Ono is the right choice for UF and for the Jewish community
On May 27, the University of Florida Board of Trustees voted to unanimously select Santa J. Ono, Ph.D., as the next UF president. The trustees spent 2 ½ hours asking Ono tough, pointed questions to address concerns, if not accusations.
Some people have stated these concerns in public and often in passing, while some have exploited the obscurity and anonymity of the internet to sow doubt about Ono's fitness to hold the position. Ono addressed these questions, in public, on the record, live-streamed and over an extended period.
Among the accusations being leveled against Ono: the claim that he is antisemitic.
As a distinguished professor of neurology and a member of the Jewish community at the University of Florida, I feel uniquely qualified to address both the need for leadership that protects free speech and the UF Jewish community, as well as to help identify someone who can lead one of the most complex R1 universities in the country.
Antisemitism is discrimination or hostility against Jewish people based on religion, ethnicity, or cultural identity. It has no place at the University of Florida, or anywhere else in our society. I have personal experience with antisemitism, so I know it when I see it. Therefore, I want to state unequivocally: Santa Ono is an ally to the Jewish community. He is not antisemitic and suggesting otherwise is both factually incorrect and deeply harmful.
Don't take my word for it, though. In a letter sent to Ono just last week, Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, wrote to Ono, 'I know you have worked hard to demonstrate your support for the Jewish community, sometimes at personal cost and threat to you and your family.'
In his own words: Santa Ono: I'm the right choice for UF president. I would make a great school the best.
I've had the privilege of serving this incredible institution for almost 23 years, and I can tell you that we are at a pivotal moment. Our university is rising in stature, in impact, in national recognition and in complexity. From AI to healthcare to elite athletics and a dynamic admissions environment, UF needs a leader who can meet the moment and take us to the next level of excellence.
It was not an easy task to find that type of leader, and not one the UF Presidential Search Committee took lightly. The committee set out to find a candidate who was a nationally respected educator and scholar. The committee sought a proven leader with academic gravitas and passion for both research and innovation. We sought a champion for academic freedom, interdisciplinary collaboration and individual student success. Our quest was to identify an individual capable of making strong connections with all stakeholders including students, faculty, donors and lawmakers.
As a member of the search committee, I can attest that we did our homework. We received interest from a long list of exceptional individuals, including sitting and highly accomplished presidents of major U.S. universities. From that distinguished pool, one candidate rose to the top, and that person was Santa Ono.
UF vs New College: Don't let politics rule UF president decision. Just look at New College.
He didn't just meet the qualifications, he exceeded them. Ono is a scholar of international reputation, a visionary leader, and a person who understands the delicate and powerful intersection of education, innovation, community and public service. He is deeply committed, and he brings with him a track record of excellence in research, teaching and engagement at every level. He is also someone who shares the values of this institution, and he brings a passion that will energize every corner of our campus.
In short, he is the leader we need to meet our rising moment. I truly believe that the people of Florida and our elected leaders are going to love working with him, and I am hopeful the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees Florida's state universities, will feel the same when they meet June 3 at the University of Central Florida to consider confirming him. One of the great things about this country and this state is our commitment to public dialogue and transparency.
The committee worked hard. We took our charge seriously. And we delivered a candidate of the highest possible caliber to lead UF and the state of Florida into the next generation.
Michael Okun, M.D., is the Adelaide Lackner Professor of Neurology and Executive Director of the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at the University of Florida. He was one of the individuals serving on the 15-member UF Presidential Search Committee.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Ono the right choice for UF, will stand against antisemitism | Opinion
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
31 minutes ago
- New York Post
NYPD warns its working ‘feverishly' to thwart antisemitism after spate of nationwide attacks
The NYPD is working 'feverishly' to thwart would-be perps from unleashing terror in the Big Apple following a spate of antisemitic attacks in Washington, DC and Colorado, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch warned Wednesday. New York's Finest are working with the FBI and have increased patrols at scores of Jewish sites across the city in the wake of the recent high-profile attacks, the commish said. 'Every high profile attack raises the risk of another,' Tisch said as she outlined her vision for tackling crime in Gotham. 4 Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch warned that the NYPD is working 'feverishly' to thwart terror attacks following a spate of antisemitic attacks in Washington, DC and Colorado. Matthew McDermott 'Individuals who are already on the edge — they don't need instructions, they need a spark. And what we are doing at the NYPD is working tirelessly, feverishly to make sure that none of these sparks catch fire.' The NYPD honcho pointed specifically to the heinous firebombing carried out in Boulder, Colo. at the weekend that targeted a peaceful pro-Israel march, as well as last month's fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy diplomats in DC. 'What happened in Boulder is, unfortunately, the latest in a growing pattern of rhetoric around the war in the Middle East — shifting from outrage to incitement, from slogans now to direct calls for violence,' Tisch said. 4 An anti-Israel man firebombed Gaza hostage supporters in Boulder, Colorado. 'Unfortunately, as we saw first… with the attack on the Jewish Museum in Washington and then the attack in Boulder the other day, these calls are now being answered.' The city's top cop said the force had bolstered its presence at Jewish sites, schools and institutions following the violence. 'Immediately following the attack on the Jewish Museum in Washington, we surged an unprecedented number of resources in terms of cops, heavy weapons teams, police cars,' she said. 4 Columbia University Anti-Israel protester in handcuffs being arrested by NYPD officers near a police van last year. Paul Martinka The NYPD was also working in closer partnership with the FBI to crackdown and thwart potential attacks close to home. 'We work cases together with them, and we do a lot of work behind the scenes… to make sure that any lead that we get, any person that we think may be about to commit an act of violence, that we are on top of those cases, and that we are handling them quite aggressively,' Tisch said. 4 Mohamed Soliman throws an incendiary device into a group of pro-Israel supporters in Colorado. Alex Osante It comes as Tisch acknowledged the Big Apple was still grappling with an 'explosion' of antisemitic hate crimes in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attacks. '[In] the 20 months since Oct. 7, we have seen hate crimes against Jews in New York City go in one direction — and that is up,' Tisch said. 'Our Hate Crimes Task Force at the NYPD does investigate every instance of bias or a hate crime, but these are clearly unacceptable numbers.'
