The official newspaper of Yeshiva University in New York is reporting that after Erin Stalcup, a departing professor of English at the school, was discovered to have signed a letter to Obama denouncing Israel as an apartheid state, students called on the school's president to condemn her statement. But then AIPAC stepped in to the controversy and said that YU should not condemn her:
by a number of student leaders calling on President [Richard] Joel to denounce
Prof. Stalcup for her comments. An AIPAC representative, however,
successfully pressed Fischman to stop the petition, arguing that the
petition would draw more attention to the letter and not result in a
useful contribution.
There was a lingering impression among
several students that as a faculty member of YU, Professor Stalcup has
impugned the Yeshiva University brand by signing her name on the letter.
Max
Saltzman [another pro-Israel student] responded that “while working for a Jewish institution,
surrounded by Jewish students, Professor Stalcup openly supported a
statement calling the Jewish homeland an apartheid state.” He added,
“While she is entitled to her beliefs, to publicly express these
particular beliefs while working for YU is inappropriate.”
President
Richard M. Joel distanced himself and Yeshiva from the letter when
asked about it at the recent Town Hall meeting uptown (see page 22).
President Joel maintained that while YU faculty have the right to voice
their personal opinions outside the classroom, he found the letter
abhorrent.
Thanks to Drubetskoy, and Medad.
