Prof. Andrew Pessin is, in his own words, “the only openly pro-Israel Jewish professor” at Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. Popular and well-liked, he was a fixture in the Philosophy Department – until this year when an old Facebook post was quoted, debated, parsed, and ultimately used to tar the popular professor as a racist.
His accuser, Lamiya Khandaker, first met him when she took his Introduction to Philosophy class in the Autumn of 2013. A Bangladeshi student, religious Muslim, and pro-Palestinian activist, by her own admission she and her professor got along well. Then, a year later, in what Pessin has described as a coordinated attack between Ms. Khandaker and a hostile faculty member, she combed his Facebook account. Ms. Khandaker found a post written in the midst of the violent conflict between Israel and Hamas-ruled Gaza. Writing about Hamas, which was launching thousands of rockets at civilians in Israel and using their own cowed populace as human shields, was a dangerous endeavor, Prof. Pessin had noted.
His wording, which was highly unfortunate, compared Hamas leadership to a wild dog: “One image which essentializes the current situation in Gaza might be this. You’ve got a rabid pit bull chained in a cage, regularly making mass efforts to escape.” (It should be noted that comparing human beings to animals is always offensive – whether the comparison is done by Hamas, whose founding charter compares Jews to apes and pigs – or to those seeking to critique that terrorist organization.)
Ms. Khandaker accused her former professor of racism, and Prof. Pessin apologized, saying that he meant to criticize Hamas' terrorist leadership and war-mongering only, not Palestinian people in general: “If my analogy inadvertently invites that overly literal misunderstanding then I am truly sorry and surely need to be more careful, and I’ve taken the post down,” he wrote.
Ms. Khandaker was unsatisfied, and in November of 2014, brought her complaint of racism to The College Voice, Connecticut College’s student newspaper. The paper printed two incendiary articles about Prof. Pessin on November 24: one, from a College alumnus living in Jordan, accused Prof. Pessin of being a well-known racist (a charge Prof. Pessin and many others within the college deny). The second article went further, announcing that “A member of our community has called for the systematic abuse, killing, and hate of another people”.
The second article also deliberately misquoted Prof. Pessin; digging up the original Facebook post, they altered wording. A comment to his original post had read, “terrorists should be put down, just like the dog” in Pessin’s analogy, to which Pessin had posted “I agree.” The College Voice article edited these comments, implying that they referred not to terrorists but to individual Palestinians, and accusing Prof. Pessin of calling for murder.
The articles had a toxic effect on Prof. Pessin, essentially branding him a racist and advocate of violence. Rather than supporting their colleague, Connecticut College administrators and departments rushed to distance themselves from him. The History Department issued a strongly worded letter to the community, referring to Prof. Pessin and announcing, “The history department would like to clearly state that we condemn speech filled with bigotry and hate particularly when that speech uses dehumanizing language and incites or celebrates violence and brutality”.
The Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity publicly condemned Prof. Pessin, assuring the College that they reject speech that “incites or celebrates violence and brutality” – and implicitly accusing Prof. Pessin of this type of discourse.
Emboldened Critics
These statements only emboldened Prof. Pessin’s critics. Ms. Khandaker, who currently serves as Connecticut College’s Student Chair of Diversity and Equity, has had her own problem with imprudent Facebook posts. After some took issue with her defense of Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan’s comparison of Israel with Hitler, she posted “Everything is anti-semitic to people (obscenity). It’s (obscenity) me off.” Yet her own checkered Facebook past didn’t hold her back from continuing to berate Prof. Pessin’s by-now-removed comments. On March 3, 2015, Ms. Khandaker wrote a piece for The College Voice accusing Pessin of “dangerous hate speech” and Connecticut College of “institutional racism” for continuing to employ him.
With this implicit attack on his tenure at the College, Prof. Pessin consulted with College authorities, and followed their advice to pen a further apology for the school newspaper. In it, he begged for forgiveness for his original Facebook post, praising the “integrity” of those students who’d complained, and promised to be more careful with his speech in the future. Rather than ending the controversy, this only seemed to fan its flames. He later tried again, clarifying his position: “I am not dehumanizing anyone, not even members of Hamas….I accord members of Hamas the same humanization respect I accord anyone else. In fact it’s because I do that I hold them morally unaccountable for their actions.”
