Statement by Jewish faculty, staff, students, and alumni in Iowa higher education; submitted to Little Village by Lisa Heineman
Statement by Jewish faculty, staff, students, and alumni in Iowa higher education
As Jewish faculty, staff, students, and alumni of diverse Iowa universities and colleges, we are committed to the values of academic freedom, pluralism, and independence that animate higher education. These values undergird our commitment to teaching, research, serving the public, and practicing our professions to the highest possible standard.
We write to dispel misconceptions that are being wielded by people with little knowledge of academia to weaken university life and harm our students. Financial threats to universities and stripping First Amendment rights from students, faculty, and researchers in the name of the Jewish community is deeply offensive to us. It must stop.
As people who are deeply familiar with campus life – many of us walk our campuses every day – we can report that broad-stroke portrayals of universities as hotbeds of antisemitism do not reflect our lived experience. We recognize that antisemitism, like other forms of bias, is present on college campuses, and that the current environment is especially heated. Some of us have witnessed antisemitic or racist incidents. Political speech and assembly, however, must not be conflated with hate speech. Speech regarding Israel and Palestine is no exception to this rule.
Higher education offers unique opportunities for exploration, respectful debate, and learning about our complex society. Far from a threat to a more just world, these opportunities are among the best antidotes to ignorance and hate. Diminishing higher education threatens our shared future.
We come from different points on the political compass. We experience our identities as Jews or people of Jewish ancestry in myriad ways. But we are united by the conviction that a distorted view of antisemitism must not be used as a cudgel to silence the vigorous exchange of ideas that lies at the heart of university life. To punish universities financially, to limit academic freedom, or to revoke student visas in the name of protecting Jewish students is both wrong and dangerous. It is an injustice to those very students and an injury to American society at large.
In affirming this conviction, we join not only Jewish academics nationwide but also prominent Jewish institutions such as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, the Union for Reform Judaism, and the National Council of Jewish Women. In signing this statement, we speak only for ourselves. Institutions are included strictly for purposes of identification.
The list of signatures is updated on a regular basis. To see the current list or add your name, please click here.
1. Lisa Heineman, Professor, University of Iowa
2. Maurine Neiman, Professor, University of Iowa
3. Tanya Keith, Past President, Iowa State University Hillel, Iowa State University
4. Barcey T. Levy, Professor, University of Iowa
5. Sally Frank, Professor of Law, Drake University
6. Jonathan Wendel, Distinguished Professor, Iowa State University
7. Delaney Hoffmann, student, University of Iowa
8. Rebecca Entel, Professor, Cornell College
9. Bram Elias, Clinical Professor of Law, University of Iowa College of Law
10. Max F. Rothschild, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Iowa State University
11. Linda K. Kerber, May Brodbeck Professor Emerita in the Liberal Arts, University of Iowa
12. Douglas W. Jones, Emeritus Associate Professor of Computer Science, University of Iowa
13. Miriam Gilbert, Professor Emerita, Department of English, The University of Iowa
14. Alliyah Kazan, student, University of Iowa
15. Bethany Berger, Professor, University of Iowa College of Law
16. Mark Graber, Emeritus Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
17. Peter Rubenstein, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Iowa
18. Aron Aji, Director of Translation Programs, University of Iowa
19. Rachel Sandler Silva, alum, Grinnell College & University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
20. Claudia Corwin, University Faculty, University of Iowa
21. Alan R. Kay, Professor, University of Iowa
22. Ezra Hendelkin, alum, Coe College; staff, University of Iowa
