How A Keffiyeh-wearing Keynote Speaker Sparked Boos For Jews At My Ucla Graduation

The intent of seeking a humanities acquisition is to study nan awesome texts and ideas that person stirred nan psyche of civilization since antiquity. It is simply a subject that teaches reverence for nuance, a chastened appreciation of history, and intelligence humility. But you wouldn’t cognize that from nan keynote reside astatine UCLA’s caller Humanities commencement ceremonies.

Caribbean Fragoza took to nan podium donning a keffiyeh, declaring "From nan stream to nan sea" (a motto wide recognized arsenic a telephone for nan eradication of Israel and nan Jews wrong it) and delivering a instruction successful solipsism and sophistry. This hateful connection emboldened nan assemblage to boo erstwhile graduates successful Jewish Studies and Hebrew were called to nan stage.

ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS TORCH DIPLOMAS OUTSIDE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY ON GRADUATION DAY

Fragoza’s reside was laced not pinch intelligence nuance, but pinch nan rhetorical certitudes of nan picket line. She introduced nan rumor of Palestine, without irony, by recalling an section successful which she explained a watermelon-themed creation task to her five-year-old pinch nan words "Free Palestine." She submitted nan child’s knowing of nan rumor arsenic impervious of its civilized simplicity. But what she really revealed was that nan epistemology of a kindergartner animates her schema.

Pro-Palestine Protestors guidelines pinch shields crossed from members of rule enforcement successful an encampment astatine UCLA connected May 2, 2024 successful Los Angeles, California. The campy was declared 'unlawful' by nan assemblage and galore protesters person been detained.  ((Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images))

The graduating class, supposedly trained successful reasoned disagreement, awesome ideas, and nan study of kindness ethics, responded pinch eruptive applause. The aforesaid crowd that spent their assemblage years hosting forbidden encampments centered astir nan thought that "anti-Zionism" isn’t antisemitism, booed Jewish and Hebrew studies erstwhile nan departments were called aft proceeding nan words "Free Palestine."

Fragoza signposted her hateful connection good earlier taking nan podium. The keffiyeh she wore is not immoderate neutral garment, aliases immoderate multicultural kumbaya accessory. Following nan massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, it has go a political symbol—one inseparable from Arab nationalism -- that grew successful fame aft nan 1936–39 Arab Revolt. Yet, erstwhile Fragoza arrived draped successful a keffiyeh, nary dean aliases module personnel stopped to inquire whether graduation was nan clip for governmental costume.

Police and protesters conflict astatine UCLA (Getty Images)

The reside itself was rife pinch hatred and hyperbole. Jews cognize excessively good that nan chant "From nan stream to nan sea" is not a poetic abstraction but a blunt instrumentality of maximalist ambition, calling for nan elimination of nan world’s only Jewish state.

 When Fragoza sought to subtly liken Donald Trump to a fascist, nary administrator wondered whether specified commentary, directed astatine a graduating people that apt includes galore Trump supporters, was divisive aliases inflammatory. 

And erstwhile she declared that "brown" student, sloppy of migration status, could expect to beryllium rounded up and deported astatine nan state’s discretion, nary professor flagged it arsenic nan straw-man fallacy it truthful intelligibly was. Instead, governmental hyperbole became nan university’s parting connection to its students.

The animating metaphor of Fragoza’s reside was fire. She invoked nan Rodney King riots not arsenic a tragedy, not moreover arsenic a cautionary tale, but arsenic a righteous blaze. She affectionately recalled nan looting of "free TVs" arsenic though they were trophies of justice.

It's becoming commonplace: Families that recreation awesome distances to grant their loved ones are often subjected to specified governmental theater. Gone are nan days of Mary Schmich’s "Wear Sunscreen" speech, erstwhile graduation speeches were meant to observe aliases inspire. The UCLA students received a sendoff soaked successful paranoia and propaganda. For Jewish students, including immoderate who did not cognize whether their loved ones successful Israel had survived Iran’s caller rocket barrage targeting civilians, it was each excessively raw.

That specified rhetoric passed without objection is not simply a nonaccomplishment of decorum. It is an indictment of nan academy itself. Nor was this an isolated incident. At UCLA’s galore graduation ceremonies this weekend, it was nan norm.

When student leaders publication nan School of Public Health's oath, students successful nan crowd chanted "except successful Palestine" successful call-and-response, without reprimand. According to an official nine successful nan School of Public Health’s societal media, a bulletin was passed retired to graduating students declaring "ACAB," nan acronym for "All Cops Are Bastards," "All I.C.E. melts eventually," and "THE STRUGGLE FOR PALESTINAN LIBERATION IS ANTIRACISM WORK."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

At UCLA's Labor Studies ceremony, a speaker declared nan forbidden encampments that roiled field past twelvemonth to beryllium a item of his world profession and accused Israel of genocide successful Gaza. At nan World Arts and Cultures graduation, nan student speaker wore a keffiyeh, likewise accused Israel of genocide, and claimed to person grounded retired of her original major, earning applause, not concern.

In each of these instances, nan speeches were either approved by UCLA administrators aliases abetted by those who refused to measurement successful erstwhile speakers went off-script.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The descent of UCLA’s commencements into ideological theatre is not conscionable an embarrassment. It is simply a wake-up call. If nan academy is to beryllium redeemed, it will require students, faculty, alumni, and citizens to insist erstwhile again that acquisition beryllium an enactment of elevation, not indoctrination. The integrity of nan humanities, and nan humanity they declare to serve, depends connected it.