No place for hate at Penn
To the Editor:
I am writing to clarify Hillel's position regarding anti-Semitism on Penn's campus, and specifically the speech Bill Baker gave nearly a month ago. At the risk of stating the obvious, Hillel unequivocally condemns all acts of anti-Semitism and bigotry. However, there is great danger in tossing around condemnations without great certainty. Calling someone a racist, or an anti-Semite, is a very serious matter.
While in hindsight it is clear that Baker has anti-Semitic leanings, we did not find out about his history until shortly before their event. Therefore, we deliberated, based on our knowledge at the time, how to respond to Baker's invitation to speak for the Muslim Students Association. A significant amount of energy was put into deciding whether or not to cause a stir pre-emptively about his presence on campus.
When we learned of Baker's anti-Semitic past, we immediately let the leaders of MSA know that based on his past we found this speaker objectionable and not in keeping with the kind of relationship we wanted to develop. Secondly, many members of the Jewish community convened shortly before Baker was scheduled to speak, and discussed the best way to respond to his anti-Semitic past. We decided to attend the lecture, ready to protest any potential anti-semitic comments. Since Baker did not make any anti-Semitic statements at this lecture, we decided to discuss the issue with the leaders of MSA, rather than through public protest.
Our role as representatives of Penn's Jewish community is to promote Jewish life on campus, and as such, it is our obligation to confront any, and all, anti-Semitic incidents. Our objection to Baker's presence on campus was done privately. This response did not satisfy the entire diverse community associated with Penn Hillel -- for that, I apologize. We thank the MSA for clarifying their position regarding Baker, thereby reaffirming their commitment to battling bigotry on this campus. We remain committed to working with the MSA and other campus groups in order to better ensure that intolerance and hate have no place at Penn.
Jason Auerbach President, Penn Hillel
A message of unity
To the Editor:
On Oct. 22, Penn Hillel and the Muslim Students Association released a joint statement responding to the tensions that had arisen as a result of Bill Baker's visit to Penn during Islam Awareness Week. Although the statement sent a powerful message of unity and friendship that will likely resonate long into the future, the statement did not emphasize the specific nature of Baker's visit and instead broadly discussed the mission of both the MSA and Hillel.
Several weeks ago, the MSA apologized to Hillel for burdening students with the baggage that Baker carried, and today we express the same feelings of regret to the entire Penn community.
Anti-Semitism and other types of bigotry must not penetrate the spirit of friendship that we all share, and the MSA and Hillel join other campus groups in fortifying the harmonious environment that veils Penn from hatred.
Muhammed Mekki President, Muslim StudentsAssociation
