Ran Bar-Yoshafat invited to speak to a campus Jewish group
Ran Bar-Yoshafat (Israel National News)
University of California, Berkeley, administrators have offered no apology to Israeli lawyer Ran Bar-Yoshafat, whose speech to a campus Jewish group was abruptly canceled by the university after violent protesters choked a female student attendee, spit in another attendee’s face, and broke into the auditorium where Bar-Yoshafat waited onstage.
“I’ve had no apology,” Bar-Yoshafat told the Washington Free Beacon. “No one from Berkeley has contacted me since, or tried to contact me, even.”
Only about 10 to 12 student attendees had been able to make it into the university venue where Bar-Yoshafat had been moved for the third time when violent protesters broke down the doors and university police abruptly declared that the event would be shut down. Following this announcement, Bar-Yoshafat said, an unidentified staffer told him that he would have to leave. The staffer and security guards then showed him and his wife down a backstage corridor so that they could leave without having to navigate the violent protesters.
Before the lawyer could leave, however, two fully masked protesters jumped onstage and approached him with their hands in their pockets, without interference from security, and saw where he and his wife were going. Bar-Yoshafat said his university escorts showed him down the corridor, opened the door to the street, and left him and his wife outside alone with a “good luck.” The couple had no idea where they were or how to get to their car until a staff member for the group sponsoring Bar-Yoshafat’s U.S. speaking tour found them.
The treatment that Bar-Yoshafat describes is another black mark on Berkeley that shows the school’s growing reputation for allowing anti-Semitism to fester on its campus. Last fall, a civil rights group sued the university for its “hotbed of anti-Jewish hostility and harassment.” In 2022, the federal government opened an investigation into “deep-seated anti-Semitic discrimination” at the university’s top-tier law school. And Berkeley is home to the inaugural chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, which has been fomenting anti-Semitic fervor on campuses around the country.
The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
One female Jewish student has described being choked by Monday’s violent protesters, and another was injured. Activists spit in a male Jewish student’s face and shouted “Jew Jew Jew” at him.
Bar-Yoshafat’s event was sponsored by a Jewish student group, which publicized the event as a chance to hear the lawyer “address Israel’s international legal challenges,” including whether Israel “violates international law, the rules of wartime conduct, and how the [Israel Defense Forces] can better protect civilians.”
Bar-Yoshafat said he has had experience with protesters and heckles on American university campuses, prior to Oct. 7—notably at UC Davis in 2012. Given the heightened vitriol against Israel and pro-Israel sentiment following Hamas’s terrorist attacks, he was expecting trouble. But the violence this time marked a sharp change, he said, and the cancellation was “giving a prize to those who are not allowing free speech.”
“This is a collapse of Western Civilization,” he said. “You are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. Now you are guilty and you are not even given the chance to defend yourself. I’m sorry, that’s not going to work in a normal society.”
On Thursday, masked protesters again targeted Bar-Yoshafat’s speech at Los Angeles’s landmark Holocaust museum, the nation’s oldest, which was founded by Holocaust survivors. The protesters shouted, ”Israel can go to hell,” among other chants, while waving flags and shouting at Israel supporters. The museum, however, maintained tight security, and the protesters weren’t able to break into the event and disrupt the lawyer’s speech.
Bar-Yoshafat, who said he would return to Berkeley if invited, is on a speaking tour sponsored by Club Z, a national education program for Jewish teens that was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is seeking to answer questions about international law and the Israel-Hamas war, in which he has first-hand experience as a reservist with the Israel Defense Forces.
California has witnessed particularly vitriolic anti-Semitism since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks. Anti-Israel protesters shut down the State Assembly in January and forced the state Democratic Party to cancel some of its convention events in November. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D.), meanwhile, called off the state capitol’s traditional live Christmas tree lighting ceremony to avoid planned protests in December.
How has the recent conflict in Gaza sparked anti-Israel activism on university campuses?
The recent conflict in Gaza, it is not surprising that his event was targeted by anti-Israel activists.
The violence and intimidation that Bar-Yoshafat and the attendees of his speech faced are completely unacceptable. It is deeply concerning that university administrators have offered no apology or support to Bar-Yoshafat, despite being aware of the situation.
This incident is not an isolated event at the University of California, Berkeley. The campus has gained a reputation for allowing anti-Semitism to flourish, as evidenced by the lawsuit filed against the university for its “hotbed of anti-Jewish hostility and harassment.” Additionally, the federal government has launched an investigation into “deep-seated anti-Semitic discrimination” at the university’s law school. These issues, along with the presence of groups like Students for Justice in Palestine, only serve to fuel the anti-Semitic fervor on campus.
The lack of response from the university is troubling. It sends a message that violence and intimidation against Jewish students and speakers are acceptable. It is the responsibility of the university administration to create a safe and inclusive environment for all students, regardless of their background or beliefs. Allowing anti-Semitism to persist goes against these principles and undermines the university’s commitment to academic freedom and diversity.
It is crucial that the University of California, Berkeley takes immediate action to address this issue. They must condemn the violence and harassment that occurred during Bar-Yoshafat’s event and provide support to those affected. Additionally, they must implement measures to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. This may include increasing security measures, educating students about the importance of respectful dialogue, and fostering an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding on campus.
Freedom of speech and peaceful protest are fundamental rights that should be protected on university campuses. However, these rights should not extend to violence, intimidation, or the silencing of opposing viewpoints. It is essential that universities uphold these principles and take a stand against any form of discrimination or hatred.
The incident involving Bar-Yoshafat at the University of California, Berkeley serves as a stark reminder of the need to combat anti-Semitism and ensure the safety and well-being of Jewish students and speakers. It is our collective responsibility to create a campus environment that fosters respect, inclusivity, and intellectual discourse. Only then can we truly fulfill the mission of higher education.
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