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Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Columbia genocide scholar may leave over new definition of antisemitism. She's not alone
NEW YORK — For years, Marianne Hirsch, a prominent genocide scholar at Columbia University, has used Hannah Arendt's book about the trial of a Nazi war criminal, 'Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil,' to spark discussion among her students about the Holocaust and its lingering traumas. But after Columbia's recent adoption of a new definition of antisemitism, which casts certain criticism of Israel as hate speech, Hirsch fears she may face official sanction for even mentioning the landmark text by Arendt, a philosopher who criticized Israel's founding. For the first time since she started teaching five decades ago, Hirsch, the daughter of two Holocaust survivors, is now thinking of leaving the classroom altogether. 'A university that treats criticism of Israel as antisemitic and threatens sanctions for those who disobey is no longer a place of open inquiry,' she told the Associated Press. 'I just don't see how I can teach about genocide in that environment.' Hirsch is not alone. At universities across the country, academics have raised alarm about growing efforts to define antisemitism on terms pushed by the Trump administration, often under the threat of federal funding cuts. Promoted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, the definition lists 11 examples of antisemitic conduct, including applying 'double standards' to Israel, comparing the country's policies to Nazism or describing its existence as 'a racist endeavor.' Ahead of a $220-million settlement with the Trump administration announced Wednesday, Columbia agreed to incorporate the IHRA definition and its examples into its disciplinary process. It has been endorsed in some form by Harvard, Yale and dozens of other universities. While supporters say the semantic shift is necessary to combat evolving forms of Jewish hate, civil liberties groups warn it will further suppress pro-Palestinian speech already under attack by President Trump and his administration. For Hirsch, the restrictions on drawing comparisons to the Holocaust and questioning Israel's founding amount to 'clear censorship,' which she fears will chill discussions in the classroom and open her and other faculty up to spurious lawsuits. 'We learn by making analogies,' Hirsch said. 'Now the university is saying that's off limits. How can you have a university course where ideas are not up for discussion or interpretation?' A spokesperson for Columbia didn't respond to an emailed request for comment. When he first drafted the IHRA definition of antisemitism two decades ago, Kenneth Stern said he 'never imagined it would one day serve as a hate speech code.' At the time, Stern was working as the lead antisemitism expert at the American Jewish Committee. The definition and its examples were meant to serve as a broad framework to help European countries track bias against Jews, he said. In recent years, Stern has spoken forcefully against what he sees as its 'weaponization' against pro-Palestinian activists, including anti-Zionist Jews. 'People who believe they're combating hate are seduced by simple solutions to complicated issues,' he said. 'But when used in this context, it's really actually harming our ability to think about antisemitism.' Stern said he delivered that warning to Columbia's leaders last fall after being invited to address them by Claire Shipman, then a co-chair of the board of trustees and the university's current interim president. The conversation seemed productive, Stern said. But in March, shortly after the Trump administration said it would withhold $400 million in federal funding to Columbia over concerns about antisemitism, the university announced it would adopt the IHRA definition for 'training and educational' purposes. Then this month, days before announcing a deal with the Trump administration to restore that funding, Shipman said the university would extend the IHRA definition for disciplinary purposes, deploying its examples when assessing 'discriminatory intent.' 'The formal incorporation of this definition will strengthen our response to and our community's understanding of modern antisemitism,' Shipman wrote. Stern, who now serves as director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate, called the move 'appalling,' predicting it would spur a new wave of litigation against the university while further curtailing pro-Palestinian speech. Already, the university's disciplinary body has faced backlash for investigating students who criticized Israel in op-eds and other venues, often at the behest of pro-Israel groups. 'With this new edict on IHRA, you're going to have more outside groups looking at what professors are teaching, what's in the syllabus, filing complaints and applying public pressure to get people fired,' he said. 'That will undoubtedly harm the university.' Beyond adopting the IHRA definition, Columbia has also agreed to place its Middle East studies department under new supervision, overhaul its rules for protests and coordinate antisemitism training with groups such as the Anti-Defamation League. Last week, the university suspended or expelled nearly 80 students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Kenneth Marcus, chair of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, said Columbia's actions were an overdue step to protect Jewish students from harassment. He dismissed faculty concerns about the IHRA definition, which he said would 'provide clarity, transparency and standardization' to the university's effort to root out antisemitism. 'There are undoubtedly some Columbia professors who will feel they cannot continue teaching under the new regime,' Marcus said. 'To the extent that they self-terminate, it may be sad for them personally, but it may not be so bad for the students at Columbia University.' But Hirsch, the Columbia professor, said she was committed to continuing her long-standing study of genocides and their aftermath. Part of that work, she said, will involve talking to students about Israel's 'ongoing ethnic cleansing and genocide' in the Gaza Strip, where nearly 60,000 Palestinians have died in 21 months of war — most of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry — and where experts are warning of rising famine. 'With this capitulation to Trump, it may now be impossible to do that inside Columbia,' Hirsch said. 'If that's the case, I'll continue my work outside the university's gates.' Offenhartz writes for the Associated Press.
