By Macy Meinhardt, Voice and Viewpoint staff writer
Ever since the militant attacks across Israel on Oct.7 by terrorist organization Hamas, San Diego has erupted into a multitude of responses and diverse opinions. As a result, the divisive climate underscores the perplexity of a city swiftly trying to come to grips with a middle eastern region marred by seventy-five years of conflict.
In recent weeks, educational institutions locally and nationally have struggled to strike a balance of free speech, while also meeting the demands of its constituents affected by both regions involved in the war. Key areas that V&V has honed in regard to the recent sanctions of civic leaders and organizations for expression of Palestinian support, a defense mechanism spearheaded by anti-semitic hate groups such as Anti-Defamation League. In addition, we also looked into the nature behind these sanctions brought forward by the Jewish community, coupled by instances used to justify the means of such condemnation.
San Diego School Districts
As seen on a national level with the censure of Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib for outspoken rhetoric on the Israel-Hamas War, a similar narrative is being played out in San Diego. Members of San Diego District English Learner Committee, voted Nov. 6 to remove their chair Lallia Allali, an Arab-American, over a widely circulated social media cartoon depicting the Jewish Star of David beheading five babies.
In addition, Allali, also resigned from her position as a lecturer at University of San Diego School of Leadership and Education Sciences, as well as her contributing role at the San Diego Union Tribune.
“This is a matter for accountability. This is not about Palestinian rights, it’s about violence against the Jewish people by Hamas and it must be stopped now,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean and Global Social Action Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
In response, a change.org petition was started by a group of parents condemning San Diego Unified School District for the removal, gaining over 2,603 signatures in support of Allali.
“We, as parents, are disappointed that Mrs. Allali has fallen victim to the Zionist witch hunt, which places targets on the backs of individuals who critique Israel, under the false guise of anti-semitism,” the change.org petitioner, Reem L wrote.
Over in Sweetwater Union High School District, several members of the Pro-Palestenian community showed up to a board meeting on Nov. 13th to show solidarity with a student who has been facing alleged threats from the Anti-Defamation League for a cartoon published in the student newspaper at Bonita Vista High School.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is an international Jewish advocacy group with a mission to fight against anti-semitism.
One parent spoke in opposition to the illustration claiming that the image is reminiscent of Nazi Germany propaganda.
“Controlling the world is a message we see in this cartoon, it really reeks of propaganda that was used in Nazi Germany that led to not just harassment, but extermination. That is something that we just cannot stand for,” the concerned father stated.
On the defense however, many individuals spoke in support of the legally protected freedom of press for public school journalists, including the high school’s Co-Editor in Chief, Grace Na, who wisely spelled out the definition of an editorial cartoon for the many adults in the audience.
“An editorial cartoon is a graphic that expresses the artist’s opinion on a social or political issue, not to express the opinion of the publication, the advisor or school administration. Meaning the cartoons are aspects of commentary whose purpose is to question or make an argument based on current affairs on a local, national, or international scale,” said Na.
Above all, the editorial board manages the publication with the understanding of the California Education Code for 8907 which protects the freedom of speech and of press for public school journalists.
In addition, Na claims that the “the editorial board denies all efforts to characterize the actions of our editorial cartoonist and the editorial process that went into selecting the cartoon to be featured in our paper to be anti-semitic.”
Rising Tensions on San Diego University Campuses
University of California San Diego’s Chancellor Pradeep Khosla faced significant backlash for his Oct. 10th statement on the Israel-Hamas war, showcasing a struggle to deliver a singular cohesive stance that is supportive of all students amid a divided political climate.
“I write to express my unequivocal condemnation of Hamas’ horrific terrorist attack on Israel and targeting of civilians,” said UC Chancellor Pradeep K Khosla, in an email addressed to students. “This was an act of terrorism, launched on a major Jewish holiday. What should have been a quiet weekend of rest turned into days of unspeakable terror and shock.”
The statement, which came out to be just shy of a hundred and twenty words, received criticism from Students for Justice in Palestine, a national activism group with a UCSD chapter, calling it “dangerous and discriminatory.”
“The universities implicit categorization of Palestenains as ‘terrorists’ and ‘anti-semitic’ perpetuates the racist notion that the offensive was unprovoked and done solely to be “launched on a major Jewish holiday,” their condemnation letter reads.
“By peddling this racist notion, the university erases 75 years of ethnic cleansing, apartheid, war crimes, and brutality perpetuated by the Israeli regime against Palestinians.”
Throughout this month, Students for Justice in Palestine have managed to mobilize numerous amount of protests and walkouts on campus with large crowds.
Meanwhile, many Jewish students, which make up 2.5% of the campus body, have sought support from the Associated Students Council to express their concerns regarding insults, threats, and harassment on campus. Students have strongly urged that the board release a resolution to condemn anti-semitism on campus.
Since then, the Associated Students Council, the governing body that oversees undergraduates, has gone back and forth in regard to coming up with a singular cohesive stance that is supportive to all of its students.
Initially the Associated Students Council (A.S.) made a decision against releasing a statement condemning anti-semitism, and instead endorsed the letter published by Students for Justice in Palestine against the university. On the late night of Nov. 8, however, the board reversed its decision, issuing an apology, and voted to formally pass the resolution: Condemning Jew-hatred and Committing to Fair and Equal Representation of the Jewish Community at UC San Diego.
While not in San Diego, multiple campuses across the nation including all public Florida universities and Columbia University in New York City, have voted to ban Student for Justice in Palestine chapters for on-campus activism and pro-palestenian rhetoric.
Voice & Viewpoint will continue to cover the diverse perspectives from the Israel-Hamas war and welcome all comments from the public. The demographic makeup for San Diego Arab and Jewish citizens runs wide. According to the Arab American Civic Council, the City of San Diego is home to roughly 60,000 Arab Americans living within San Diego County, with the largest immigration of Arabs coming from Lebanon, Egypt, and Iraq. Based upon a San Diego Jewish Community Study, conducted by the Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies, there are over 100,000 Jews living within the county, with 6% being comprised of Black individuals.
Editor’s Note
In the spirit of informative and balanced reporting, we want to note that San Diego For Palestine Coalition, an advocacy group that emerged in Oct. 2023, disagrees with the national media-framing of what is occurring as a “war” or “conflict”. Quotes submitted to our publication reflecting their views are as follows:
“Any framing of what’s happening as a “war” or “conflict” gravely misrepresents the issue. Palestinians have been subjected to Zionist colonization and occupation for over 75 years. It’s critical to understand Palestine through the lens of an indigenous, de-colonial struggle. There is a steep power imbalance between the occupier and the occupied.”
“Another key misconception is that Israel is fighting Hamas. Israel has been an aggressor to Palestinians since 1948, before Hamas as a political party even emerged. To frame this as a “Israel-Hamas” war is ahistorical and also serves as cover for Israel’s ethnic cleaning agenda.”
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This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.
