JustASC

State Jewish leaders weighed in on The Medium matter, in which a Rutgers satirical weekly published a column mocking Aaron Marcus, a vocal pro-Israel activist, by publishing a parody column, in his name, praising Hitler.

The New Jersey State Association of Jewish Federations wrote to Rutgers President Richard McCormick, praising him for “making a quick decision to investigate the matter as a bias incident under the university’s anti-bias policies.”  There wasn’t much more they could ask for, so the Association essentially expresses its outrage at the incident and adds:

The actions we have asked Rutgers to take, such as swiftly and thoroughly conducting the investigation and publicly releasing findings, ensuring that The Medium is run with proper oversight and sensitivity, securing an apology from the journal and its faculty advisor will send a strong message to the university staff and students that there is zero tolerance for such blatant acts of disrespect,” [Mark Levenson, State Association President Elect] said.

I’m not sure how a university can “secure an apology” from a student organization, but that’s up to the lawyers, I suppose. 

The letter is also critical of Ronald Miskoff, the journalism lecturer who serves as The Medium‘s advisor. In an interview with The Jewish Week, Miskoff was all over the map, first saying the parody “was the kind of thing the Medium does all the time” but adding that he would have pulled the column had he seen it. He also said the paper would have crossed the line had McCormick been the target of a similar Hitler parody — an indefensible distinction, if you ask me. He then went on to implicate Marcus somehow, saying, “My grandparents were killed in the Holocaust, but I don’t go wearing it on my lapel. [Marcus] is someone who is out there, a public person, and we have a campus publication that takes on those who feel too big for their britches.”

According to the Association’s news release,

 The lack of oversight on content by The Medium faculty advisor Professor Ronald Miskoff was cited as a concern. “Not only did Miskoff admit that he did not read the article until after it was printed, but his later remarks were insensitive to Marcus and others who have lost loved ones in the Holocaust,” stated Jacob Toporek, State Association Executive Director.

“As a son of Holocaust survivors, I strongly endorse the letter when it states that the Holocaust may be nothing more than a shame to Miskoff, but crediting Hitler for Israel’s minimizes the fate of the millions of innocents killed in cold blood and any legitimate right for Israel to exist,” [Association executive director Jac] Toporek added.

The Association’s full release follows the jump:

State Association Requests Rutgers Action on “Medium” Satire

In a letter to Rutgers University President Richard McCormick, the NJ State Association of Jewish Federations cited the need for the university’s accountability and leadership in responding to a recent campus newspaper parody on the Holocaust which targeted a Jewish student on campus.

“Will Rutgers continue to be a place where a student of Jewish faith can be threatened, libeled, bullied, and harassed, semester after semester, because of his religious/ethnic background or his political views? Or will Rutgers seize this moment to educate its students against ant-Semitism, and regarding the true meaning of civil discourse?” the letter stated.

The Medium, a Rutgers campus satirical journal, recently published an article attributed to Aaron Marcus., An activist pro-Israel student, Marcus writes frequently in the school’s daily journal, The Daily Targum. The article was not written by the student, but its intent was to have readers believe that he was its author and included his photo.

“The article stated specific benefits as outcomes of Hitler’s Holocaust. Particularly disturbing was crediting Hitler’s execution of six million Jews with the creation of the State of Israel and then trivializing it by another benefit – the creation of Volkswagens,” noted State Association President Ruth Cole.

The State Association applauded Rutgers for making a quick decision to investigate the matter as a bias incident under the university’s anti-bias policies. The letter concurred with President McCormick’s statement describing The Medium article as “extremely offensive and repugnant.” However, the State Association expressed concern over the article targeting Marcus and whether The Medium crossed the line.

“As we noted in the letter, not only was The Medium article a personal affront and painful to Marcus because of family members who were killed during the Holocaust but there is little humor and no value in the parodying and minimization of the tragedy that was the Holocaust, Cole added.” Since the article was printed, Marcus has become the subject of indignities and unwarranted and unwanted attention and graffiti at the school.

The lack of oversight on content by The Medium faculty advisor Professor Ronald Miskoff was cited as a concern. “Not only did Miskoff admit that he did not read the article until after it was printed, but his later remarks were insensitive to Marcus and others who have lost loved ones in the Holocaust,” stated Jacob Toporek, State Association Executive Director.

“As a son of Holocaust survivors, I strongly endorse the letter when it states that the Holocaust may be nothing more than a shame to Miskoff, but crediting Hitler for Israel’s minimizes the fate of the millions of innocents killed in cold blood and any legitimate right for Israel to exist,” Toporek added.

Signing the letter were Ruth Cole, Mark Levenson, State Association President Elect, Roy Tanzman, President of the Board of Rutgers Hillel, Max Kleinman, Executive Vice-President of United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ, Jason Shames, Executive Director/CEO of the Jewish Federation of Northern, NJ and Gerrie Bamira, Executive Vice-President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County.

“We are concerned that the name and reputation of Aaron Marcus has been unfairly tarnished. We believe that all Rutgers students should be free of the acts of bias or harassment that have plagued Aaron,” Levinson stated.

“The actions we have asked Rutgers to take, such as swiftly and thoroughly conducting the investigation and publicly releasing findings, ensuring that The Medium is run with proper oversight and sensitivity, securing an apology from the journal and its faculty advisor will send a strong message to the university staff and students that there is zero tolerance for such blatant acts of disrespect,” Levinson said.