New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Daughter of holocaust survivors may leave job at Columbia due to university's new antisemitism definition
For years, Marianne Hirsch, a prominent genocide scholar at Columbia University, has used Hannah Arendt's book about the trial of a Nazi war criminal, 'Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil,' to spark discussion among her students about the Holocaust and its lingering traumas. But after Columbia's recent adoption of a new definition of antisemitism, which casts certain criticism of Israel as hate speech, Hirsch fears she may face official sanction for even mentioning the landmark text by Arendt, a philosopher who criticized Israel's founding. 8 Marianne Hirsch is a prominent genocide scholar at Columbia University. AP For the first time since she started teaching five decades ago, Hirsch, the daughter of two Holocaust survivors, is now thinking of leaving the classroom altogether. 'A university that treats criticism of Israel as antisemitic and threatens sanctions for those who disobey is no longer a place of open inquiry,' she told The Associated Press. 'I just don't see how I can teach about genocide in that environment.' Hirsch is not alone. At universities across the country, academics have raised alarm about growing efforts to define antisemitism on terms pushed by the Trump administration, often under the threat of federal funding cuts. 8 After Columbia's recent adoption of a new definition of antisemitism, Hirsch is thinking of leaving the classroom. AFP via Getty Images Promoted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, the definition lists 11 examples of antisemitic conduct, such as applying 'double standards' to Israel, comparing the country's policies to Nazism or describing its existence as 'a racist endeavor.' Ahead of a $220 million settlement with the Trump administration announced Wednesday, Columbia agreed to incorporate the IHRA definition and its examples into its disciplinary process. It has been endorsed in some form by Harvard, Yale and dozens of other universities. While supporters say the semantic shift is necessary to combat evolving forms of Jewish hate, civil liberties groups warn it will further suppress pro-Palestinian speech already under attack by President Donald Trump. 8 'A university that treats criticism of Israel as antisemitic and threatens sanctions for those who disobey is no longer a place of open inquiry,' she said. AP For Hirsch, the restrictions on drawing comparisons to the Holocaust and questioning Israel's founding amount to 'clear censorship,' which she fears will chill discussions in the classroom and open her and other faculty up to spurious lawsuits. 'We learn by making analogies,' Hirsch said. 'Now the university is saying that's off-limits. How can you have a university course where ideas are not up for discussion or interpretation?' A spokesperson for Columbia didn't respond to an emailed request for comment. The 'weaponization' of an educational framework 8 In addition to Columbia, academics in other universities around the country have raised alarm about growing efforts to define antisemitism on terms pushed by the Trump administration, often under the threat of federal funding cuts. AFP via Getty Images When he first drafted the IHRA definition of antisemitism two decades ago, Kenneth Stern said he 'never imagined it would one day serve as a hate speech code.' At the time, Stern was working as the lead antisemitism expert at the American Jewish Committee. The definition and its examples were meant to serve as a broad framework to help European countries track bias against Jews, he said. In recent years, Stern has spoken forcefully against what he sees as its 'weaponization' against pro-Palestinian activists, including anti-Zionist Jews. 'People who believe they're combating hate are seduced by simple solutions to complicated issues,' he said. 