Princeton: A Tale of a Prime Minister, Protesters, Pagers and Presidents

It was a hell of a week for my alma mater Princeton when it comes to Israel/Palestine, academic freedom, Jewish life on campus and freedom of speech.

I’m not breaking any news telling you that American universities are a hot mess right now.

It’s beyond shocking that in mere weeks more than 1,000 foreign students and scholars have lost their legal status – hauled off from streets or their homes by masked agents to far-away detention facilities for little more than their political opinions.

While foreign students fear for their safety and Jewish students fear rising antisemitism, the universities are fearing for their funding. The Trump administration has suspended or cut billions in research funds and other grants to major universities – framing their actions as part of the “fight against antisemitism on campus,” a very real phenomenon that deserves serious attention.

The Biden administration actually had a comprehensive national strategy for addressing antisemitism and used legal tools including Title VI authorities and the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights to implement it. Trump, by contrast, is using “fighting antisemitism” as a pretext for advancing a far-reaching right-wing agenda including weakening higher education, limiting immigration and undermining legal protections for speech or due process.

It should offend the sensibility of every Jewish American to see the critical fight against antisemitism co​-opted in the service of goals opposed by the overwhelming majority of our community.

Against this toxic backdrop, drama unfolded this week at Princeton.

The Prime Minister

What better time for a right-wing former Prime Minister of Israel, who’s just announced his return to politics, to go on a speaking tour of American college campuses.

Naftali Bennett served as Israel’s Prime Minister in 2021-2022. A right-wing politician, he’s well-known for his total opposition to Palestinian statehood and for denying the Israeli occupation. In recent months, he’s spent so much time on American campuses (I’m aware of Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Duke, and now Princeton) you might think he was running for the White House not to be Prime Minister of Israel.

Bennett seems to revel in roiling the waters on campuses he visits. At each appearance, Bennett jokes – when rules about protests are announced or when the protests begin – about giving the protesters pagers, alluding to the Israeli military operation last year in which sabotaged electronics blew up in the hands of Hezbollah terrorists. His response to protesters – as it was this week at Princeton – is to say that “Instead of whining for the past 80 years and building your own future, you have focused on killing the Jews. It’s time the Palestinians stopped whining.”

For those who may be reminiscing fondly of the “Change Government” Bennett briefly led, bringing Jewish and Arab parties into the same coalition, you should know that he is using his appearances to make clear that, as he told Columbia students last month, “the next government won’t include Arab parties.”

If you are looking for the next Rabin, Peres or Barak – a Prime Minister to lead the way to actual resolution of Israel’s conflicts – keep looking. If you’re looking to understand why Israel has a “hasbara” (P.R.) problem, look no further.

The Protesters

The protesters at these events of course play their predictable part to perfection as well. At least some in their ranks​ show up in masks, chant​ offensive slogans​, call Jews horrific names and look​ to disrupt – loudly banging drums outside, shouting during the talk and setting off fire alarms.

The Princeton protesters – as is the case at most anti-war, anti-occupation protests – have not a word of condemnation for Hamas, which not only carried out the most horrific terror attack of our lifetimes, but continue to hold dozens of Israelis, and the entire civilian population of Gaza, hostage.

Unfortunately, protests like the one at Princeton this week are not centering a commitment to peace, equal rights for ​both peoples and conflict resolution. If you’re looking for the next Gandhi, Mandela or King to lead the way to actual freedom and rights for Palestinians – keep looking. If you’re wondering why these protests induce more fear than sympathy in the Jewish community, look no further.

The Presidents

Is there a worse job right now than college president?

Princeton President Eisgruber has – I believe – done about as well as anyone. The statement he issued following the Bennett appearance called the behavior of the protesters “reprehensible and intolerable.” He pledged an investigation and appropriate disciplinary measures. He also apologized to Bennett, saying he, “like all other speakers on our campus, had every right to be heard without disruption and to be treated with dignity.”

Eisgruber has also been ​unwavering in pushing back on Trump’s assault on higher education. While reiterating Princeton’s commitment to comply with the law, to fight antisemitism and to cooperate with the government, he wrote in a campus-wide email, that “Princeton will also vigorously defend academic freedom and the due process rights of this University.”

Across the board, balance and nuance of this kind are sorely lacking. For a great conversation about these issues – at Princeton and more broadly – tune in to Eisgruber’s appearance on the Daily this week, in which he also bravely challenged his fellow university presidents to ​show more backbone in standing up for academic freedom.

Another great example of university leadership is Wesleyan’s President, Michael Roth, who penned a terrific op-ed in the New York Times this past week. (I’m looking forward to hosting Roth for a Word on the Street video conversation in about ten days – I hope you’ll join).

The Students

​At the end of the day,​ the story of our universities should center on the students.

So, what guidance can I offer students when their campuses are being used as sets by political actors with​ their own agendas to play out the dramas of the day?

· Listen respectfully to – and demonstrate empathy for – those with different views.

· Don’t silence those with whom you disagree.

· Seek truth relentlessly, think and engage critically.

· Stake out thoughtful positions that are true to your values – and don’t shy away from the conceptual space found uncomfortably between those too busy shouting to listen. That, of course, is the space J Street U’s students are holding on many campuses - including Princeton.

Thankfully, unlike the politicians seeking ​personal gain by fanning the flames of campus tension, it seems ​at least some presidents (of universities, not our country) are providing thoughtful leadership in stormy times and demonstrating for students what it looks like to live up to these aspirations.