DU Chabad

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE FACULTY SENATE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF University of Denver

Esteemed faculty of the University of Denver,

It is with great humility and a longstanding love and respect for DU that I write to you. For the past 22 years, it has been my privilege to minister to the students, faculty, administrators, staff, and community at DU. It has been a pleasure to raise my family on the beautiful grounds of this campus. I have witnessed and taken pride in the many wonderful changes that have occurred from new buildings to more opportunities for students on campus during my long association with the university.
Throughout my time at DU, I have taken pride in the deep and respectful relationships I have had with people of other faiths. I believe that all of us are created in the image of the Divine. As you may know, I regularly share meals on campus and at my home not only with Jews, but also with Christians, Muslims, and people of other faiths or no professed faith at all.
The main concern of mine, of course, is the spiritual and mental health of the Jewish community at DU. The massacres, tortures and kidnappings by members of the terrorist Hamas group and their allies in Israel, caused an existential crisis for the DU Jewish community. Since just days after the horror of October 7 came to light, even before Israel began its campaign to obtain the release of the hostages and to remove the threat of another similar attack by Hamas, Jews on campus have been made to feel vulnerable and were forced to question just how safe they are, especially as it relates to their relationship with fellow students, resident assistants, teaching assistants, and faculty.
The occupation of the Carnegie Green in brazen violation of campus rules was particularly hard on most Jews on campus. Those at the encampment and their allies called, at a minimum, for the delegitimization of Israel and, worse, many advocated for the eradication of Jews and the forced destruction of the world’s only Jewish state. They cared little about the fact that Israel, in its modern incarnation, has been a recognized country for 75 years, longer than many other countries in the world. Unfortunately, they also seemed not to know that at the time of the partition that resulted in the state of Israel, both the Jews and the Arabs were offered a country of their own; the Jews accepted their state, and the Arabs rejected the one offered to them. And most troubling, there seemed to be no recognition by the protestors about how Israel, the eternal homeland of the Jewish people, is so important to the identity of Jews around the world, including those in the United States who may have no desire to make Israel their home.
The encampment seemed to embolden some of you to take the chants and signs in the encampment into your classrooms. Jewish students reported that “lessons” were given that parroted some of the most antagonizing positions of the protestors, and others reported that some of you cancelled classes or excused students from class so they could participate in the protests.
All of this left the Jewish community on campus isolated and frightened.
In the spirit of creating a forum for the free exchange of ideas, when the encampment first opened, I asked that dialogue tables be set up. I thought that would be the highest ideal for free speech on campus. On the first day alone, I talked with students for six hours. While students were generally happy to engage with me throughout the encampment, the personal insults and mockery of our holy Torah that I received from professors and graduate students was demeaning, atrocious, and antisemitic. The dismissal of any attempt to engage and/or understand the pain caused to the Jewish community was disheartening.
I came to the encampment every single day and sat in proximity with the protestors to show my community that we can show up Jewishly on campus. It is important to note that multiple Jewish members of DU faculty and staff came over to thank me. Sadly, they shared that they no longer felt safe to show up Jewishly in their departments.
I can forgive young undergraduates for being tone-deaf about how their messages were received. Unfortunately, I believe that at every level of education our society has failed to fully educate them on the history of the region. As important, we have failed to educate them on how to approach complex issues with an open mind and respectfully dialogue with those with whom they disagree.
While I have a measure of forgiveness for the undergrads, I am less compassionate for faculty and grad students that should know better than to turn a blind eye to the pain being caused to the Jewish community. It is incomprehensible to me that many of you failed to recognize how your actions emboldened those that used the tragic situation in Gaza and Israel to justify their hatred of Jews.
