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(JTA) — One large turning level in Sammy Tweedy’s Jewish story passed off when he was getting ready for his bar mitzvah, and his rock star father, Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, transformed to Judaism as a part of the method.
One other occurred in 2020 when he was a sophomore in faculty and accepted a free Birthright journey to Israel — triggering an avalanche of criticism from his classmates at Sarah Lawrence Faculty simply exterior of New York Metropolis.
“It was similar to, I had achieved one thing very incorrect by going to Israel, which I discovered to be very hypocritical,” Tweedy recalled to the Jewish Telegraphic Company final week. “As a result of no person requested me, ‘Hey, what’s your opinion on this?’ I’d have even been OK with somebody saying ‘Hey, how do you justify going to Israel?’ as a result of I’d have justified it to them.”
Three years later, Tweedy has left the Sarah Lawrence campus, vowing by no means once more to return, partially due to the anti-Israel and antisemitic vitriol he mentioned he has skilled there. As a bunch serving Jewish college students within the area raises the alarm in regards to the local weather at Sarah Lawrence, Tweedy has turn into an unlikely standard-bearer within the motion to battle antisemitism on faculty campuses. He just lately appeared in a New York Instances article on the subject.
Particularly, Tweedy represents what advocates say is a persistent and disquieting pattern, made solely extra intense since Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault on Israel, of liberal Jewish college students who don’t oppose Israel being made to really feel unwelcome in progressive teams and areas.
“So long as you’re not prepared to name for the destruction of the State of Israel and the expulsion or homicide of the inhabitants of the State of Israel, you’re in for some hassle as a Jewish younger individual or faculty scholar,” he mentioned.
“I simply realized I would as nicely simply be the one individual in these environments, in these lecture rooms, presenting an opinion that’s considerably extra sympathetic to Israel,” Tweedy mentioned, including that he’s not a fan of Israel’s right-wing authorities and its fundamental social gathering. “Like, I’m not a Likudnik … however I feel that individuals misunderstand basically why Jewish persons are there.”
Rising up in Chicago — whose iconic Marina Metropolis skyscrapers function on the quilt of Wilco’s “Yankee Resort Foxtrot” album — Sammy Tweedy attended the Reform Congregation Emanuel synagogue. He and his brother each celebrated their bar mitzvahs there, however he mentioned he typically bristled on the messaging he heard about Israel at synagogue and in different Jewish areas, recalling that he felt the necessity to continually “deprogram” himself.
“There’s … pro-current Israeli authorities coverage propaganda that, you understand, you’re uncovered to as a Jewish younger individual in America,” he mentioned.
“I used to be given (at worst) unquestioning views on Israel and (extra generally) simply consensus with out query that Israel ought to exist,” he added in a textual content message. “Which I agree with. However at summer time camp and synagogue, these have been simply Zionist areas.”
Some younger adults who say they have been handed a one-sided perspective on Israel have gotten concerned in criticizing the nation from a Jewish standpoint. IfNotNow, for instance, was based in 2014 by graduates of Jewish day colleges and summer time camps to oppose Israel’s occupation of the West Financial institution and its struggle on Gaza on the time.
Tweedy went a special route. After his Birthright journey, he enrolled in historical past courses in regards to the Israeli-Palestinian battle and located himself defending Israel. When college students in school argued that “the Jewish connection to the land of Israel is totally fabricated,” he would converse up, providing historic perspective in regards to the Jewish historical past within the area that dates again to biblical instances. He says he was quickly labeled a “racist” round campus.
“I used to be like, ‘What did I say that was racist? Why are they saying that?’ It’s as a result of ‘you mentioned Jewish persons are indigenous to Israel.’ And I used to be like, that’s not f—ing racist. That doesn’t imply that Palestinians shouldn’t be capable of dwell in that land or name it Palestine or no matter,” he mentioned.
Tweedy additionally felt dismayed when the college’s College students for Justice in Palestine chapter endorsed “armed wrestle” in opposition to Israel and honored Khaire Alkam — who shot and killed seven Israelis at a synagogue — on a “wall of martyrs” in a campus constructing shortly after the assault this previous January.
As phrase acquired round about his views, Tweedy was hit with a wave of social media messages from fellow college students calling him out. Since Hamas’ assaults on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel’s subsequent struggle in Gaza, the barrage elevated. One put up shared with the Jewish Telegraphic Company learn “the blood of gaza is in your fingers.” In one other, a scholar admitted to harassing him. He typically joined in arguments, as proven in messages he shared with JTA.