'But when used in this context, it's really actually harming our ability to think about antisemitism.' 8 For Hirsch, the restrictions on drawing comparisons to the Holocaust and questioning Israel's founding amount to 'clear censorship.' GHI/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Stern said he delivered that warning to Columbia's leaders last fall after being invited to address them by Claire Shipman, then a co-chair of the board of trustees and the university's current interim president. The conversation seemed productive, Stern said. But in March, shortly after the Trump administration said it would withhold $400 million in federal funding to Columbia over concerns about antisemitism, the university announced it would adopt the IHRA definition for 'training and educational' purposes. Then last week, days before announcing a deal with the Trump administration to restore that funding, Shipman said the university would extend the IHRA definition for disciplinary purposes, deploying its examples when assessing 'discriminatory intent.' 'The formal incorporation of this definition will strengthen our response to and our community's understanding of modern antisemitism,' Shipman wrote. 8 Stern has spoken forcefully against what he sees as its 'weaponization' against pro-Palestinian activists. AP Stern, who now serves as director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate, called the move 'appalling,' predicting it would spur a new wave of litigation against the university while further curtailing pro-Palestinian speech. Already, the university's disciplinary body has faced backlash for investigating students who criticized Israel in op-eds and other venues, often at the behest of pro-Israel groups. 'With this new edict on IHRA, you're going to have more outside groups looking at what professors are teaching, what's in the syllabus, filing complaints and applying public pressure to get people fired,' he said. 'That will undoubtedly harm the university.' Calls to 'self-terminate' 8 The university's disciplinary body has faced backlash for investigating students who criticized Israel in op-eds and other venues. Derek French/SOPA Images/Shutterstock Beyond adopting the IHRA definition, Columbia has also agreed to place its Middle East studies department under new supervision, overhaul its rules for protests and coordinate antisemitism trainings with groups like the Anti-Defamation League. Earlier this week, the university suspended or expelled nearly 80 students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Kenneth Marcus, chair of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, said Columbia's actions were an overdue step to protect Jewish students from harassment. 8 Earlier this week, the university suspended or expelled nearly 80 students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. AP He dismissed faculty concerns about the IHRA definition, which he said would 'provide clarity, transparency and standardization' to the university's effort to root out antisemitism. 'There are undoubtedly some Columbia professors who will feel they cannot continue teaching under the new regime,' Marcus said. 'To the extent that they self-terminate, it may be sad for them personally, but it may not be so bad for the students at Columbia University.' But Hirsch, the Columbia professor, said she was committed to continuing her long-standing study of genocides and their aftermath. Part of that work, she said, will involve talking to students about Israel's 'ongoing ethnic cleansing and genocide' in Gaza, where more than 58,000 Palestinians have died, over half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. 'With this capitulation to Trump, it may now be impossible to do that inside Columbia,' Hirsch said. 'If that's the case, I'll continue my work outside the university's gates.'
