Stanford professor steps down from anti-Semitism committee following allegations of anti-Israel views
Stanford University history professor Ari Kelman resigned from the college's anti-Semitism committee amid accusations of aligning with anti-Israel groups.
Kelman, criticized for downplaying campus anti-Semitism in a 2017 paper, faced opposition from Stanford students and alum, prompting his resignation from the committee.
A history professor at Stanford University has resigned from the school’s committee on anti-Semitism amid reports of alignment with various anti-Israel groups.
“I realized there were pockets of Stanford’s Jewish community that strongly opposed my leadership on the committee,” said History Professor Ari Kelman. “They made their voices known. So, rather than continue, I felt it best to step aside.”
Kelman was a co-chair for the Antisemitism, Bias, and Communication Subcommittee at Stanford University.
According to a Dec. 11 report by Jewish Insider, Kelman was one of the authors of a 2017 paper entitled “Safe on the Sidelines,” which concluded that anti-Semitism was not a pressing issue on college campuses.
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The paper justified this conclusion by stating that it is difficult to define the precise difference between “political speech” and antisemitism.
“[D]ifferent representations of campus culture come from the difficulties in defining what counts as political speech and what counts as antisemitism,” the paper states, according to the report.
One Stanford MBA student, who was Jewish, told Jewish Insider before Kelman’s resignation that Kelman’s appointment “concerns a number of us.”
“Many of us feel that very harsh anti-Zionist activities on campus are really just code for antisemitism and a chair that distinguishes between the two, we fear may not be the most aggressive watchdog over this,” the student said.
Another Jewish student, a Stanford undergraduate, told Jewish Insider: “They’ve chosen people to lead this committee who believe anti-Zionism isn’t antisemitism. They don’t have to make this a democratic process, but I don’t feel the committee represents the Jewish community.”
“They’re making this committee only to prevent from liability,” the student continued.
Jewish Insider reported that Professor Kelman is also on the academic board of Open Hillel, an organization that is linked to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, according to Stand With Us, an Israel education organization.
According to the Brandeis Center, Open Hillel “seeks to overturn Hillel International’s guidelines that proscribe partnering with anti-Israel groups or individuals.” It also reportedly gives recognition to student groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).
Kelman downplayed his involvement with Open Hillel, saying he has not been on its board for more than a decade. However, when asked by Jewish Insider whether he supports connections between JVP and Open Hillel, he said, “I’m not in a position to say what Hillel ought to do.”
The remaining two lead members of Stanford’s anti-Semitism committee are Larry Diamond, a fellow at the Hoover Institution, and Jeffrey Koseff, an engineering professor at Stanford.
The anti-Semitism committee at Stanford, which was created in November, is still in the process of “securing Israeli members from the campus community” and will likely conduct its first round of “listening sessions” in early 2024.
Campus Reform has contacted Professor Ari Kelman, Larry Diamond, Professor Jeffrey Koseff, and Stanford University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
