I want to thank The Jewish Link for publishing Debra Rubin’s excellent coverage of the tirade that passed for a graduation speech at the CUNY Law School graduation ceremony (“CUNY Law School Commencement Speech Uproar Continues,” June 15, 2023). What was foisted on CUNY law school graduates seems to have little to do with free speech and more to do with hate speech. Did the faculty allow such reprehensible words of hate? In my opinion, free speech comes with responsibilities to use facts and truth, even when backing up opinions. Free speech is not used to create scapegoats and build a one-sided platform of lies or hate.

I am a proud graduate of the City College of the City University of New York. My education there was truly remarkable. It was a liferaft for those of us who were children of immigrants and for those of us who were children of parents who could not otherwise afford college for their children. It was a diverse space offering a very wide range of subjects, both basic and elective, that brought us academic maturity. It gave us a way forward to build lives that could be personally fulfilling and also enhance American progress and strength.

The graduation speaker’s inability to accept the Israeli nation is perhaps grounded in the fact that it is a Jewish nation. It has a right to exist alongside scores of Muslim nations. Israel has sought peace, but has defended itself when it has been threatened. There are those who never accepted this. A peaceful Middle East requires this understanding. Many Muslim countries are now working with Israel to establish peace and prosperity. Those that never accepted a sovereign Jewish state prefer terror to peace.

Was the speaker calling for BDS? This is a form of antisemitism since only the democratic Jewish state is the target. Israel is a state that brings help to other nations around the world, whether it’s during an earthquake, hurricane or drought. There are totalitarian nations around the globe that repress their populations and threaten other nations with destruction; where is the speaker’s condemnation of these? Antisemitism is an old hate and blatant form of bigotry that the students and faculty at CCNY should not have to be exposed to. More so, it is a crime, as any newly graduated law student should know. It is up to the faculty and administrators of a public university to make certain that one-sided platforms of hate do not hurt the reputation of a proud institution like the City University of New York or intimidate those who are proud of the State of Israel and those who respect its history.

I am glad there are people like Debra Rubin who recognize and take action when Jewish rights on campus are trampled. As for those haters who never accepted that Israel, a sovereign democratic nation, will defend itself when attacked, it is time to know that their hate and prejudices will not solve their problems. Again, thank you to Debra Rubin for sharing my dismay at what the CUNY Law School did during its graduation ceremonies. Ignoring expressions of antisemitism by some on campus has already caused Jewish faculty and students to feel threatened while at the City University.

Linda Rutta
Englewood