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
"I can't teach genocide in this environment," says Columbia University scholar as campus free speech crisis deepens
Columbia University (File Photo) After nearly five decades in the classroom, Marianne Hirsch, daughter of Holocaust survivors and a renowned genocide scholar at Columbia University, is questioning whether she can continue teaching. The catalyst? Columbia's recent adoption of a controversial definition of antisemitism, one that critics say could criminalize nuanced discussion of Israel and its history. 'A university that treats criticism of Israel as antisemitic and threatens sanctions for those who disobey is no longer a place of open inquiry,' Hirsch told The Associated Press. 'I just don't see how I can teach about genocide in that environment.' Her fear is not theoretical. The policy, endorsed as part of a $220 million settlement with the Trump administration, could subject her to disciplinary action simply for assigning Hannah Arendt's seminal work Eichmann in Jerusalem, which critiques Israel's handling of post-Holocaust justice. The definition that changed everything At the heart of the controversy lies the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. First drafted as a guide to monitor anti-Jewish bias in Europe, it has since been adopted, often under political pressure, as a disciplinary yardstick in American universities. It includes examples such as questioning Israel's legitimacy or comparing its policies to Nazism. Columbia, like Harvard and Yale, has moved to adopt the definition in full, not just for 'training and education' but for punitive use in adjudicating faculty and student conduct. Critics fear this transformation from guideline to legal cudgel will chill classroom discussions and compromise academic independence. 'We learn by making analogies,' Hirsch said as reported by Associated Press. 'Now the university is saying that's off-limits. How can you have a university course where ideas are not up for discussion or interpretation?' A spokesperson for Columbia declined to respond to questions regarding the policy's implications for academic freedom. From framework to weapon Kenneth Stern, the original architect of the IHRA definition, never intended for it to police thought. 'People who believe they're combating hate are seduced by simple solutions to complicated issues,' he said as reported by the Associated Press. 'But when used in this context, it's really actually harming our ability to think about antisemitism.' Stern, now director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate, warned Columbia's leadership about this very possibility in a private meeting last year. At the time, the university appeared receptive. But things shifted dramatically after the Trump administration threatened to withhold $400 million in federal funds over concerns about antisemitism on campus. Shortly thereafter, Columbia folded. What had been a conversation turned into a mandate. In March, the university signaled it would adopt IHRA for training purposes. By July, the definition had become central to its disciplinary protocol. Stern called the shift 'appalling' and warned it would lead to increased legal challenges and further suppression of pro-Palestinian speech. 'You're going to have more outside groups looking at what professors are teaching, what's in the syllabus, filing complaints and applying public pressure to get people fired,' he said to Associated Press. 'That will undoubtedly harm the university.' An academic culture of surveillance The repercussions are already being felt. Columbia's disciplinary board has faced backlash for investigating students who expressed support for Palestinian rights, often following complaints filed by pro-Israel advocacy organizations. Now, faculty fear they will be next. As part of its agreement with the federal government, Columbia will also subject its Middle East studies department to new oversight, revise protest policies, and coordinate antisemitism trainings with groups like the Anti-Defamation League. Earlier this week, nearly 80 students were expelled or suspended for participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Kenneth Marcus, chair of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, defended the university's actions. 'There are undoubtedly some Columbia professors who will feel they cannot continue teaching under the new regime,' he said to Associated Press. 'To the extent that they self-terminate, it may be sad for them personally, but it may not be so bad for the students at Columbia University.' A scholar's last stand Hirsch remains undeterred in her commitment to teaching the aftershocks of genocide. But she believes that telling the full truth, including the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, is becoming a punishable act in Columbia. She refers to Israel's campaign in Gaza as 'ongoing ethnic cleansing and genocide,' citing over 58,000 deaths, the majority of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. 