Rabbi Andy Bachman, a progressive rabbi who recently faced cancelation, has issued a warning about the rising hostility toward free speech on college campuses and other liberal enclaves for those expressing support for Israel. He highlights the fear among Jewish students of speaking out in classrooms due to biased pro-Palestinian perspectives and concerns over their academic standing.
Rabbi Andy Bachman, a prominent progressive rabbi, has expressed deep concern over the growing hostility toward free speech on college campuses and within liberal enclaves toward individuals who support Israel.
Rabbi Warns of Growing Hostility on College Campuses Due to Cancel Culture
"Many students complain of not being taught, but being subjected to all manner of propaganda in the classroom. And many Jewish students, in fact, are very fearful of speaking out in defense of Israel in the classroom for fear of a kind of mob mentality and not getting good grades from their professors," he informed Fox News Digital. "I've heard this over and over and over again, a feeling like academic freedom has taken a backseat to the politicization of the war in the classroom. And it's a very pro-Palestinian bias."
Rabbi Bachman has personally experienced this adversity. Last December, while moderating a discussion on a film critical of Israel at Hunter College in New York City, he faced heckling from students. This month, he was shocked to discover that a speaking engagement at a Brooklyn bookstore had been abruptly canceled due to his pro-Israel beliefs.
Rabbi Warns of Growing Hostility on College Campuses Due to Cancel Culture
Scheduled to discuss his new book at Powerhouse Arena on August 21, Bachman's event was canceled less than an hour before its commencement when the manager became aware of his "Zionism." "We don’t want a Zionist onstage," the manager stated before being subsequently fired.
Rabbi Bachman, who has strong ties to the city as a former rabbi at Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn, was taken aback by the response, especially given his moderate stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "Zionism means that, like all nations, that [Jews] have a right to a state of their own, to a homeland of their own, in their historic land," he explained, while also advocating for sharing the land with Palestinians.
Rabbi Warns of Growing Hostility on College Campuses Due to Cancel Culture
However, even this position is often met with opposition in the current hostile environment that has arisen since the October 7 terror attacks. "The only acceptable Jew in this movement is the Jew who does not believe that Israel should exist," he told The New York Times.
Rabbi Bachman was also bewildered by a bookstore censoring a discussion about a book it was selling. "We both initially laughed like, ‘This is absurd. Are you kidding me?’ It was too shocking to believe," he told Fox News Digital.
Rabbi Warns of Growing Hostility on College Campuses Due to Cancel Culture
Following the incident, he received messages of support from pro-Israel Democrats such as former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Congressman Ritchie Torres. "It was a shock to so many people that as divided as some sectors of the city or the country are over the war, no one ever would have imagined, you know, that a bookstore would step into the breach and tried to censor a conversation, in any way, shape or form, by denying a platform to us," Bachman said.
Powerhouse strongly condemned the employee's actions in a statement two days later, confirming her dismissal. "A former employee of Powerhouse made the grossly misguided decision to unilaterally derail a high-anticipated event," the bookstore stated. "She abused her position as a Powerhouse employee and wrongfully usurped responsibility for planning and logistics from our designated events managers."
Rabbi Warns of Growing Hostility on College Campuses Due to Cancel Culture
While Bachman expressed frustration over the cancellation, it only strengthened his resolve to host the event at a different location and make it even more successful. A week later, he secured a new venue in the heart of Brooklyn, attracting a crowd of over 400 attendees. "It was certainly a great improvement over the really bad experience of last week," he said.
As college students return to campus this week, Rabbi Bachman is also concerned about the threats of violence and hostility toward Jewish students. He urges university and interfaith leaders to foster an environment of healthy dialogue where all students are respected.
"People need to know that in a university setting, they can come together for difficult conversations, to process difficult experiences, difficult ideas, and that everyone is essentially respected for who they are. Because that's not happening right now," he said. "So I worry that as this war continues to be fought and the leadership of Hamas continues to double down and there's no sign of compromise and Netanyahu's government continues to basically take on the same position, fighting the war until the end, the worst elements of what's been happening on campus are only going to continue."
