November 1, 2023 Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon President and Vice-Chancellor University of British Columbia Dear Dr. Bacon, Congratulations on your appointment as the 17th President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia. We have no doubt that you will lead this world-renowned university to new heights in excellence and integrity, while upholding its complementary core values of respect, academic freedom, and accountability. Central to and encompassed within UBC’s values are equity, diversity, and student safety, which we are certain you value as strongly as we do. Academic integrity is undermined when these values are not upheld. Recently, we have witnessed or learned about activities that are fundamentally at variance with UBC’s core values, and we are deeply concerned about this. Jewish people and many others here and around the world are reeling from the heinous terrorist attacks committed by Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023. This series of massacres, rapes, and kidnappings targeted innocent civilians, from infants to the elderly, and has sparked a marked increase in antisemitism—including on the UBC campus. As we are sure you are aware, Hamas is designated as a terrorist entity by Canada and has been for over 20 years. Their founding charter calls not for co-existence but for genocide: the annihilation of Jews and the destruction of the Jewish state. Many students, staff, and faculty have reported feeling targeted by hate and harassment at UBC on the basis of their identity. They continue to report feeling threatened and afraid in common spaces. Students are scared to go to class and to express their views. Their fear is not that their ideas will be subjected to uncomfortable critical inquiry, but that expressing their ideas will endanger their physical safety or lead to retaliation by instructors. This cannot be allowed to continue. In 2023, it is long overdue for UBC to adopt a zero-tolerance policy on hate activity in all forms, including antisemitism. The current status quo, left unaddressed, will signal to Jewish students, staff and faculty that they should pursue their education, careers, and research elsewhere. As supporters of academic integrity and human rights, this situation leaves us profoundly troubled, as it appears that UBC’s leadership has lost its moral compass. Here is a partial list of the most recent alleged incidents: •
A professor began a lecture by sharing his opinions on the Israel-Hamas conflict (a topic unrelated to the course matter) by presenting a deeply one-sided perspective that Jewish students perceived as both proHamas and antisemitic. This occurred mere days after Hamas murdered 1,400 Jews, injured thousands more, took more than 220 hostages into Gaza, and repeated promises for the annihilation of Jews worldwide.
•
In a separate instance, another professor told a Jewish student who is working on a project related to the current conflict that the student is not permitted to express a “biased opinion.” The student considered this demand counter to academic principles that are standard in coursework and was particularly shocked to find that the professor herself had signed her name to a statement opposing the UBC’s statement on the conflict.
•
A Jewish student was verbally and physically assaulted by members of the UBC club, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights. The student was told they should be slaughtered and subjected to genocide.
•
A student walking on campus encountered a march of anti-Israel protestors. When the student was identified as Jewish, the crowd turned on the student, chanting “Shame! Shame!” Placards were on display calling on an “Intifada until victory.”