'With this capitulation to Trump, it may now be impossible to do that inside Colombia,' she said as reported by Associated Press. 'If that's the case, I'll continue my work outside the university's gates.' The future of free thought on campus As universities nationwide wrestle with how to balance anti-hate protections and academic liberty, Columbia's decision has emerged as a pivotal test case. Is the classroom still a space for dissenting ideas, or has it become a battleground where federal funding dictates intellectual boundaries? For Hirsch and many of her peers, the answer will determine not just how they teach, but whether they can teach at all. 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Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Expert shares ultimate fat-burning workout that could transform your health-and it only takes a minute
Swapping gruelling stints at the gym for minute-long sprints could be the key to living longer, protecting against heart disease and boosting brain health. Professor Katie Hirsch, an exercise science expert at the University of South Carolina, believes that sprinting is one of the best things you can do to protect your heart. Because it is high impact, sprinting usually involves short but intense efforts lasting anywhere between 15 seconds to a minute, followed by periods of active recovery. Whilst this isn't a miracle shortcut for weight loss, it is thought that sprinting can lead to greater fat burning at rest compared to sustained exercise endurance. 'You are really maxing out your systems when sprinting and that creates a big driver for adaptation,' Prof Hirsch told National Geographic. This style of high intensity interval training (HIIT) has previously been shown to boost V02 max—a measure of how much oxygen the body can process during exercise. A high V02 max is associated with better physical fitness and lower risk of cardiovascular disease, indicating that the body is efficiently extracting and using oxygen from the blood. But, experts say the benefits don't stop there. 'As we age, we tend to lose muscle fibres in both size and volume, which is a problem', Professor Heather Vincent, director of the Health Sports Performance Center at the University of Florida, explained. Over time this can cause serious problems such as lower back pain, increased risk of broken bones and sciatica. But, according to Prof Vincent, spriting can help preserve these fibres—responsible for speed and power—that are often under-utilised in day-to-day activities leading to better agility and range of movement in later life . Sprinting is also one of the few cardiovascular exercises that supports bone density, particularly in areas like the spine and hips, she added. This is a phenomenon known as Wolfe's Law. When someone sprints they are applying high rates of force on the ground through contracting and relaxing their muscles, which pull on the bones. It is this stress that has a direct effect on bone density increase. However, Prof Vincent warned: 'It is not necessarily a replacement for strength training but what it can do is promote maintenance of muscle size and muscle power.' Prof Hirsch agreed saying: 'Weights are still your best stimulator of muscle, but sprinting does stimulate muscle better than any kind of steady state cardio, like a long run or walk.' But both experts agreed that jogging is the best starting point, before adding sprint intervals into your exercise routine. 'For the first few weeks, your sprint might be around 70 to 80 percent of maximum, so you let the body condition,' Prof Vincent suggested. 'Each time you exercise, your body adapts a little bit and becomes more durable and tolerant.' Whilst exercise has been proven to boost mental health, experts are now saying that sprinting could actually help slow down cognitive decline, associated with dementia. Prof Vincent said: 'There's now some data to show that sprinting or high-intensity exercise can actually help control some age-related decline, like in Alzheimer's disease. She added: 'It's that high blood flow that comes from the sprinting that appears to be really beneficial.' Earlier this year, Spanish researchers discovered that adults who increased their activity levels to around two and a half hours a week, between the ages of 45 and 65, were less prone to one toxic protein, amyloid, spreading in the brain. Significant clumps of this protein, as well as another—tau—can form plaques and tangles. This is thought to be behind the symptoms of Alzheimer's, the leading cause of dementia. It comes as a landmark study last year also suggested almost half of all Alzheimer's cases could be prevented by tackling 14 lifestyle factors. To reduce dementia risk throughout life, the commission also made 13 recommendations for both people and governments. These include making hearing aids available for all those who need it, reducing harmful noise exposure, and increased detection and treatment access for high cholesterol among the over-40s.
