The chair of the business department at Kingsborough Community College is calling out the president of the school for not condemning Hamas’ actions.
In an open letter, Jeffrey Lax shared some of President Claudia V. Schraeder’s remarks after the death of George Floyd and attacks on Asian Americans in New York City — when she wrote: “The racism, bias, discrimination and hate that our brothers and sisters have been subjected to is intolerable and I am sure you stand with me in not only denouncing this hate, but standing up for and with them.
“Times like this not only call for us to be allies, but to be staunch advocates for an anti-racist and inclusive community, where we respect, embrace and celebrate the differences among us.”
“Your words have been powerful, genuine and have meant a lot to me — and surely to the members of any and all of these suffering communities,” Lax wrote in his letter, which he shared with Algemeiner.
“I have always proudly stood with you and these statements,” he said. “They exemplified true, genuine, and compassionate leadership.”
But, Lax argues Schraeder did not show the same compassion in her statement about the war in Israel, where, he writes, “more than 20 Americans were murdered, and more have been kidnapped. Nearly all have been Jews.
“More than 1,000 Israelis have been murdered — the single greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust (where my four grandparents were tortured, caged, lost their parents and all but one member of their entire families,” he said.
In her remarks about Hamas’ attack on the Jewish nation over the weekend, Schraeder said, “We must only [sic] not continue to pray for peace, but each of us must act for peace and understanding in ways that will continue to bridge that which threatens to divide us.”
“When Jews were the victims of such unimaginable atrocities, that was your message?” Lax asked Schraeder, incredulously.
“It is impossible not to ask: what kind of leader bravely and beautifully speaks out for every victimized group except for one? What kind of institutional head makes an exception for one and only one group?” he asked.
“I have long praised you for speaking out so beautifully and strongly in support of communities under attack,” Lax concluded. “But it appears that you have made one clear exception — Jews.
“It is absolutely shameful and should not be tolerated by decent people of any background on our campus or anywhere.”
The Post has reached out to Schraeder for comment.
Meanwhile, CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez is trying to distance himself from a group of pro-Palestinian student groups that marched on Times Square carrying swastikas.
“We don’t condone the activities of any internal organizations that are sponsoring rallies to celebrate or support Hamas’ cowardly actions,” Matos Rodríguez said in a statement. “Such efforts do not in any way represent the University and its campuses.”
He also announced that the university system is implementing counseling and related services for students, faculty and staff, with a focus on those with family and friends in the region.
But pro-Palestine groups at seven CUNY campuses — including Hunter College, Baruch College and CUNY Law School — signed onto a call Tuesday for the administration to “reassess and reconsider its response.”