Jonah S. Rubin (@jsrubin.bsky.social)

1/ Hi. I’m a cultural anthropologist. Can we talk about the “culture” part of #CancelCulture?

You know, some might say that a desire "to rule indefinitely over a subject population of non citizens" - aka, apartheid - is more than just a PR problem.

Ziad Abu-Rish—associate professor at Bard College, and a member of the Middle East Studies Association’s Committee on Academic Freedom—explains how Title VI has been weaponized to suppress speech critical of Israel. Read full article: insidehighered.com/opinion/views/…

This is wild. All sorts of programs getting the axe at various Ohio universities: chemistry, physics, geography, psychology, data analytics. Sheesh.

great news for fans of omens and portents

That final sentence is key. I’ve often said the same thing. I used to think it was a very persuasive argument — on the assumption that ardent Zionists were, like me, opponents of antisemitism. But I came to see that very few of them really are. Or at least, I realized that the prospect Ezra is concerned about (that people who merely object to Israeli apartheid or Israeli war crimes will become antisemites) is not at all a concern for Israel’s apologists. On the contrary. They deeply prefer for everyone who disagrees with Israel to hate the Jews. (If you ask them in the right way, they will admit to this.)

I was arrested for protesting during spring '24. Two of my fellow protestors were only acquitted last week, nearly two years after. Protesters at my campus had wrists broken by cops and had their civil rights violated in jail. Others were indefinitely suspended. Under Biden(1/3)

The crackdown at universities included expulsions, criminal charges, the actual jailing of students for as little as an oped, new campus rules that made criticizing Israel a punishable offense, the banning even of megaphones at demonstrations…and then Neera “wonders” where the protests went. Such a mystery!

The schools that had the most prevalent protests - including Columbia where I work - either suspended or expelled most of the students protesting Israel's genocide of Gaza. One of my former students has a 3 year (!!!) suspension. Then, the schools enacted rules making protest nearly impossible. And the very people who pressured the schools to do this are now saying "Where are all the protests?". Idiots.

Trump is threatening to eliminate the people of Iran overnight. Years of normalizing genocidal rhetoric and mass violence has brought us to this cataclysmic moment. Our condemnation of this shameless endorsement of mass murder is as strong as our rage at the elected officials and media whose endless appeasement of genocide led us to this existential crisis.

Mahmoud Khalil sat down with @jdforward for an extended interview because he wanted to talk to Jews, including those who see his Free Palestine movement as an existential threat. His message, take it or leave it: "I want to liberate everyone." forward.com/news/817276/ma…

‘Proactively fall in line:’ Holocaust Memorial Museum quietly changed content after Trump returned to office politi.co/4dOr1mP via @politico

screenshot 1: the Times of Israel accurately reporting what the law does and doesn’t do screenshot 2: the @nytimes notification I got about it. “Critics say…”

BREAKING: Rep. DeGette gets heated with a constituent pressing her on why she voted to send bombs to Israel: "If this the only issue that you care about is this issue, then you should not vote for me" DeGette, who's 68, is facing a primary challenge from @MelatKirosCO.

German police arrested Udi Raz in 2024 for holding a sign that read “Jews against genocide.” He said, “Would it have been alright with you if it said “Jews in Favor of Genocide?” The police reportedly “manhandled him even more fiercely” as a result. According to Iris Hefets, herself arrested for holding a similar sign in 2023, Jews have been specifically targeted for arrest because they “get in the way of the narrative.” bostonreview.net/articles/antis… x.com/redstreamnet/s…

BREAKING: AIPAC staffers lock the door and call the cops on Chicago voters. Voters are looking for answers about the $20+ million AIPAC is funneling through dark money SuperPACs to try to buy Chicago elections.

I won't apologize but I will observe that our reality is just as dumb as the prequels now

AI writing has so many tells. Once you see it, it's fairly easy to identify (and exhausting to see everywhere). If you don't know how to spot it, please read: litmagnews.substack.com/p/q-what-is-ai…

Opinion | A new report from the AAUP and the Middle East Studies Association reveals the extent to which protest speech has been persecuted. chroni.cl/4rZTVUU

Dismay at a cancellation of the P-word - For the whole essay search in your Browser for Juan Cole's Informed Comment dlvr.it/TR9PbQ

AIPAC hasn't been around for 3,000 years and for you to conflate AIPAC with the Jewish people is pure antisemitism, even per the IHRA definition that is beloved by pro-Israel folks. Sheesh. Quiet part loud.