Woke Jewish Professors

USC Professor Jonathan Cohen

One of the things that upsets me the most about all of the anti Israel protests is when I see a Jew involved. Especially one who plays the Holocaust card. This was the case with Jonathan Cohen, a professor of of public health at the University of Southern California (USC). When someone like this criticizes Israel it lends their views an aura of credence they do not deserve.

Cohen is yet another woke progressive that refuses to recognize context and sees only the here and now of a conflict. Which in my view is a very immoral way of looking at anything. To the uninformed masses criticism of Israel is enhanced by use of that card.. Which is not only immoral, it is unethical, too.

 Professor Cohen is upset at the following:

One of the applicants was Asna Tabassum, the 2024 class valedictorian whose invitation to speak at commencement was rescinded by the university April 15, after pro-Israel groups complained about a pro-Palestinian viewpoint she had shared on social media.  

As if to underscore his credentials with respect to genocide he offered this: 

I am a grandchild of the Holocaust, born to a refugee mother whose family fled the Nazi occupation of Poland and immigrated to Canada in 1948…

When I began my career in health and human rights, my understanding of safety evolved. I came to see how governments abridge all kinds of human freedoms — the freedom to speak, assemble, even move — in the name of “public safety.” 

And then - the coup de grâce:

In this context, it was as natural to criticize Israel’s policies toward Palestinians as it was to criticize Burma’s policies toward Rohingya Muslims, China’s policies toward Uyghurs, or Russia’s policies toward Chechens… 

I’m surprised he didn't include Nazi Germany’s policies toward the Jews in that list. Professor Cohen completely ignores the security context that makes that treatment a necessity. His non contextual implication is that Israel has nothing but nefarious motives for it’s polices towards Palestinians. Cohen might have a PhD in public health, But he is willfully ignorant of Israel’s security needs.

Where, one may ask, does Cohen get his information from.  The following might shed some light on that question: 

When criticism of Israel took a sharper turn, alleging crimes of apartheid and genocide against Palestinians, I knew better than to feel threatened as a Jew. By then, multiple trips to the West Bank with my husband, a Jewish anti-occupation activist, had taught me that Jews’ right to self-determination could not come at the expense of Palestinians’ rights and safety. And growing condemnation of Israel’s policies toward Palestinians by Israeli and Jewish human rights defenders showed me that many Jews saw their safety bound up in that of Palestinians. 

This article by a woke progressive Jewish professor explains a lot. It tells you what kind of Jew sees Israel as only an aggressor nation and Palestinians as their eternal victims. It also tells you why there are so many Jewish students (who are themselves ignorant) joining anti Israel protests. 

So next time a pro Palestinian Jewish student is interviewed by the media, it will be easier to understand where they got those ideas. Jonathan Cohen is not alone. There are probably a lot more woke Jews like him.