These apologies failed to stem increasing calls for the College itself to repudiate Prof. Pessin. In March 2015, the college newspaper’s Editor in Chief, Ayla Zuraw-Friedland, launched a petition, demanding the university leadership “acknowledge” and “remedy” the alleged racism that took place. “We believe that the President’s call for ‘greater understanding on both sides’ colludes with racism,” the petition reads, and demands that the College unambiguously censure Prof. Pessin. The petition garnered 119 signatures within its first 24 hours; it currently has over 500.
In recent weeks, the debate has taken on even more surreal tones. Connecticut College has twice cancelled classes to address this issue. On April 1, 2015, the College cancelled all classes so that students could attend a mandatory session condemning racism. At this event, the controversy over Prof. Pessin’s Facebook post was linked with a separate, unrelated, incident in which an anti-black epithet was found scrawled on a bathroom wall. Connecting the slanders against Prof. Pessin with the bathroom scrawl, College President Katherine Bergerson told the 1,300 College students present that both incidents “show without a doubt the kind of harm that can be done by language that is bigoted and hateful and what kind of harm they can have in a community”.
In the increasingly frenzied atmosphere at Connecticut College, Interim Deans of Equity and Inclusion Sunil Bhatia, David Canton, and Sandy Grande in April 2015 unveiled two events planned to address the “controversy” over Prof. Pessin’s alleged racism. Both have a markedly anti-Israel tone: on Tuesday, April 14 the College will host Fida Qishta, who created a documentary film called “Where should the Birds Fly: A Film on the Lives of Palestinians Living in Gaza”; and on Thursday, April 16, the College is hosting “A dialogue on Palestine: History, Context, People” with Sa’ed Adel Atshan of Brown University and Eva Spangler of Boston College. The choice of speakers itself is troubling, particularly at events ostensibly aimed to help “heal” a campus fractured by racism. Fida Qishta has gone on the record supporting “armed struggle” against Israel; both Eve Spangler and Sa’ed Adel Atshan support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction movement against Israel; and Spangler has compared Israel to Nazi Germany. (The Interim Deans have said that two events focusing on Israel will also be held, but these have not yet been planned.)
Prof. Pessin says he thinks, as the only pro-Israel voice on faculty, that that the attacks on him have been calculated to destroy his credibility and reputation. “In my opinion, it certainly feels like to me as an absolute, deliberate set up. It feels like an orchestrated campaign.”
As the charges against him continue to spiral out of control, Prof. Pessin says that he and his family have received “vicious threats and hate mail from around the world”. His accusers remain undaunted, but the stress and fear have taken their toll: Prof. Pessin recently took medical leave, and won’t be teaching for the remainder of the 2014-5 academic year.
Prof. Pessin and his supporters have launched a petition of their own to try and clear his name. The petition criticizes those who’ve attacked Prof. Pessin for deliberately twisting the words in a single Facebook post to falsely portray him as racist and dangerous, attack his character, and destroy his career. Click here to add your name to support Prof. Pessin, and take a stand against the relentless and unfounded attacks on his reputation.
UPDATE: The administration has not responded, and a second petition has been launched to continue supporting Andrew. Click here to add your name.
(46) Anonymous, April 30, 2015 9:30 AM
distraction
this college in Connecticut must prove the racism being alleged or stop distracting the world
(45) Juliet Levene Milkens, April 23, 2015 10:51 PM
Rethink acceptances for class of '19
Students should investigate anti. Semitic/BDS environments at US ( and UK) universities and withdraw applications from Connecticut College and others that have submitted to this tyranny even though I wonder how many of these " progressives" reallly believe in this current cause.
(44) Anonymous, April 22, 2015 7:53 PM
Who care what the student says
The word racist against Israel has been successfully used by the United Nations and pro Palestinians. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ask this student why Arab Jews are not allowed to own property or be involved in gov't? Ask her if Israel is racist why Israel has a knesset full of Muslims who are always voting against Israel, which gives them education, housing and jobs. She is the racist and the Professor has nothing to apologize for. Pro Palestinian students and just plain anti semite students have been using this same tactic across the country. She should go back to her own country or live among those who behead Christians and kill Jews
(43) scott, April 20, 2015 7:15 AM
get real.
