By Asia Fields
In response to the vandalism of seven books in Jewish Studies section of Western’s library, the university and community members have purchased more than a hundred more.
More than two hundred students, administrators, faculty and community members showed up to the university’s event today, April 10, responding to the acts of antisemitism and showcasing the new books.
Seven books in the Jewish Studies section of the library were found vandalised last quarter, according to Western Today. The university and community then purchased 120 new books, some of which cannot be found in any other libraries, said Sandra Alfers, director of Western’s Ray Wolpow Institute for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity.
At the event, President Sabah Randhawa said he was saddened for the fear the book vandalism created on campus, and called for further support for marginalized people.
“I wish I could tell you that this is the last such act of hatred at Western,” Randhawa said. “But what I can tell you is that we can’t have such acts of hatred and bias create a culture of fear at Western.”
He said he was most of all saddened for those who vandalized the books, calling them closed-minded and “cowardly.”
Randhawa said the university’s role is to teach democratic values and inclusivity.
“This kind of cowardly action perfectly illustrates the nature of hate and bigotry because it flourishes in darkness and withers when exposed to the light of reason and conventional scrutiny,” Randhawa said.
Alfers said organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League, Southern Poverty Law Center and American Civil Liberties Union have documented a national rise in hate crimes in recent years.
This is particularly true for college campuses. The Anti-Defamation League found that incidents on college campuses nearly doubled in 2017 for the second year in a row.
Western has faced antisemitic incidents in recent years. Not only were the books in the library vandalized last quarter, but a professor also found a swastika drawn outside their door, The Western Front reported.
The ADL recorded two incidents at Western in 2017. In winter quarter 2016, there were three incidents of antisemitism confirmed by the university, The Western Front reported.Two of the cases consisted of students finding swastikas drawn on the doors of their dorm rooms.
In the other case, a headless doll was found in Ridgeway Beta with a note that said “Death to all Jews.” The student who was found to be responsible said they considered it a prank they were playing on a friend. The student was placed on disciplinary probation.
Alfers, who grew up in post-war West Germany, said the destruction of books brings about disturbing reminders of the past.
She said the event reminded her of Micha Ullman’s memorial to book-burning at Bebelplatz in Berlin. She said she wanted to be clear she was not equating acts of antisemitism at Western with Nazi book burning in the 1930s, but said we must critically examine the past.
“Critically examining the past and remembering it bestows us with ethical responsibilities for the future and the present,” Alfers said.
Western Libraries is now more determined than ever to have inclusive collections, Dean of Libraries Mark Greenberg said, calling library materials critical in increasing inclusion.
The books will be placed on shelves in the next few days, Greenberg said.
“The deliberate destruction of library books along with hateful slurs written in them constitute a reprehensible, criminal act that will not be tolerated,” Greenberg said.
Greenberg, Randhawa and Alfers all called for addressing hate and bigotry against all marginalized people. Alfers mentioned the rise in hate crimes against other marginalized groups, as well.
In fall quarter, the AS Review reported on hate flyers directed towards Muslim people found on campus.
University Police are still investigating the antisemitic vandalism.
Alfers was on Western’s Task Force on Preventing and Responding to Antisemitism, which was created in spring 2016 in response to antisemitic acts on campus. The task force released a report in May 2017 calling for transparent reporting and response protocols, and more education and training on discrimination and antisemitism, the Front reported.
The task force’s recommendation that the university create a working definition of antisemitism was met, Alfers said. She said Western became the first university in her knowledge to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition for educational purposes.
The event was scheduled to come before Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, according to Western Today. The day of remembrance falls on April 11 this year.
Editor’s note: The AS Review uses “antisemitic” instead of “anti-Semitic” to recognize expert consensus that there is no such thing as “Semitism” as laid out in the findings of Western’s Task Force on Preventing and Responding to Antisemitism. The task force was made up of students, faculty, staff and administrators, and the report can be found here.
Updated 4/10/2018 at 2:10 p.m. to clarify that it was “more than” 100 books instead of “over” 100, and the information about the vandalism came from Western Today.