AR247

An Assembly Resolution urging Rutgers University to address all incidents of hate and exclusion, including antisemitism.

Whereas, An act of hate or exclusion directed toward a specific group reflects a lack of tolerance and empathy, and attempts to deny equality and dignity to the targeted group; and

Whereas, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey has a history of antisemitic incidents including acts of vandalism, hateful flyers, and statements made by community members on social media; and

Whereas, The most recent incident, in April of 2021, occurred during an event held by the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi to remember the victims of the Holocaust on Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, when an individual, or group of individuals, threw eggs at the fraternity house; and

Whereas, The event consisted of a 24-hour reading of the names of victims of the Holocaust in order to commemorate the six million Jews systematically murdered and persecuted by the Nazis and their collaborators, and to reaffirm the commitment to the dignity of those murdered and to the need to respect the rights and liberty of all people; and

Whereas, An increasing number of people do not have knowledge of the Holocaust, distort the history of the Holocaust, or deny the reality of the Holocaust, highlighting the need for increased education and programs on the Holocaust such as the one held by Alpha Epsilon Pi at Rutgers, and on Judaism as a whole; and

Whereas, Though Rutgers has been making efforts to be a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community, there is more to be done in order to stop these incidents from occurring in the first place as no minority group of students, faculty, or staff should be marginalized, ignored, or excluded; and

Whereas, Rutgers should be committed to a swift and appropriate response to bias incidents, regardless of whether the incidents rise to the criminal level; and

Whereas, Every student, staff member, and faculty member deserves to be safe, supported, and included within the Rutgers University community; and

Whereas, It is fitting and proper that this House condemn strongly all hatred and bigotry and urge all residents of this State to fight antisemitism and all forms of bigotry and hate in order to create a better, more inclusive society; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. This House urges Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey to address all incidents of hate and exclusion, including antisemitism, and to engage with members of the university community in order to improve educational efforts concerning the Holocaust and Judaism.

2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the President and four Chancellors of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.

STATEMENT

This resolution urges Rutgers University to address all incidents of hate and exclusion, including antisemitism, and to engage with members of the university community in order to improve educational efforts concerning the Holocaust and Judaism.

There has been history of antisemitic incidents at Rutgers University, most recently at a Yom Hashoah event held by the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi, when eggs were thrown at the fraternity house during the 24-hour reading of names of the victims of the Holocaust. Holocaust education is increasingly important as people have less knowledge of the atrocities, diminish or shift the blame of the events of the Holocaust, or deny the Holocaust occurred.

Though Rutgers has been working towards creating a more diverse and inclusive community, more needs to be done to stop bias incidents from occurring and on appropriate responses to make sure every community member is safe.