If I could have any job in the world I'd play first base for the giants. The only problem is that I can't hit or catch a baseball to save my life. My eyes don't process depth well enough to fix the location of a baseball in space. So I did the next best thing. I supported the team as a fan. Bought season tickets, wore the caps showed up at the parades and talked a good game. But really, I wasn't on the team. I was a fan. My relatively minor disability had always precluded baseball being anything other than a fantasy.
So I would have never let my sf giants fetish get in the way of my employment. I'm a grown up and understand the difference between fantasy and reality.
But I am a Zionist. I am a believer in israel. How do you know? I picked up all my stuff and moved to Israel. I'm not a fan. I'm on team Israel. I play first base as do millions of other Israeli Jews. We play for real and don't let people mess with us here.
The professor with the difficulties chooses to live in the states. He chooses to spend his time and talents working for what seems to be an anti semetic and anti Israel organization. And then he's surprised that his aggressive comments supporting positions not held by his community or employer get him in trouble? Although there are free aliyah flights to Israel every day he chooses not to actually join team Israel but to remain a fan on the sidelines and risk his livlihood over a fetish?
I'm sorry but I feel little sympathy for him. You can't bite the hand that feeds you and expect any different.
Like I said there's free aliyah fights to Ben Gurion every day. If he's he wants to be an outspoken supporter of Israel he can do that here and not have to worry about offending his employer.
But if you chose to be an american Jew, you're an american not an Israeli and you should choose your words more carefully so as not to offend your countrymen.
Perry, April 22, 2015 3:42 PM
I disagree
Aliyah is not a simple and easy thing. I'm glad that it has worked out for you, but if someone chooses to live elsewhere, outside of Israel, he should still be protected for his views and opinions.
Also, you cannot just run away from the problems that the world puts on you. He has made a commitment to be a professor in this college and he has views that are becoming more and more unpopular in western civilization. The thing to do here is not to run away from the increasing anti semitism, but instead to stick up for yourself, views and nation. You should feel sorry for him, that he has to go through this alone and without the support of his fellow faculty and administration.
(42) Anonymous, April 17, 2015 9:06 PM
I experienced some subtle and not so subtle anti-semitism as a student at CC in the 90s.
(41) Mary, April 17, 2015 5:36 PM
who has rights?
It is obvious that only people who hold the views of certain pro Palistine groups have the right to free speech. His analogies were unfortunately too harsh, however,
if he had made the same remark about either Jews or white people, nothing would have been said.
(40) Miriam, April 16, 2015 8:00 PM
Rabid dogs protect their young
unlike Hamas leaders
(39) Anonymous, April 16, 2015 12:09 PM
Saving a bear has more signatures for their online petition!
As of yesterday, saving a bear in Russia had 60,000 signatures on an online petition while supporting Professor Pessin's right to free speech had only 6,000. HELLO JEWS?! Is a bear really more important than the freedom for Jews to exist? Than defending freedom of speech and democracy? Protecting our right to be a people and thriving nation? Do we really care more about a bear?? Why is the anti Israel propaganda on fire across campuses throughout the world while we can't so much as sign a petition? Just sign the petition!
(38) Dusan Milutinovic, April 16, 2015 4:53 AM
defamation
This is a pure example of the power of defamation in legal terms. The professor should seriously consider suing on that basis. He alone has been severely harmed by this incident.
Evil such as he has suffered should not go without being properly 'rewarded'.
(37) Michoel, April 16, 2015 3:05 AM
Insanity
comparing Hamas to a pit bull is indeed offensive. To pit bulls. The world has gone mad.
(36) Anonymous, April 16, 2015 2:16 AM
Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; ........ Albert Einstein
(35) Mike B, April 16, 2015 12:43 AM
Does anyone know a good lawyer.
Prof. Pessin should hire a very good lawyer, build a great case, and sue the hell out of someone.
(34) Michael Burstein, April 15, 2015 7:45 PM
These anti-Judaic attacks on the professor are unjustified and should stop immediately.