Epoch Times
41 minutes ago
- Epoch Times
California Governor and Los Angeles Mayor Call for Action Against Anti-Semitism
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have called for action to address anti-Semitism in the state after the recent attack targeting the Jewish community in Boulder, Colorado. Bass condemned the attack and said she would call an emergency meeting at City Hall to address safety and security concerns in Los Angeles.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How much has antisemitic violence risen in the U.S. and globally?
This weekend's attack in Boulder, Colorado by a man shouting 'Free Palestine' and throwing molotov cocktails comes 10 days after two Israeli embassy staffers were killed by a man who yelled the same thing after shooting them, reloading, and firing more at the woman who tried to crawl away. Earlier this spring, a pro-Palestinian activist also threw molotov cocktails into the home of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who he had planned to attack with a hammer. A statistical picture of antisemitic violence from 2025 so far isn't available. But what we know from 2024 is enough cause for concern. Since the October 7th, 2023 massacre in Israel sparked a brutal battle between Hamas and Israel, available metrics nationally and globally show the same pattern: Within the U.S., the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reports a 'massive spike' in antisemitic incidents over the last two years, with numbers 'exceeding any other annual tally in the past 46 years.' They report 2024 as the 'fourth year in a row that antisemitic incidents increased and broke the previous all-time high.' For instance, FBI data in the fall showed that anti-Jewish hate crimes had increased by 63% since 2023. Looking internationally, Combat Antisemitism Movement likewise reports 'an unprecedented rise in global antisemitism' - with a surprising 107.7% increase in incidents tracked by their Antisemitism Research Center compared to 2023, which had already experienced a 'record-breaking 58.6% increase over 2022.' The Combat Antisemitism Movement calls this the 'most severe wave of antisemitism since the end of the Second World War.' This mounting hostility is often attributed to emotions generated by the conflict in Israel, which began with public outrage towards Hamas' vicious attacks on Israeli Jews - but has shifted over time towards frustrations at Israeli war tactics that have wreaked devastation upon Palestinian homes, families and children. The influence of the war has been significant, but it can be overstated when it comes to the influence on worsening antisemitism. For instance, most countries with large Jewish minorities saw measurable increases in antisemitic hostility in the year preceding the 2023 Hamas attacks. Nonetheless, the war's huge relevance highlights one of the major concerns about data tracking - namely, whether incidents of critique against Israel are being counted as antisemitic in a way that would inflate the numbers. The Anti-Defamation League reports that it 'does not include criticism of Israel' in their incident data - and has insisted elsewhere that they are 'careful not to conflate general criticism of Israel or anti-Israel activism with antisemitism.' But the organization draws a line when public rhetoric rises to the level of justifying the Hamas attacks or calls for the destruction of Israel. Since October 7th, the Anti-Defamation League now counts as antisemitism 'rallies that include support for Hamas or justify its attacks, calls to 'globalize the intifada' or 'by all means necessary,' and expressions of anti-Zionism such as the phrases 'Zionism is terrorism,' or 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.'' Critics of the ADL methodology still argue that the organization is too quick to classify legitimate critique of Israel as antisemitic. In a reanalysis of the 2024 ADL report by the magazine Jewish Currents, they pointed to over a thousand incidents they believe were 'misclassified as antisemitic' in the 2024 ADL report—all of which were 'cases of speech critical of Israel or Zionism.' For instance, they ask whether it was justified to label as antisemitic phrases such as 'respect existence or expect resistance' and 'when people are occupied, resistance is justified,' which were flagged 56 times in a 2023 report. Whereas antisemitic hostility has historically been associated with the far-right, recent years have found far-left hostility towards Jews surging. According to the Antisemitism Research Center, just over 68% of incidents recorded globally in 2024 (4,329 of 6,326) were linked to far-left ideology - which they now call 'the dominant ideological camp of antisemitic incidents.' However, far-right incidents stand out as 'slightly more likely' to involve violence compared to far-left incidents, which tends towards aggressive speech. That includes language such as 'settler-colonialism,' 'Israeli apartheid,' and 'genocide' - reflecting what the Combat