Rice SJP condemns anti-Semitism training as ‘propaganda’
Rice SJP stated that the university ‘pushed’ anti-Semitism training on faculty and staff.
Rice SJP condemned a pride parade this summer because the primary sponsor, Chevron, has ties to Israel.
Rice University recently held a half-day anti-Semitism training for faculty and staff members, prompting the school’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) to publish an Instagram post criticizing the training.
The Sept. 26 post states that Rice “pushed updated Zionist training” and claims that the training portrays Rice SJP’s anti-Israel protests unfairly, according to the Rice Thresher.
“We reject the conflation of antisemitism with pro-Palestine organizing efforts, and see this as an attempt to undermine our work on campus and to promote pro-Israel propaganda at Rice,” the post reads.
[RELATED: Texas university claims affirmative action vital to national security, prepares for ban]
The training was organized by the Academic Engagement Network (AEN), a Jewish advocacy group that aims to “[mobilize] networks of university faculty and administrators to counter antisemitism, oppose the denigration of Jewish and Zionist identities, promote academic freedom, and advance education about Israel.”
AEN supports a broad range of anti-discrimination initiatives, including anti-Semitism awareness training, grants for Jewish student organizations, and the Abraham Accords Campus Initiative.
A Rice spokesperson stated that the anti-Semitism training was part of the school’s broader efforts to promote “student belonging” and to protect free speech.
“The workshop is one part of ongoing efforts to educate and engage the campus on issues related to student belonging, with this session presenting a specific focus on antisemitism within the context of free speech and academic freedom,” the spokesperson said.
[RELATED: Rice University blasted on social media for offering new course on ‘Afrochemistry’]
Rice’s anti-Semitism training comes in the wake of mass anti-Israel campus protests, both locally and nationally. In June, anti-Israel activists at Rice organized a protest in Houston opposing a local pride parade, claiming that the parade’s primary sponsor, Chevron, was complicit in “genocide.”
“NO PRIDE IN GENOCIDE ‼️ CHEVRON FUELS GENOCIDE,” protest organizers said on Instagram. “Join us this Saturday, June 22nd at the @newfacesofpride Festival and Parade to do educational outreach to the public and demand Chevron’s removal as a parade sponsor. At 6pm, we will join up for a rally at Bob Smith Park, by Chevron’s downtown office. Finally, we will make our demands known during the parade at 7:30pm, showing New Faces of Pride there is no Pride in Genocide!”
Campus Reform has reached out to Rice University and SJP for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.