The ability of anti-Israel students to use academic instiitutions for the delegitimization of Israel shows the shallowness of academic freedom currently. This is dangerous for those institutions specifically and for freedom of thought in our country overall.
(33) Larry Jurek, April 15, 2015 7:22 PM
Stop Making Donations to Connecticut. College
HAMAS has been designated a terrorist organization by the USA, the EU, Canada and Japan. Criticism of its criminal tactics is justified. If professor Pessin expressed his observations passionately, it was simply a demonstration of his own humanity. Until Connecticut College publicly apologizes to him, for forcing him to repent to HAMAS sympathizers, we should all cease all forms of financial contributions and we should voice criticism of an institution that lacks the moral fortitude needed to stand up to destructive, unfounded fanatacism. - Larry
(32) Rebecca, April 15, 2015 2:59 PM
signed and passed on
I signed the petition and emailed it to other people, in the hopes of garnering as many signatures as possible. If we dont defend and speak up then we are guilty of aiding anti-Semites.
(31) bernard ross, April 15, 2015 12:44 PM
Looks like the college is in on the defamation by having him write self incriminating apologies
the gaza population is indeed to be vilified as the elected hamas and send their toddlers to Jew killing summer training camps
(30) Baruch, April 15, 2015 10:19 AM
Answer bad lies with powerful truth!
Watch these laser-sharp words from Pat Condell articulating why abusing good professors this way threatens truth and free-thinking on campuses:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XPHIfgFwsY
Apologetic words are for balancing good relationships. Powerful words are for responding to lies. Spread the word.
(29) shaina buchwald, April 15, 2015 9:34 AM
Politically correct anti-Israel/Jewish witch hunt sanctioned by the social media, Left-wing, self hating "intellectual" university professors in collusion with Arab/Islamic anti- Semitic rewriting of history indoctrination; Fear, anger, jealousy ignorance are the root of this evil. No need to apologize again; They want to hate; they want to believe Jews are evil. It is a media war. Those who know better will be held responsible for this slander and it's destruction.
(28) Sarah Abecasis, April 15, 2015 8:42 AM
We support you all the way
We support you all the way..
Am Yisrael Chai
(27) Michael, April 15, 2015 2:56 AM
Unbelievable!
Where is critical thinking, or even the ability to read, at Connecticut College? And what the hell does an office of "equity" do when confronted by non-equity such as this? Empower not "rabid dogs" but rather sick puppies....?
(26) Eion Isaac Israel, April 15, 2015 1:02 AM
Hamas did not Protect Civilians
Hamas did far too little to protect its children and civilians .They fired missiles close to civilian populations .Hamas had Tunnels that could have been used to shelter civilians .A massive Tunnel network .Also Hamas is involved in Holcaust Denial and the precursors of Hamas such as the grand mufti of Jerusalem Al -Husseini had Lemon Drinks with Hitler discussing and agreeing to Genocide of the Jews .
(25) Gavriel, April 15, 2015 1:01 AM
Founder
Prof. Andrew Pessin your original post was very much truthful, first lets understand Palestinians was an man made created race with a short and very brief history, originally they were an mixture of refugees that banded together from the various muslim nations caste out like dogs by their own. Biblicly speaking Palestine was only an region within Israel like Jerusalem or Galelee or Nazereth. As for Hamas a bunch of inhumane cowards. I am a jew.
(24) Mark, April 14, 2015 11:58 PM
Misdirected activism.
Lamiya Khandaker is silent on the violence in Bangladesh where buses full of women and children are routinely blown by peaceful Muslims (according to theguardian.com, nearly 300 people dead in 2013). Why would not she make stopping those atrocities her cause? She is violently and loudly antisemitic. It is much safer to be vocal while taking public transportation in New London and not in Dhaka.
Professor Pessin, please stay strong. Shalom.
(23) Nick Edwards, April 14, 2015 10:37 PM
Freedom of speech
Where is freedom of speech anyway? Nothing will placate someone who embraces victimhood. Anyway, never argue with a drunk or an idiot.
(22) Anonymous, April 14, 2015 10:37 PM
Thanks for bringing this to my attention! Petition signed and shared!