5 days ago
- Politics
Columbia genocide scholar may leave over university's new antisemitism definition
NEW YORK -- For years, Marianne Hirsch, a prominent genocide scholar at Columbia University, has used Hannah Arendt's book about the trial of a Nazi war criminal, 'Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil,' to spark discussion among her students about the Holocaust and its lingering traumas. But after Columbia's recent adoption of a new definition of antisemitism, which casts certain criticism of Israel as hate speech, Hirsch fears she may face official sanction for even mentioning the landmark text by Arendt, a philosopher who criticized Israel's founding. For the first time since she started teaching five decades ago, Hirsch, the daughter of two Holocaust survivors, is now thinking of leaving the classroom altogether. 'A university that treats criticism of Israel as antisemitic and threatens sanctions for those who disobey is no longer a place of open inquiry,' she told The Associated Press. 'I just don't see how I can teach about genocide in that environment.' Hirsch is not alone. At universities across the country, academics have raised alarm about growing efforts to define antisemitism on terms pushed by the Trump administration, often under the threat of federal funding cuts. Promoted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, the definition lists 11 examples of antisemitic conduct, such as applying 'double standards' to Israel, comparing the country's policies to Nazism or describing its existence as 'a racist endeavor.' Ahead of a $220 million settlement with the Trump administration announced Wednesday, Columbia agreed to incorporate the IHRA definition and its examples into its disciplinary process. It has been endorsed in some form by Harvard, Yale and dozens of other universities. While supporters say the semantic shift is necessary to combat evolving forms of Jewish hate, civil liberties groups warn it will further suppress pro-Palestinian speech already under attack by President Donald Trump. For Hirsch, the restrictions on drawing comparisons to the Holocaust and questioning Israel's founding amount to 'clear censorship,' which she fears will chill discussions in the classroom and open her and other faculty up to spurious lawsuits. 'We learn by making analogies,' Hirsch said. 'Now the university is saying that's off-limits. How can you have a university course where ideas are not up for discussion or interpretation?' A spokesperson for Columbia didn't respond to an emailed request for comment. When he first drafted the IHRA definition of antisemitism two decades ago, Kenneth Stern said he 'never imagined it would one day serve as a hate speech code.' At the time, Stern was working as the lead antisemitism expert at the American Jewish Committee. The definition and its examples were meant to serve as a broad framework to help European countries track bias against Jews, he said. In recent years, Stern has spoken forcefully against what he sees as its 'weaponization' against pro-Palestinian activists, including anti-Zionist Jews. 'People who believe they're combating hate are seduced by simple solutions to complicated issues,' he said. 'But when used in this context, it's really actually harming our ability to think about antisemitism.' Stern said he delivered that warning to Columbia's leaders last fall after being invited to address them by Claire Shipman, then a co-chair of the board of trustees and the university's current interim president. The conversation seemed productive, Stern said. But in March, shortly after the Trump administration said it would withhold $400 million in federal funding to Columbia over concerns about antisemitism, the university announced it would adopt the IHRA definition for 'training and educational' purposes. Then last week, days before announcing a deal with the Trump administration to restore that funding, Shipman said the university would extend the IHRA definition for disciplinary purposes, deploying its examples when assessing 'discriminatory intent.' 'The formal incorporation of this definition will strengthen our response to and our community's understanding of modern antisemitism,' Shipman wrote. Stern, who now serves as director of the Bard Center for the Study of Hate, called the move 'appalling," predicting it would spur a new wave of litigation against the university while further curtailing pro-Palestinian speech. Already, the university's disciplinary body has faced backlash for investigating students who criticized Israel in op-eds and other venues, often at the behest of pro-Israel groups. 'With this new edict on IHRA, you're going to have more outside groups looking at what professors are teaching, what's in the syllabus, filing complaints and applying public pressure to get people fired,' he said. 'That will undoubtedly harm the university.' Beyond adopting the IHRA definition, Columbia has also agreed to place its Middle East studies department under new supervision, overhaul its rules for protests and coordinate antisemitism trainings with groups like the Anti-Defamation League. Earlier this week, the university suspended or expelled nearly 80 students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Kenneth Marcus, chair of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, said Columbia's actions were an overdue step to protect Jewish students from harassment. He dismissed faculty concerns about the IHRA definition, which he said would 'provide clarity, transparency and standardization' to the university's effort to root out antisemitism. 'There are undoubtedly some Columbia professors who will feel they cannot continue teaching under the new regime,' Marcus said. 'To the extent that they self-terminate, it may be sad for them personally, but it may not be so bad for the students at Columbia University.' But Hirsch, the Columbia professor, said she was committed to continuing her long-standing study of genocides and their aftermath. Part of that work, she said, will involve talking to students about Israel's "ongoing ethnic cleansing and genocide' in Gaza, where more than 58,000 Palestinians have died, over half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. 'With this capitulation to Trump, it may now be impossible to do that inside Columbia,' Hirsch said. 'If that's the case, I'll continue my work outside the university's gates.'
