How a keffiyeh-wearing keynote speaker sparked boos for Jews at my UCLA graduation

The intent of seeking a humanities acquisition is to larn the large texts and ideas that person stirred the psyche of civilization since antiquity. It is simply a subject that teaches reverence for nuance, a chastened appreciation of history, and intelligence humility. But you wouldn’t cognize that from the keynote code astatine UCLA’s caller Humanities commencement ceremonies.

Caribbean Fragoza took to the podium donning a keffiyeh, declaring "From the stream to the sea" (a slogan wide recognized arsenic a telephone for the eradication of Israel and the Jews wrong it) and delivering a acquisition successful solipsism and sophistry. This hateful connection emboldened the assemblage to boo erstwhile graduates successful Jewish Studies and Hebrew were called to the stage.

ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS TORCH DIPLOMAS OUTSIDE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ON GRADUATION DAY

Fragoza’s code was laced not with intelligence nuance, but with the rhetorical certitudes of the picket line. She introduced the contented of Palestine, without irony, by recalling an occurrence successful which she explained a watermelon-themed creation task to her five-year-old with the words "Free Palestine." She submitted the child’s knowing of the contented arsenic impervious of its motivation simplicity. But what she really revealed was that the epistemology of a kindergartner animates her schema.

Pro-Palestine Protestors basal with shields crossed from members of instrumentality enforcement successful an encampment astatine UCLA connected May 2, 2024 successful Los Angeles, California. The campy was declared 'unlawful' by the assemblage and galore protesters person been detained.  ((Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images))

The graduating class, supposedly trained successful reasoned disagreement, large ideas, and the survey of virtuousness ethics, responded with eruptive applause. The aforesaid assemblage that spent their assemblage years hosting amerciable encampments centered astir the thought that "anti-Zionism" isn’t antisemitism, booed Jewish and Hebrew studies erstwhile the departments were called aft proceeding the words "Free Palestine."

Fragoza signposted her hateful connection good earlier taking the podium. The keffiyeh she wore is not immoderate neutral garment, oregon immoderate multicultural kumbaya accessory. Following the massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, it has go a political symbol—one inseparable from Arab nationalism -- that grew successful popularity aft the 1936–39 Arab Revolt. Yet, erstwhile Fragoza arrived draped successful a keffiyeh, nary dean oregon module subordinate stopped to inquire whether graduation was the clip for governmental costume.

Police and protesters clash astatine UCLA (Getty Images)

The code itself was rife with hatred and hyperbole. Jews cognize excessively good that the chant "From the stream to the sea" is not a poetic abstraction but a blunt instrumentality of maximalist ambition, calling for the elimination of the world’s lone Jewish state.

 When Fragoza sought to subtly liken Donald Trump to a fascist, nary head wondered whether specified commentary, directed astatine a graduating people that apt includes galore Trump supporters, was divisive oregon inflammatory. 

And erstwhile she declared that "brown" student, careless of migration status, could expect to beryllium rounded up and deported astatine the state’s discretion, nary prof flagged it arsenic the straw-man fallacy it truthful intelligibly was. Instead, governmental hyperbole became the university’s parting connection to its students.

The animating metaphor of Fragoza’s code was fire. She invoked the Rodney King riots not arsenic a tragedy, not adjacent arsenic a cautionary tale, but arsenic a righteous blaze. She affectionately recalled the looting of "free TVs" arsenic though they were trophies of justice.

It's becoming commonplace: Families that question large distances to grant their loved ones are often subjected to specified governmental theater. Gone are the days of Mary Schmich’s "Wear Sunscreen" speech, erstwhile graduation speeches were meant to observe oregon inspire. The UCLA students received a sendoff soaked successful paranoia and propaganda. For Jewish students, including immoderate who did not cognize whether their loved ones successful Israel had survived Iran’s caller rocket barrage targeting civilians, it was each excessively raw.

That specified rhetoric passed without objection is not simply a nonaccomplishment of decorum. It is an indictment of the academy itself. Nor was this an isolated incident. At UCLA’s galore graduation ceremonies this weekend, it was the norm.

When pupil leaders work the School of Public Health's oath, students successful the assemblage chanted "except successful Palestine" successful call-and-response, without reprimand. According to an official nine successful the School of Public Health’s societal media, a bulletin was passed retired to graduating students declaring "ACAB," the acronym for "All Cops Are Bastards," "All I.C.E. melts eventually," and "THE STRUGGLE FOR PALESTINAN LIBERATION IS ANTIRACISM WORK."

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At UCLA's Labor Studies ceremony, a talker declared the amerciable encampments that roiled field past twelvemonth to beryllium a item of his world vocation and accused Israel of genocide successful Gaza. At the World Arts and Cultures graduation, the pupil talker wore a keffiyeh, likewise accused Israel of genocide, and claimed to person failed retired of her archetypal major, earning applause, not concern.

In each of these instances, the speeches were either approved by UCLA administrators oregon abetted by those who refused to measurement successful erstwhile speakers went off-script.

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The descent of UCLA’s commencements into ideological theatre is not conscionable an embarrassment. It is simply a wake-up call. If the academy is to beryllium redeemed, it volition necessitate students, faculty, alumni, and citizens to importune erstwhile again that acquisition beryllium an enactment of elevation, not indoctrination. The integrity of the humanities, and the humanity they assertion to serve, depends connected it.