Antisemitism Movement describes as 'leveraging anticolonial narratives, certain critical theories, and anti-Zionist propaganda to fuel hostility toward the Jewish state and Jewish communities worldwide.' Marc Soloway, a rabbi in Boulder, Colorado, wrote earlier this year in an open letter to the city council: 'Jews in America have mostly felt the threats of antisemitism from the far right in the form of White Supremacy, yet now many of us have experienced hatred, bigotry and intolerance from progressives, those who many of us have considered friends and allies.' The Antisemitism Research Center reports that 96.4% (4,174 of 4,329) of left-wing antisemitic incidents recorded in 2024 across the world manifested as Israel-related and/or anti-Zionist antisemitism. According to the ADL, a majority (58%) of antisemitic incidents in the U.S. during the same year contained elements related to Israel or Zionism - especially associated with anti-Israel protests. Part of the confusion boils down to competing debates over what qualifies as antisemitism. The Anti-Defamation League relies on the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition - which emphasizes antisemitism as a 'certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews' - manifest in both 'rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism.' Some have expressed concern that this definition may be overly broad, allowing legitimate criticisms of Israel or Zionism to be classified as antisemitism - comparable to reasonable differences in perspective about LGBT issues all being classified as 'homophobic.' Others advocate for the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism (JDA), which emphasizes 'discrimination, prejudice, hostility or violence against Jews as Jews (or Jewish institutions as Jewish).' This alternative was created by scholars to more narrowly and tightly define antisemitism in a way that more clearly excludes strong critiques of Zionism. There are three main categories of antisemitic aggression tracked by ADL and other organizations: (1) harassment directed at individual Jews or Jewish institutions (2) vandalism of Jewish institutions, including Jewish cemeteries and (3) the attempt to physically harm Jews due to antisemitic hatred. Across the world, the majority of antisemitic incidents according to the Antisemitism Research Center involved some kind of verbal attack - including 74% (1,898 of 2,553) of incidents recorded in the United States and 81% (1,555 of 1,916) of incidents in Western Europe. In total, 78% of the 2024 antisemitic incidents around the world (4,907 of 6,326) centered on verbal attacks. The remaining incidents were more physical, with 13% (822 of 6,326) involving vandalism and just over 9% (597 of 6,326) involving physical violence or threats. In the United States, physical assaults according to the ADL increased by 21% in 2024 to 196 incidents that harmed 250 victims. U.S. antisemitic vandalism increased by 20% in 2024 to 2,606 incidents. Similar to global trends, the majority of antisemitic incidents in the U.S. involved verbal harassment, including 6,552 incidents. There is good reason to believe these numbers substantially undercount the real figures, though, since only an estimated 66% of hate speech gets reported to law enforcement, with 78% of agencies reporting their numbers to the FBI (and 79% of cities claiming there were 'zero hate crimes in their city.') 'If current trends continue,' warned professor Uriya Shavit last year, Head of The Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry, the curtain will descend on the ability to lead Jewish lives in the West – to wear a Star of David, attend synagogues and community centers, send kids to Jewish schools, frequent a Jewish club on campus, or speak Hebrew.' Shavit added: 'With bomb threats against synagogues becoming a daily occurrence, Jewish existence in the West is forced to fortify itself, and the more it does so, the more the sense of security and normalcy is undermined.' A U.S. News poll last year shows two-thirds of students enrolled at elite U.S. schools saying antisemitism was a problem on their campus. And a fall survey of adult Jews in the U.S. by the American Jewish Committee likewise found 93 percent of respondents saying antisemitism was at least somewhat of a problem, and about the same number expressing a belief that it had increased in recent years. In an analysis of the Colorado attack, Georgetown University professor Bruce Hoffman highlights the even larger context where 'violence against all faiths is rising.' He cites the Council on American-Islamic Relations' report of historic numbers of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab incidents - along with CatholicVote finding hundreds of instances of vandalism in the U.S since 2020, including more serious attacks on Catholic churches. 'To stop it,' Hoffman argues about any such violence against people of faith, 'our society must take more seriously not just bomb throwing, but the messages that light the fuse.'
