How Forcefully Will Gov. Moore Condemn Campus Anti-Semitism?
UMD Commencement Speech Planned in May
The University of Maryland recently announced Governor Wes Moore would speak at its May 20 commencement.[i]
The remarks provide him the opportunity to directly address the campus protests in supporting Hamas. The ugliness and ignorance that has spread among campuses bring many higher education institutions into disrepute. These protests have too often embraced anti-Semitism. The Governor can use his platform to condemn the growing scourge of campus anti-Semitism forcefully.
One of the nation's oldest human rights groups, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), reports that anti-Zionist student groups on more than 50 U.S. college and university campuses have established "encampments" in recent days to ostensibly protest Israel's actions in Gaza and their academic institutions alleged "complicity." "College campuses have been the site of many tense anti-Israel protests and anti-Semitic incidents since the start of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war that began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terrorist attack. [ii] These recent encampments have brought those tensions to a boiling point as protesters ramp up their activity to push universities to divest from Israel."[iii]
According to its Audit of Antisemitic Incidents in 2023, ADL has tabulated 8,873 anti-Semitic incidents across the United States. This represents a 140% increase from the 3,698 incidents recorded in 2022 and is the highest number on record since ADL began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979. In fact, ADL tracked more incidents in 2023 than in the previous three years combined.
“Incidents increased in all major Audit categories. Assault incidents increased by 45% to 161, vandalism increased by 69% to 2,177, and harassment increased by 184% to 6,535.
The dramatic increase in incidents took place primarily in the period following the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel. Between October 7 and the end of 2023, ADL tabulated 5,204 incidents -- more than the incident total for the whole of 2022. Fifty-two percent of the incidents after October 7 (2,718) included references to Israel, Zionism, or Palestine.
However, even prior to October 7, there were monthly increases in February (402), March (471), April (432), May (437) and September (513). Each of these months broke the prior record for most incidents recorded in a single month, set in November 2022 (394).
After October 7, ADL observed explicitly anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric at 1,352 anti-Israel rallies across the United States. Leaving out all Israel-related incidents, antisemitic incidents still rose by 65% to 5,711 over the 3,457 non-Israel-related incidents recorded in 2022."[iv]
Commencement speeches are typically long on high-minded platitudes. However, this year, the action of campus protesters needs to be addressed head-on.
Last year, during his first out-of-state commencement address, Governor Wes Moore's "The Path of History" speech to the 2023 graduating class at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, made the case to be mindful of history's lessons:
"I can think of few greater threats to our nation than this threat to our history – a threat that will have lasting consequences. Not only because those who don't remember the past are condemned to repeat it – but because those who do not learn their past will never know their own power." [v]
Last December, Gov. Moore addressed the University of Baltimore's fall Class of 2023. He urged the students to work together to shape a better future, leverage their unique perspectives to pursue their goals and remain steadfast in the face of challenges. [vi]
To be sure, the pro-Hamas protests enjoy considerable support on the progressive left. Calling out their failures has the potential to divide potential allies.
On the other hand, commencement speeches also offer a chance to speak with moral clarity. Marylanders and others will be looking to see how forcefully the Governor employs his opportunities to call out campus anti-Semitism.
[i] https://commencement.umd.edu/
[ii] Anti-Israel Activists Celebrate Hamas Attacks that Have Killed Hundreds of Israelis | ADL
[iii] https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/campus-antisemitism-surges-amid-encampments-and-related-protests-columbia-and-other
[iv] https://www.adl.org/resources/report/audit-antisemitic-incidents-2023
[v] https://governor.maryland.gov/news/press/pages/Governor-Moore-Delivers-Commencement-Speech-to-2023-Graduating-Class-of-Morehouse-College.aspx,
[vi] https://www.ubalt.edu/news/features/fall-commencement-2023.cfm;