To the Editor,
As students of the history of anti-Semitism, members of the UC-Santa Cruz community who are opposed to all forms of racism and discrimination, and Jews ourselves, we were greatly distressed to read in The Santa Cruz Sentinel on May 4, that some of the participants in the recent Afrikan Black Student Alliance (A/BSA) rally on campus may have directed anti-Semitic insults at Jewish students at Quarry Plaza.  There is clearly a difference between criticism of the state of Israel, which is protected by our commitment to freedom of speech, and uncivil ethnic slurs, which violate our university’s official “Principles of Community.”  We call on the university administration to investigate and, if the accusations are verified, to take appropriate action.
Nathaniel Deutsch
Murray Baumgarten
Rachel Deblinger
Alma Heckman
Bruce Thompson