(21) Johanna O'Sullivan, April 14, 2015 9:17 PM
That's the problem of the modern West: to sanctify such terrorist dogs like Hamas because of blind belief in their dirty propaganda.
(20) H. Givon, April 14, 2015 9:10 PM
Prof. Pessin's accusers should explain the reference in the Quran that calls Jews 'descendants of pigs and apes'. See Sura 2:65, 5:60, and 7:166. The professor's comment cannot be compared to the threats to annihilate Israel that emanates from terrorists as they plan their heinous acts.
(19) Anonymous, April 14, 2015 9:07 PM
Stop Apologising!
Professor Pessin should take this to the courts, both the legal one and the court of public opinion. His fellow faculty members should be ashamed of themselves for their timidity in failing to come to his defense.
(18) OElvis55, April 14, 2015 8:59 PM
I support Prof. Pessin
It is wrong to make claims. Of racism against the Professor. To destroy a man's career because he defended Israel is abuse. The perpetrator herself does not have clean hands and she should be ashamed of herself and the school is implicit for allowing this to continue. Political Correctness is going too far.
(17) dbdent, April 14, 2015 7:35 PM
promotion
I feel that the powers that be in USA universities today are weakand condescending in that the deans themselves are racist and that the solution would be for Israel to offer him a permanent post in an Israeli university where he can teach in peace. I certainly do not wish to consider any USA univ for my G/children
(16) Johnson, April 14, 2015 7:27 PM
Back to Kindergarten
This is easy to reason out. Why are these employees and students having such a difficult time? The Palestinians and their supporters are the ones being so aggressive - this female student is just one case in point. Bring back the basics, please.
(15) Anonymous, April 14, 2015 7:04 PM
Legal Advice
I hope the good professor will seek legal advice. He may have an action for damages in defamation (slander and libel) against individuals who maliciously twisted his words and also those who accused him of being or insinuated that he was a racist. The administration is not without responsibility .
I wish you well, professor.
(14) Leonid, April 14, 2015 6:32 PM
Where is JDL?
This situation clearly shows antisemitism of the faculty and
the student body of the college.
It also shows that apologies were perceived by the professor's enemies as evidence of his weakness and only encouraged further idiotic but persistent attacks against him. It is hard to blame him though, since he was one voice of reason against many who were motivated by hate or ignorance.
Should Jewish students and teachers boycott antisemitic universities? I think they should however inconvenient this may be.
I hear a lot about antisemitic activities on campuses of American colleges masquerading as "pro-Palestinian" or "anti-apartheid". Never heard that the Anti-Defamation League fought against this specific form of antisemitism or did anything about it.
(13) Henry Wiltschek, April 14, 2015 6:26 PM
How much harm can be done
If students can express themselves, there also should be two sides for established correctness. As wonderful as FACEBOOK is, it can ruin as person's, life, career, reputation almost instantly.
(12) vlad, April 14, 2015 5:44 PM
Ignore antisemites
The Prof. had not to apologize. The movement he did, even small "dogs" are encouraged and started barking.
(11) Anonymous, April 14, 2015 5:20 PM
This man already profoundly apologized. What more is expected? Now who is spreading hate? Is it not the ones that are using this as an welcome instrument for their own aganda? And how can it be, that this is so blown out of proportion?
(10) HERB AROWESTY, April 14, 2015 5:08 PM
ANTI-SEMITISM MUST BE STOPPED. ALL PEOPLE ARE ENTITLED TO LIVE WHERE AND HOW THEY WANT. WE MUST STAND TOGETHER TO ASSIST ISRAEL IN THEIR FIGHT TO TAKE THEIR PLACE IN THE WORLD.
(9) Anonymous, April 14, 2015 5:06 PM
Professor Pessin's bullying colleagues
Seems that some institutions of higher learning have taken it upon themselves to isolate and allow the bullying of a professor who does not hold to their own racist, anti-Jewish view..SHAME on them! If this is the way colleges and universities are going, they're the ones who should be "boycotted!"
(8) Anonymous, April 14, 2015 4:19 PM
They don't deserve you
Dear Prof. Pessin,
College campuses are no place for Jews, students or professors. Go where you and all you have to offer will be appreciated. Touro could use your expertise.