During my time at the encampment, I heard some protestors and faculty speak of the power dynamic in Israel. While ignoring the thousands of rockets being fired by Hamas and Hezbollah into Israel, they identified Israel and having all the power over the situation while Gazans did not. Surprisingly, professors, teaching assistants, and resident assistants were not self-aware enough to consider the power dynamic created by their participation in the protests. There was seemingly no comprehension of what the impact would be on Jewish students when they witnessed their professors, teaching assistants, and others in authority over them gleefully chanting anti-Zionist and sometimes antisemitic tropes. From what I observed, it was evident that the “Yellow Shirts” – the volunteer educators and others in authority – were involved in the planning of activities for the camp and endorsed some of its most vile messages. It is unfortunate that these people did not model for the undergraduate students the importance of respectful dialogue and the free exchange of ideas. In the face of their action, it is understandable why so many Jewish students felt unsafe to be in a classroom with such people who have power over them and whose actions could impact their future academic and professional careers.
Notwithstanding my long relationship with DU, I am neither part of its faculty nor a member of the administration. I understand that I have no power at DU to initiate investigations or dole out consequences for inappropriate actions. At the same time, I have had a unique view into the damage faculty has done to the safe learning and work environment for the Jewish community at DU. As a result, I ask you to consider recompense for the actions of the faculty. To that end, please consider educating yourselves and your students on the following topics:
Israel is part of the religious and cultural identity of most Jews in the United States
Jews have had a tie to the land of Israel for at least three thousand years
The majority of Jews in Israel are Mizrachi, with their forebearers emanating from the Middle East and North Africa, and those Jews in Israel present every bit as Arabic as do their Muslim neighbors (as opposed to the Jews in America, the majority of whom are Ashkenazi and whose forebearers are predominantly from Eastern Europe and present as white)
The role of Arabs in Israel, about 20% of its population, includes Arab judges, legislators, military officers, teachers, doctors, lawyers, and other positions of prominence
The integration of Arabs in Israeli society is easily distinguishable from the history of apartheid in South Africa
The disingenuous misuse of “Zionism” to convey everything that a person opposes about Israel when, in fact, Zionism is just an expression of the right of Jews to a land of self-determination in their ancestral homeland, the land of Israel
Utilizing the language of Hamas to call for a “free Palestine from the river to the sea” is a call to free the land from Jews; and a call to “globalize the intifada” is a call for violence against Jews
While speaking out against the policies of Israel is no more antisemitic than it would be unpatriotic to speak out against the policies of the United States, recognize it is antisemitic to dehumanize Israelis, such as comparing them to N***s; delegitimize the world’s only Jewish state, as if a 75-year-old country will simply go away; and hold Israel to a standard not imposed on other countries, such as China, Iran, Russia, or even the treatment of Hamas against its own women and other citizens
Employing ancient tropes to Jews in Israel, the United States, and around the world is antisemitic, including conspiracy theories and lies about Jewish control, greed, dual loyalties, and blood libels
For those of you that have used your positions of authority and participated in the encampment and protests, or otherwise used the pulpit of your classroom to intimidate Jews on campus, I hope you will consider the impact of your conduct and work toward a time when free speech can be at its best, when there can be a free exchange of ideas and respectful dialogue in an effort to enhance the learning experience at DU. In the meantime, I will continue my ministry of Joyful Judaism. If I can be a resource to help you on your journey, please feel free to reach out to me.


Rabbi Yossi Serebryanski
[email protected]

Chanie

Baked Challah with the amazing gals at Tri Delta this week!
Jewish life is alive and well at DU!

This event is an opportunity for us to connect around some of the joys of being Jewish through geography. It has been a hard week to watch from afar family, friends, and our people fighting for their lives. We must remember that with the pains of being Jewish we can still come together to be in community, to connect, and to have fun. Join us for some Jewish joy Wednesday 10.11 6pm on the roof of the commons for Jewish geography!

Round two of events os Minyan and Kiddush both on Saturday and Sunday in celebration of Sukkot.

This Sunday night and Monday are Yom Kippur.Chabad will be hosting services through the evening and during the day on Monday day.Come join us kust steps from campus for as much as you would like.There will be people here all day long and places to rest and relax and hang out.We will not be providing any food or drinks.Of course,the the fast ends with a delicious break fast spread at 7:30 pm.

RSVP ASAP for Rosh Hashanah dinner