Rutgers University’s president rightly condemned The Medium’s publication of a vile op-ed mocking and trivializing the Holocaust, and falsely claiming it was written by Aaron Marcus, a Jewish pro-Israel student (“Medium Paper, Large Insult,” April 10). The Medium’s response to the pain it caused Marcus makes clear just how much work Rutgers needs to do to address campus anti-Semitism.
Amy DiMaria, The Medium’s editor-in-chief, justified The Medium’s actions and expressed not a shred of remorse about hurting Marcus, whose family was killed in the Holocaust. Indeed, in a letter in the campus paper, DiMaria described all the efforts The Medium went to, to “research” Marcus’ work and “accurately mimic” his writing style, plainly so that readers would be misled to believe he wrote the despicable op-ed.
DiMaria even suggested that Marcus had the public mockery coming to him, because of his so-called “continued use of subjects that many university students do not find popular.” We suppose she means Marcus’ unflinching criticism of campus speakers and programs that promote hateful falsehoods about Jews and Israel.
DiMaria’s sentiments were echoed by The Medium’s faculty advisor, Ronald Miskoff, who, in your article, had the audacity to depict Aaron Marcus — a young college student who challenges the demonization and delegitimization of Israel — as “a public person” who “feels too big for his britches.”
Miskoff and DiMaria plainly share the same mentality: If you stand up to anti-Semitism and Israel-bashing on campus, as Aaron Marcus has done, you will pay for it. You will be singled out and ridiculed before the entire university community.
Rutgers bears responsibility for allowing this dangerous mentality to take seed and grow on campus. It harms not only Aaron Marcus but also every other Jewish student who supports Israel. Rutgers must start educating DiMaria, Miskoff and the rest of the university community that it’s against the university’s values to target and mock a student because of his religion, ethnicity or political views.
Director, Center for Law and Justice Zionist Organization of America
