This episode of "The Rich Eisen Show" aired hours after three college heads exposed the rampant antisemitism that's engulfed academia. There's always been anti-Israel antics on campus, but it was never systemic. It certainly never reached the upper echelons of the administration, but as the older, and dare I say, saner guard of American liberalism, moved on, its younger generation started to take over. And they've made hating Jews a requirement to become a full-fledged member of the left.
It's one of those moments where it might have been okay for a sportscaster to jab at the political climate. It wasn't about gun control, transgender dudes in sports, or any niche issue that the left exaggerates. This commentary was about how it appears to be okay for some to call for the killing of Jews openly. It's something that Eisen couldn't stomach, and he also commented on this incident in real time.
As an American, as a New Yorker AND as a Jew, I am so deeply disgusted that ANYONE would protest ANYTHING at The World Trade Center, but especially this and YOU SHOULD BE TOO #WorldTradeCenter pic.twitter.com/SAWmhIJsJa
— MichaelRapaport (@MichaelRapaport) December 29, 2023
It was when Liz Magill of UPenn, Claudine Gay of Harvard, and Sally Kornbluth of Massachusetts Institute of Technology decided they weren't going to condemn or describe calls for Jewish genocide as harassment. It cost Magill her presidency. Gay was ousted, though not over this—just 50 or so examples of plagiarism.
This is Soviet antisemitism in full flower here in America. https://t.co/ZSQAHzlYPV
— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) December 17, 2023
Eisen broke out his playbook to shred the defense of these three college heads, calling all their pivots on the subject nonsense. It was not the time to be academic, ladies. Before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in early December 2023, these questions weren't some critical thinking exercise. The consideration on a case-by-case basis response was bad enough. Still, Eisen took special exception with the part where calling for Jewish genocide would be considered harassment if such speech "turned into conduct."
We now know that calling for the genocide against Jews isn’t necessarily against the code against bullying and harassment at @Harvard and @Penn
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) December 6, 2023
Let’s see how things are at MIT…
Turns lot that calling for genocide of Jews is OK as long as it’s only “public statements” pic.twitter.com/SY2cdEuhmC
"Oh, so we have to wait for the genocide to happen before you kick someone off of campus. Is that right?" replied Eisen.
"By just allowing that speech makes people comfortable to commit the genocide," Eisen shouted.
We all see the consequences when one does not strongly condemn these antics. As Eisen noted, it's etched in every Holocaust memorial worldwide. Its infrastructure from the Nazis is still present for all to see. For one-quarter of young people, however, they think it's a myth.
The sports journalist, like the rest of us, was aghast that the leaders of these institutions couldn't grasp or comprehend how not condemning calls for genocide is a problem. Sure, liberal academia has always been dense, but this is a new chapter in its evolutionary journey that paves the way for what seems to be an acceptance of Nazi-like ideas. Now, because this is a sports show, Eisen didn't go into why these presidents probably felt compelled to take a position I'd hope they felt privately was wrong. College administrations are increasingly wary of their student bodies. The inmates are running the asylum.
Even Bill Maher knew antisemitism was around, but the volcanic explosion of activity following Hamas' heinous October 7 attacks and the subsequent Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip took him aback. It should shock everyone because it wasn't just college students. It was doctors, lawyers, and other corners of the professional world. Your pediatrician got exposed for being a pro-terrorist sympathizer, along with your local tax collector or your attorney.
Before walking off set to take a break, Eisen closed by saying that this shouldn't be political, again, torching the colleges tolerating speech that has in the past led to millions of deaths. The speech may be free, but we have seen it being used in ways that aren't protected by the Constitution vis-à-vis death threats. It's beyond that now, and Eisen was right to voice his anger last December at this appalling failure by higher education.