(7) Earl gardner, April 14, 2015 4:13 PM
Terror supporters always make the good guy look bad.
Clear his name and make his accusers pay the costs
Catrina, April 14, 2015 10:04 PM
Give them a dose of their own medicine
Righteous !! Give them a dose of their own medicine !
(6) DovidM, April 14, 2015 3:51 PM
Apologies only encourage further attacks
Connecticut College has only become more virulently anti-Semitic since the series of apologies that Prof. Pessin offered. Connecticut College will only respond to a stiff legal challenge.
Yisroel, April 15, 2015 5:32 AM
Unfortunately true!
We are brought on apologizing as a virtue. Not so, the Muslim culture. Apologies are a sign of weakness. Similarly, compromise is not appreciated as a virtue. It is looked upon as a sign of weakness or lack of conviction. For this reason, the Middle East peace plan cannot be implemented, for compromise is looked at as an invitation to press even harder. His apologies will not be accepted, imho!
(5) Regina, April 14, 2015 3:37 PM
Hazak u'Baruch
Thank you, Yvette, for this great article. I hope everyone who reads it will sign the petition, write letters and encourage others to do so - this is an opportunity for Klal Yisroel to stand firm and united in the face of this horrible attempt to slander Prof. Pessin.
Sharona, April 15, 2015 5:57 AM
Please, please, everybody sign!!!
(4) Tova Saul, April 14, 2015 3:13 PM
Mystified
What wrong with calling Hamas leadership a rabid dog?
Why on earth did he apologize?
Bruce Sherman, April 14, 2015 5:48 PM
Because it is an insult to rabid dogs everywhere.
LR, April 14, 2015 9:50 PM
Indeed Mystified and Puzzling.
The names in this article are unknown to me, therefore as an objective observer, based on the details presented, it begs the question: Why did the professor apologize in the first place, when,from all indications, he was, no too diplomatic, expressing a figure of speech? It would appear that those dissecting his posts of the past, show multiple ulteriour motives, which, as times passes, grows from bad to worst.
Afraid to say, a petition is not going to solve this problem.
The weakness of College Management where students are given this amount of power to upset and disrupt academic teachings is problematic for the wellbeing of all student life.
The general destructive propaganda strategy of Islam, endlessly, warmongerings, bullying worldwide its way into areas of no concern is worrisome. It would be wise not to bring the war of the Middle East onto college campuses especially 5000 miles away.
Question: Is the College Administration afraid of these students and/or does it suffer from weak leadership that allows this witch-hunt against its member of faculty to mushroom?
Isn't it puzzling why a citizen of Bangladesh, in the USA, would be this much obsessed with combing a Facebook account to start a witch hunt? Why does one go to college?
There are 2 solutions: the professor with attorney proceeds with legal actions against the administration; or the professor moves on and finds a more intelligent environment.
Anonymous, April 14, 2015 10:14 PM
Muslim leaders & journalists libel Jews & Israelis on a daily basis
Just as important , whatever happened to freedom of speech - or the concept of intellectual freedom at the university level ? Somebody should translate a few of the vicious statements libelling Israel and the Jewish people as a whole that Muslim leaders and intellectuals ROUTINELY make . Not to mention their all-too-frequent calls for further genocide . That would give Professor Pessin some ammo to fire back .
(3) Ben, April 14, 2015 2:55 PM
Another petition....
I wholeheartedly signed the petition. The anti Israeli intimdation on college campuses must be strongly dealt with. I also have a White House petition that just needs another 51 signatures ti get onto the White House web site
- pass it on to friends and family!
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/treat-democratic-ally-israel-respectfully-demand-more-accountability-palestinians-and-iran-supporting-terror
(2) Anonymous, April 14, 2015 2:38 PM
Signature link doesn't seem to work
Link doesn't seem to work
(1) Miriam, April 14, 2015 2:38 PM
What's unfortunate about comparing wild dogs to Hamas leadership?
It's not offensive at all. If anything, it's insulting to the dogs who have no free will. But a human who acts like an animal...
After all the articles about "moral equivalency", the above comparison is like Palestinians calling Israelis pigs????? Wow. No, Israelis are not animals because they are life preservers, life lovers. Hamas leaders indeed are worse than wild dogs.