March 31, 2023

Dear President Anthony E. Munroe,

The anonymous apology that appeared on March 21, 2023, on the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) website does not indicate why “anyone who was offended” might have “felt unsafe” at BMCC. Instead, it declares that “Our strength as a higher education community is our unifying vision of equity.” The exhibit is referenced as “presenting a perspective of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” but perspectives must be based on facts. In this case, funds from the President’s Fund for Excellence and Innovation at BMCC for the support of “innovative ways to address our students’ needs” were used for a public display of agitprop and hate.

The tenor of the ongoing events at BMCC is given by the poster below. This is not the place to contend with the invented context and misinformation presented. It is enough to say that the delegitimization of Israel and Jewish history starts with the opening salvo that it is a myth that “Palestine and Israel are ‘in conflict’.” Palestinians are accorded no agency; they are simply victims of Jewish thievery and treachery. This narrative echoes the demonization and delegitimization of Jews over the centuries in majority Christian and Muslim lands: Jews don’t belong, they corrupt the people and the land and steal the fruits of the labor of the authentic indigenous population.

Our group, The CUNY Alliance for Inclusion, stands against the effort to destroy academic freedom and civility on campus for the purpose of the unique demonization and delegitimization of one nation, Israel. We appreciate your efforts to disassociate BMCC from the events that were sponsored by your fund for Excellence and Innovation at BMCC. We also acknowledge your efforts to restore civility at BMCC once attention was drawn to the intimidating atmosphere created by BMCC staff who distorted history and presented a one-sided picture in which they even deny there is a conflict. We ask you to invite our group together with faculty at BMCC to organize a discussion on the history of the Jewish People and the history of the complex Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would be based on fact and respect for all people in the region. This would help redress the intimidation of students who identify with Israel and send a signal to all students that the truth matter, including when it comes to Israel. Such a discussion could occur within the context of the 75th anniversary of the founding of Israel on April 26.

Members of CAFI would greatly appreciate the chance to meet with you and work with you and faculty at BMCC to create a welcoming climate at CUNY for all students.

Sincerely,

Azriel Genack (agenack@qc.cuny.edu, 917-617-9493)
Distinguished Professor of Physics
Queens College and The Graduate Center
On behalf of the CUNY Alliance for Inclusion (CAFI)