[ad_1]
"It took a leader like Kenneth Marcus to finally rule on the ZOA call and make it clear that the O.C.R. will ultimately use a definition of antisemitism that makes sense and reflects how anti-Semitism is so often expressed today, especially on our university campuses, "they wrote. "Hate groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine are trying to convince others that their attacks on Zionism and Israel are legitimate political speeches. But as recognized by the definition of anti-Semitism by the state department, these attacks are often a mask for hatred of Jews, simple and obvious. "
Mr. Marcus informed ZOA that he would specifically consider one of the three allegations made in his 2011 complaint that a pro-Palestinian liberal group, Belief Awareness Knowledge and Action, was imposing fees on the company. admission to Jewish and pro-Israeli students. who participated in an event called "Never Again for Anyone". The Zionist group said that an email had proved that an organizer had written that the group had started to accuse only after observing "150 Zionists" who had "just shown up".
But according to a report from Palestine Legal, fees were charged for the event only after Rutgers Hillel, a local synagogue, and other Jewish groups sent out alerts to mobilize their members to protest l & # 39; event. The group said that pro-Israel protesters physically assaulted volunteers at the event and called them "towel racks" and "suicide bombers" and that a Jewish volunteer was called "traitor".
The organizers – who were not students – said that they were forced to charge a last-minute fee to cover the costs imposed by the university, including an increase in the rental price of the space and security to handle the protests.
In dismissing the case in 2014, the Department of Education determined that the event organizer had announced a donation of $ 5 to $ 20 and began charging fees of last minute, because many non-students attended.
In their letter of findings, the department's investigators wrote that they had not found any evidence that Jewish and non-Jewish participants were being billed selectively. They stated that the e-mail stating that "150 Zionists" had come forward – which was presented as evidence of the discrimination being contemplated – had been heavily redacted, and they could not verify whether this information was credible. The ministry said that, according to witness statements, all participants were required to pay for the event if they were not volunteers. The ministry also found that Rutgers was quickly investigating student bias complaints.
"Regardless of whether it was appropriate or not to start charging admission fees, O.C.R. did not find sufficient evidence to prove that individuals were treated differently, according to national origin, with respect to the imposition of admission fees, "says the letter conclusions.
