A Statement on Anti-Israel Bias at UNC-CH

It has come to our attention that UNC Chapel Hill has a course scheduled for the fall, The Conflict Over Israel/Palestine, with an instructor that has publicly shared anti-Israel views. Though there has been pushback from the community, the university has yet to take further action.  The Jewish Federation of Raleigh-Cary is working with our partners at NC Hillel and the university to address this issue.  We have also sent a letter to UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin M. Guskeiwicz, which you can read below.

Dear Chancellor Guskiewicz,

On behalf of the Jewish Federation of Raleigh-Cary, which represents thousands of people in Wake County—including many University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill students, alumni, and staff—I am writing to voice alarm over the information coming to light about Course #277-001, The Conflict over Israel/Palestine taught by PhD student and course instructor Kylie Broderick. 

While we fully endorse a diversity of viewpoints in the classroom, especially when it comes to complex situations like the Israel-Palestine conflict, we have come to understand that Ms. Broderick holds extremely one-sided, antisemitic views that we fear will prevent her from ensuring an academically safe space for the students of the course. For example, she has publicly tweeted, “All of Israel is occupied Palestinian territory” and “There is only 1 legitimate side – the oppressed.” Additionally, Broderick has promoted the view that Israel should not exist and demanded that everyone at UNC support BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement) against Israel. 

Any viewpoint that denies Israel’s right to exist, a clear antisemitic trope, is beyond the pale of what is acceptable discourse in a university classroom. We call on you and the university to investigate course #277-001 and Ms. Broderick’s fitness to ensure a fair classroom environment on this topic.

Additionally, we call on you to publicly state that antisemitism will not be tolerated at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and commit to taking steps to ensure that university staff and administrators are educated on antisemitism in order to prevent it from impacting the campus environment.

The Jewish Federation of Raleigh-Cary, our peer institutions across the state, our partners at NC Hillel, and Hillel International are committed to ensuring that all Jewish students feel safe at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, both in the classroom and on campus. We appreciate your attention to this matter, and we are ready to assist you and your team in any way as you work on this issue.

Sincerely,

Phil Brodsky

Executive Director

If you would like to share your views on this matter with the university, either by using our letter or one in your own words, we encourage you to contact the following people at UNC:

Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Chancellor: gus@email.unc.edu

Robert A. Blouin, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost: Bob_Blouin@unc.edu

David L. Boliek Jr., UNC Board Chair: david.boliek@unc.edu

Click here for the email addresses of the UNC Board of Trustees

Additionally, please consider supporting the work of the Federation and our Jewish Community Relations Council, which advocates for safety and well-being of the Jewish community every day.