UCLA Condemns Anti-Semitic Facebook Post

The University of California at Los Angeles last week condemned an anti-Semitic comment that a UCLA student posted on the Facebook page of Mayim Bialik, the actress. Bialik, a UCLA alumna, wrote on Facebook about her pride in being Jewish and Zionist. The student -- in a comment widely discussed on the UCLA campus -- posted a comment apparently addressed to Jews who immigrated to the United States from Europe.

The comment verbatim (with language that may be upsetting to some): "If you're of Euro ancestry and you were born in the Americas, you are still a white immigrant, the way you call us brown people immigrants and aliens in our own damn space. YOU people invades our space and used your bogus gods to justify taking land that was never yours. I don't know how that's different from what's happening in Palestine -- you come into their land, crying persecution and diminished numbers, and instead of returning to your own homes in Poland, Germany and Russia, your people chose to invade another culture's homeland, invoking your bullshit sacred pacts with your gods and massacring an entire culture unless they bend to your will. GTFOH with all your Zionist bullshit. Crazy ass fucking troglodyte albino monsters of cultural destruction."

UCLA officials have said that, since the university is public, it is covered by the First Amendment and does not seek to punish students for writing or saying offensive things. But periodically, UCLA officials find comments worth publicly criticizing and this was one such case. Janina Montero, vice chancellor for student affairs, sent an email to all students. "We have become aware of anti-Semitic comments allegedly posted by a UCLA student on a private Facebook page not affiliated with UCLA," the email said. "The hurtful and offensive comments displayed ignorance of the history and racial diversity of the Jewish people, insensitivity and a disappointing lack of empathy. Bigotry against the Jewish people or other groups is abhorrent and does not represent the values of UCLA or the beliefs of our community. UCLA remains proud of the ethnic, racial, religious and cultural diversity of our campus. Sustaining such a diverse community is possible only if we treat each other with compassion and resist the temptation to stereotype or belittle those who may be different. Incidents like these are a reminder that we must always remain committed to inclusiveness and to understanding and respecting others."