In addition to being vice president of UTA, Jay Sures is also a regent of the University of California. In the latter capacity, Sures sent a letter to the UC system’s Board of Regents, chancellors and president protesting what he called a “repulsive and vile” letter from the UC Faculty Council on Ethnic Studies to convening regents.
In particular, Sures claimed, this letter was “full of falsehoods about Israel and attempts to legitimize and defend the terrible horror of the Hamas massacre on October 7.”
The Ethnic Studies Faculty Council describes itself as “a diverse, statewide body representing more than 300 faculties across the system.” On October 16, this board released its own response to a statement from University of California Board of Regents Chairman Richard Leib and UC President Michael V. Drake, MD
In their messages, Leib and Drake expressed condolences to the victims of the massacre on October 7 and said unequivocally: “It was an act of terrorism.” They call the violence “sick and incomprehensible” and emphasize: “This act deserves and demands our support collective condemnation.”
In its response, the Council on Ethnic Studies stated that it “rejects recent UC administrative communications that distort and misrepresent the unfolding genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, thereby contributing to the racist and dehumanizing erasure of everyday Palestinian realities.”
This council went on to say: “It is deeply concerning that the UC and other higher education institutions’ administrative statements over the past week and a half have irresponsibly made accusations of ‘terrorism’ and ‘unprovoked’ aggression, contributing to a climate which has… Palestinian students and community members made unsafe, even in their own homes. These statements incite anti-Islamic and anti-Palestinian sentiments.”
It ended: “We call on the UC administration to retract its allegations of terrorism, strengthen the Palestinian freedom struggle and oppose Israel’s war crimes, ethnic cleansing and genocide against the Palestinian people.”
It is against this background that Sures’ letter was written. Avoiding giving the impression that UTA’s leadership has different views, the agency’s CEO Jeremy Zimmer told Deadline, “We support Jay and his strong statement.”
Here is Sures’ full letter:
There are absolutely no words to describe how appalling and abhorrent I found your October 16, 2023 letter from the UC Ethnic Studies Faculty Board to the Regents of the University of California, as well as our Chancellors and President. Her letter is full of falsehoods about Israel and attempts to legitimize and defend the horrific brutality of the Hamas massacre on October 7.
Simply put, October 7 was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. As you know, University of California Board of Regents Chairman Leib and University of California President Drake issued a statement on October 9 clearly condemning this act of terrorism while acknowledging the impact and suffering have, that this situation will have for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. They called on us as a body to “withdraw our charges of terrorism, strengthen the Palestinian struggle for freedom and combat Israel’s war crimes of ethnic cleansing and genocide against the Palestinian people.” To be clear: I will do everything to ensure that this never happened. Point. Our statement of conviction from October 7the The mass killing of Israeli civilians by Hamas was absolutely justified and necessary, because terrorism has no place in our world. As human beings, we must condemn it immediately and firmly, without fear of retribution or that some may be offended.
The UC Ethnic Studies Faculty Board’s opposition to the Regents’ and President’s designation of the Hamas attack as an act of “terrorism” deliberately ignores the reality of the situation and can be interpreted as a justification for Hamas’ shocking brutality involving infants and children are involved. age. The elderly, disabled and people from all walks of life were shot, raped, tortured, mutilated, mutilated, beheaded and burned alive. More than 230 others were torn from their homes and taken to Gaza, where their fate is unknown. These are the facts behind this current conflict, and they are absolutely verifiable and undeniable. To put up with them is a blatant and conscious abdication of your professional responsibilities and even your morals. It is beyond shocking and almost hard to believe that your entire council would support the falsehoods, inaccuracies and anti-Semitic innuendos in your letter.
Even more troubling, the UC Ethnic Studies Faculty Board and its signatories have shown no compassion for Jewish life, nor have they attempted to use their platform to advocate constructive ways to improve the situation for Israelis and Palestinians. Instead, your council has voluntarily chosen to be proxies and supporters of Hamas’s destructive actions.
The letter from the UC Ethnic Studies Faculty Board does not come in a vacuum, but rather at a time when Jewish students across the country, including all of our UC campuses, face increasing anti-Semitic threats and harassment. Your obvious and baseless rhetoric fuels this hostile environment.
Good people around the world want a better future for Israelis and Palestinians, a future that provides security, dignity and prosperity for both peoples. Such a future will not result from the barbarism of Hamas – whose evil deeds are directed not only against the people of Israel, but against the Palestinian citizens of Gaza every day. Over the last 16 years of its rule in Gaza, Hamas has built its military infrastructure of schools, hospitals, mosques and homes with callous disregard for civilian life.
Equally significant is the fact that the UC Ethnic Studies Faculty Board has more than 300 faculty members across the UC system, who may be individuals who will be the next generation of students and teach and train the next generation of ethnic studies faculty in our region—essentially formative. stand. The thought that young and impressionable students can learn the lies from your letter absolutely disgusts me.
The UC is founded on the promise that we must all find ways to promote healthy dialogue, empathy and constructive ways to promote change for the benefit of society. Your letter does none of that. In fact, it does the opposite. It perpetuates hatred and discrimination.
As a unanimously confirmed and twice appointed Regent of the University of California, my mission has been to create a safe environment for all of our students and staff at UC. So let me be absolutely clear: I stand by this promise and will do everything in my power to protect our Jewish students and, for that matter, everyone in our extended community from your inflammatory and obnoxious rhetoric.
I call on your organization and your members to make a public statement retracting the statements of October 16e Write and condemn Hamas’ horrific attack on innocent Israeli civilians (as well as other nationalities) on October 7 unequivocally as terrorism. Simply. In addition, your organization must commit to learning more about anti-Semitism and all forms of hatred and how it exists on our campuses, where you have the responsibility and trust to educate our next generation of students and leaders.
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
