Islamic studies, they would have learned that a place that is dangerous for Jews today may be dangerous for Christians, Buddhists, and Baha’is tomorrow. If only they had asked a historian, they would surely have learned that a process that does not receive a response in time turns from a candle flame that can be easily extinguished into a fire that cannot be controlled. Isn’t there a single professor in the crowd?

But the University of Sydney chose the easy way: Do nothing. In its official statement after the event, it wrote, in my free translation: “Blah, blah, blah.” There is no sign of any type of shock in its response, no understanding of the danger, awareness of the situation, or sense of emergency. It is nothing but a polite sweeping statement, touching on “condemnation of all violence,” and “investigation of every complaint.” 

With this shameful response, the University of Sydney essentially confirms that it is going along with the trend and that it has no problem being a dangerous place for Jews.

The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, it will be destroyed by those who look on and do nothing. This is a sentence that doesn’t require academia. This week it was well demonstrated at one of the world’s most prestigious universities.

The writer is president of WIZO.