23. Naomi Greyser, Associate Professor of American Studies & English, University of Iowa
24. Lisa Schlesinger, Professor, University of Iowa
25. Mark Blumberg, University of Iowa Distinguished Chair, University of Iowa
26. Dr. Alex Davenport, Academic Advisor, Iowa State University
27. Loren Glass, M.F. Carpenter Professor, University of Iowa
28. Amy Rutenberg, Associate Professor, Iowa State University
29. Kimberly Zarecor, Professor, Iowa State University
30. Alan Goldman, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Iowa State University
31. Frederick Smith, Professor Emeritus, University of Iowa
32. Barbara Schwartz, Clinical Professor Emerita, College of Law, University of Iowa
33. Eric Gidal, Professor, University of Iowa
34. Ellen Lewin, Professor Emerita, University of Iowa
35. Amanda Weinstein, Associate Professor, Iowa State University
36. Albert Erives, Associate Professor of Biology, University of Iowa
37. Len Sandler, Clinical Professor of Law, University of Iowa College of Law
38. Stanley Perlman, Professor, University of Iowa
39. Amy L. Margolis, Program Director, University of Iowa
40. Alex Price, Staff, University of Iowa
41. Kal Klass DDS, alum, University of Iowa College of Dentistry
42. John Fingert, Professor, University of Iowa
43. Michael Flaum, MD, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
44. Tom Baer, Senior Engineering Associate (retired), University of Iowa
45. Elana Buch, Associate Professor, University of Iowa
46. David Gooblar, Assistant Professor, University of Iowa
47. Misha Misyuk, student, University of Iowa
48. Sara Mozena, alum, University of Iowa
49. Frederic Gerr, Professor Emeritus of Public Health, University of Iowa
50. Robin Hemley, Professor Emeritus, University of Iowa
51. Jared Harvey, alum, University of Iowa
52. Nora Claire Miller, alum, Iowa Writers’ Workshop, University of Iowa
53. Adam Daigle, alum, University of Iowa
54. Audrey Messinger, student, University of Iowa
55. Karen Bender, alum, Iowa Writers’ Workshop, University of Iowa
56. Leah Dillon, student, Drake University
57. Bernard Sherman, Performing Arts Programming Specialist (retired), University of Iowa
58. Alisa Weinstein, staff, University of Iowa
59. Ann Laquer Estin, Aliber Family Chair Emerita, University of Iowa College of Law
60. Judith Finkel Harrington, Professor Emerita, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Northern Iowa
61. Sarah Farbman, alum, Grinnell College
62. Ashley Sowerby, alum, University of Iowa
63. Rachel Hecker, student, University of Iowa
64. Tamar Fox, alum, University of Iowa
65. Meredith Alexander, Emeritus Faculty, Theatre Arts, University of Iowa
66. Andrea Frazier, alum, University of Iowa
67. Laurel Snyder, alum, University of Iowa
68. Molly Kraus-Steinmetz, alum, Grinnell College
69. Jacqueline Hwa Wallner, alum, University of Iowa
70. Ian Gold, alum, Grinnell College
71. Douglas Nathanson, MD, Visiting Instructor, Department of Neurology, University of Iowa
72. Lucy Morris, alum, University of Iowa
73. Nicholas Harshman, student, University of Iowa
74. David Cunning, Professor, University of Iowa
75. Meredith Jacobson, alum, University of Iowa
76. Jay Brown, MD, alum, University of Iowa (BS, MD)
77. Michelle J. Edwards, alum, University of Iowa
78. Jacob Schneyer, alum, Grinnell College
79. Flory Gessner, Alum, University of Iowa
80. William Carson, Professor of Music, Coe College
81. Allison Amend, alum, University of Iowa
82. Allison D. Simon, alum, University of Iowa
83. Ella Stern, student, University of Iowa
84. Ruth Glick, Drake University
85. Paul Sacks, Professor Emeritus, Iowa State University
86. Jay A. Ansher, alum, University of Iowa
87. Dan Sarasin, DDS, alum & former faculty, University of Iowa College of Dentistry
88. Dennis Cohen, alum, University of Iowa
89. Gretchen Larson, student, University of Iowa
90. Emily Brunner, Academic Advisor, University of Iowa
91. James Estin, staff (retired), University of Iowa
92. Naomi Hertsberg Rogers, Assistant Professor, University of Iowa
93. John Finamore, Professor Emeritus, University of Iowa
94. Steven Kawaler, Distinguished Professor, Iowa State University
95. Heather Shane, alum, Cornell College
96. Joel Kline, Professor, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
