In light of recent tragic events, the Center is re-committed to the following pledge, which was initially drafted several years ago as worldwide incidents of hate became far too common and frequent. Since our founding in 2003, the Center has created student programming and offered dozens of new classes, as well as hosted many community events and academic conferences, that begin to address the problems described in this pledge and demonstrate our responsibility to share historical lessons and speak out against intolerance. We will certainly continue to do so in the coming year and years. Moreover, we will be very active with the College’s educational and outreach plans.
A wave of hostility directed at refugees, immigrants, Muslims, Jews, African Americans, Latinxs, LGBTQ communities, and other minorities has become apparent in the United States and across the globe. As teachers and researchers in Jewish Studies at UNC Chapel Hill, we are committed to speaking out when the lessons of Jewish history are relevant to the present. Jewish history has taught us that when a group of people is singled out as dangerous and targeted—whether based on religion, national origin, citizenship status, race, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, sexual orientation, or veteran status—this constitutes a threat to all of civil society. We therefore affirm the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies’ commitment to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for its faculty, students, staff, and community and value the perspectives that diverse traditions and the free and open exchange of ideas bring to the academy.
[June 2017; June 2020]