Recent letters, op-eds and public comments attacking the Human Relations Commission and its report documenting the lived experiences of Muslim, Arab, Palestinian and Allied communities in Davis (MAPA report) reveal a troubling pattern. Rather than focusing on the substance of the report, one thing these writers and commentators do is target other Jews who publicly support the report.
This isn’t simply disagreement. It’s an effort to marginalize the voices of Jews—or anyone—who speaks out about the horrific crimes being perpetrated by Israel. The result is to intimidate others into silence.
Those leading the campaign to discredit the MAPA report are stoking fear and panic within the Jewish community—especially among Jews who haven’t read the report. However, the presence of Jewish voices supporting the report—including one HRC commissioner who co-authored it—undermines their claim that the report slanders an entire community.
The MAPA report is based on interviews with hundreds of Davis community members who feel threatened, intimidated, or harassed. “My son had a teacher indicate in his class that the killing of children by the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] is justified,” one community member reported. Others reported being doxed or publicly branded a “terrorist” or “terror supporter” when advocating for Palestinian human rights.
The recommendations flowing from the report are consistent with those extended to any marginalized group, such as cultural awareness training. To dispel misinformation, some locals created a website: https://mapareport.org/davis. We urge everyone to read the full report, and form your own conclusions.
signed:
Erica Sapir Ballinger
Dean Braeman
Leanne Friedman
Jennifer Selwyn
Annie Temple
“Recent letters and op-eds in The Enterprise attacking the Human Relations Commission and its report documenting the lived experiences . . . ”
If someone uses the term ‘lived experience’, you know they are a far-left progressive.
“ . . . of Muslim, Arab, Palestinian and Allied communities in Davis (MAPA report) reveal a troubling pattern. Rather than focusing on the substance of the report, one thing these writers do is target Jews who publicly support it.”
We criticize y’all antizionist Jews because you blame Israel, not Hamas, and because you yourselves target those who criticize the report and make S up about us/them. That’s the troubling pattern from my point of view.
“This isn’t simply disagreement. It’s an effort to marginalize the voices of Jews — ”
Actually it is a disagreement, about whether the true demon in this conflict is Israel or Hamas; and for at least some antizionist Jews, whether Israel should ‘exist’ at all. No one is ‘marginalizing’ your voice, antizionist Jews — you seem quite capable of voicing your opinions. We are criticizing your conclusions.
“or anyone — who speaks out about the horrific crimes being perpetrated by Israel.”
The rhetorical technique you are using here is called a ‘presupposition’. I’ve noticed in the letters from antizionist Jews this technique is widespread. You include in your sentence the demonzation of Israel as pre-supposed. A very common use of presupposition from antizionist Jews is the term ‘genocide’ used in a sentence as if that’s the foregone conclusion of all.
Here the phrase “the horrific crimes being perpetrated by Israel” is presented as something not up for debate. It’s presupposed as fact — embedded as the background condition for the main claim, which is about silencing dissent. It’s a lame and transparent technique that all of you should stop using. But if you do, I’ll keep calling it out, in writing and at City meetings.
“The result is to intimidate others into silence.”
You all antizionist Jews don’t seem very silent to me, so I guess we failed; failed at what no one was trying to do. So your conclusion is incorrect, your letter and the other antizionist-Jew letters are evidence you haven’t been silenced. Stop playing the victim.
“Those leading the campaign to discredit the MAPA report are stoking fear and panic within the Jewish community – especially among Jews who haven’t read the report.”
Please back this up. What is your evidence of ‘panic’? I know of no one in the Jewish community who is ‘panicking’. Please state your evidence of panic. Speaking for myself, my primary emotion linked to this would be ‘annoyed’.
“However, the presence of Jewish voices supporting the report —”
That would be antizionist Jews.
“including an HRC commissioner who co-authored it —”
That would be an antizioist Jew.
“undermines their claim that the report slanders an entire community.”
I don’t recall that claim that the ‘entire community’ had been slandered. And who is ’they’? I don’t believe the Jewish community speaks with one voice, or what someone said applies to us all. Maybe someone said that, but I didn’t nor would I say that. Because I don’t think y’all have the power to slander an entire community.
“The MAPA report is based on interviews with hundreds of Davis community members who feel threatened, intimidated or harassed.”
So every person in the report felt, “threatened, intimidated or harassed.” ? That’s not how I read it. Some certainly expressed such. Considering I know both Jews and Muslims who don’t feel any of those three , let’s assume as you did that all interviewed did express such. Then why did the MAPA interviewers only interview people who did feel one or more of those feelings?
“ “My son had a teacher indicate in his class that the killing of children by the IDF is justified,” one community member reported. “
That’s not a feeling. That’s a school issue that should be addressed directly with the school, whether with M.A.P. or Jewish children. What was said exactly and in what context is extremely important. As a free-floating accusation in the M.A.P.A. report, of what good is it? I can tell you of what harm it is.
Others reported being doxed or publicly branded a “terrorist” or “terror supporter” when advocating for Palestinian human rights.
Again, that’s not a feeling. That’s a legal issue that should be addressed directly with the police, whether with M.A.P. or Jewish persons. What was said and done exactly and in what context is extremely important to this accusation as a legal matter. As a free-floating accusation in the M.A.P.A. report, of what good is it? I can tell you of what harm it is.
I am not dismissing either of the above. However, neither example given is about how people feel. Whether Jewish or M.A.P. children or adults were the victims of such incidents, they are legal matters involving bigotry and should be dealt with as such. They should be investigated and action taken against the perpetrators.
“The recommendations flowing from the report are consistent with those extended to any marginalized group”
OK. The draft recommendations were not quite so ‘consistent’, but I guess y’all reflected on the fact those would never fly and removed them.
“such as cultural awareness training.”
Speaking for myself and only myself, I’d prefer Jewish ‘cultural training’ was left out. I don’t trust government presenters especially in the current atmosphere, and Jews never fair well in D.E.I. or identity structures. So we’ll look out for ourselves, as we often must.
“To dispel misinformation, some locals created a website: https://mapareport.org/davis. We urge everyone to read the full report, and form your own conclusions.”
I agree. Just remember, the HRC Commission voted to not include the dissenting view as part of the report. Things that make you go ‘hmmmm . . . ’.
“Those leading the campaign to discredit the MAPA report are stoking fear and panic within the Jewish community – especially among Jews who haven’t read the report.”
I didn’t need to read the report because I was at the HRC meeting where it was presented.
Allen Brownstein, a UCD law professor called it slander in a piece he submitted to the Davis Enterprise, a legal term I’m sure he does not use casually.
I think it’s important to note that Professor Brownstein is on one side of the community divide on this issue. But in fairness to him, he did not use the term SLANDER in his the body of his piece and the title which did was likely from the Enterprise. I say this because the term “slander” is misused here since a written report could not slander anyone and as a law professor, Brownstein no doubt knows this.