He filed a bias incident report back to directors on Nov. 11, after he noticed the campus SJP constitution say in a web-based put up that U.S. media is “managed by Zionists.” He mentioned the college decided that the usage of the phrase “Zionist” made the put up acceptable.
A Sarah Lawrence spokesperson informed JTA that the college doesn’t share data on college students with the media.
However Tweedy is way from the primary Jewish Sarah Lawrence scholar to complain in regards to the college’s dealing with of reported antisemitic incidents. On Oct. 31, Hillels of Westchester — representing chapters at Sarah Lawrence and a handful of different close by colleges — despatched a letter to Sarah Lawrence President Cristle Collins Judd alleging that since at the least 2014, Jewish college students have been “harassed, intimidated, bullied, and ‘canceled’ for merely expressing themselves as Jews, or discussing or figuring out with Israel.”
The group added of their letter that Briana Martin, the college’s range, fairness and inclusion director, despatched a message to scholar teams after Oct. 7 that didn’t point out Israeli deaths. “We’re conscious of the continuing battle taking place with Palestine, together with the latest occasions that occurred over the weekend,” she wrote. “It’s disheartening and tragic, and we all know many are deeply impacted by this.” She additionally promoted an “Hour of Solidarity with Palestine” occasion organized by SJP.
“Since Saturday October seventh, our focus has been, at first, on the welfare and schooling of all our college students and it stays so,” the Sarah Lawrence spokesperson mentioned in an announcement to JTA.
“We’re deeply disillusioned that, at such a difficult time, deceptive claims are circulating, serving to gas the data wars which have clouded the information these previous a number of weeks,” the assertion continued. “We’re actively engaged in direct conversations with college students from our numerous Jewish scholar organizations, and have responded individually and collectively to considerations shared with us by college students and households.”
In responding to the Hillel group’s first letter, Judd pointed to the faculty’s present renovation of the college’s Ruth Leff Siegel Middle, which can “assist cultural and non secular scholar communities.” However she additionally rejected the group’s involvement in campus affairs.
“Hillels of Westchester has no official relationship with the Faculty, nor do you converse in any official capability for our college students,” Judd added.
A view of the Ruth Leff Siegel Scholar Middle at Sarah Lawrence Faculty. (SaidieLou/Wikimedia Commons)
Now, Hillels of Westchester Co-President Sheila Rennert mentioned the group is within the “evidence-gathering section” of a possible Title VI lawsuit in opposition to the college, alleging that the faculty has not adopted by way of on its federal authorized obligations to maintain Jewish college students secure.
Any redress by way of a future lawsuit received’t have an effect on Tweedy straight. The historical past and music main left to review overseas at Tel Aviv College in August, becoming a member of within the mass protests in opposition to the Israeli authorities’s controversial plans to overtake its judicial system and having fun with the town’s “secular nightlife.”
“I simply felt very hooked up to that imaginative and prescient of Israel, and preserving that type of trendy, extra tolerant thought of what Israel may imply, and I used to be having a extremely nice time there,” he mentioned.
With Israeli universities on hiatus due to the struggle, he left Israel shortly after Oct. 7 and has been staying together with his girlfriend in Florida, the place he’s ending up his final semester of courses remotely.
He mentioned he received’t step foot on Sarah Lawrence’s campus ever once more.
“The sensation of being a pariah was so intense that I developed these abdomen issues that simply made life actually tough, and I feel they went away since leaving. So simply actually for my well being I can’t return there,” he mentioned. “However I’m going to switch credit and graduate from there and say goodbye and by no means donate a cent and inform everybody I do know to keep away from the college in any respect prices.”
Tweedy wouldn’t share his father’s views on Israel, however he mentioned everybody within the household has their very own perspective. His older brother Spencer just lately printed a put up on Substack criticizing “Jewish supremacy” in Israeli governance and calling for a ceasefire within the present struggle, which Israel and its allies say would permit Hamas to stay in energy.
“I’m most likely essentially the most vocally pro-Israel, pro-normalizing the existence of Israel in order that we are able to really work to finish this battle,” Sammy Tweedy mentioned about his household. “However I feel all of us are united by this concept which you could’t delegitimize the existence of 1 folks or one other and anticipate that to result in any bettering of the scenario.”
After faculty, Tweedy desires to be a musician like his dad; he and Spencer have each performed on a few of their father’s solo data. However he additionally desires to do one thing that has a concrete influence: He’s thought-about writing in regards to the Israeli-Palestinian battle and making use of to work for organizations that goal to construct peace.
“I care in regards to the area. And I need folks to cease killing one another,” he mentioned.
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