The Washington Times reports that Steven Thrasher – whose antisemitic tweets I uncovered – is still set to assume a newly created endowed professorship at Northwestern University.
There was plenty of outrage when journalist Steven Thrasher used his graduation speech last week to praise the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and call Israel an “apartheid state,” but he’s still got a job waiting for him at Northwestern.
Mr. Thrasher, who received his Ph.D. in American Studies at the May 20 ceremony at New York University, said in his remarks that he was “so proud” of those who backed the anti-Israel campaign.
“I am so proud, so proud of NYU’s chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and of Jewish Voice for Peace, and of GSOC [Graduate Student Organizing Committee], and of the NYU student government, and of my colleagues in the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis for supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against the apartheid state government in Israel,” Mr. Thrasher said in his speech. “Because this is what we are called to do.”
NYU President Andrew Hamilton and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Dean Phillip Harper both condemned his remarks, which Mr. Harper said were omitted from the speech submitted beforehand, as well as a series of anti-Israel tweets unearthed days later by the Israelly Cool blog.
“We were shocked when we were made aware of these undoubtedly vile and anti-Semitic tweets. Steven Thrasher should never have been a speaker for the doctoral convocation,” Mr. Hamilton told the Jewish Journal.
Even so, Northwestern President Morton Schapiro said Friday that Mr. Thrasher, a BuzzFeed contributing editor and [U.K.] Guardian contributor, would assume the newly created endowed professorship starting June 1.
This is unacceptable (and for the record, Washington Times, the tweets were not just “anti-Israel”, they were antisemitic). I am disappointed with Northwestern president Morton Schapiro, especially since he is Jewish.
Please join me in contacting Northwestern to exert some pressure to cancel Thrasher’s appointment:
Evanston campus: 847-491-3741
Chicago campus: 312-503-8649
And if you know anyone who donates to Northwestern, please let them know.
