Hunter College Lecture, 20 Years Later

Tonight I returned to my Alma Mater, Hunter College 20 years after my graduation. I cannot honestly remember being back there anytime in between. I went because I had to. Yes, I HAD TO. It was for me. I was nervous. Would I gain access as an Alumni? Would there be agitators? I could feel myself older. My breathing began to change. I was nervous. I'm not sure why. It had been 20 years. And I had not even realized that fact, until I was on the train making my way. 20 years. How could it be 20 years since I left college. BUT Chloe Simone Valdery, who've I've known for almost two years through social media and whom I met once last summer before I left for my first trip to Israel, at a CAMERA event was giving a talk to the students of Hillel. Since I was a member of Hillel back when I was a student at Hunter, I had to go. I wanted to see if there were changes and I wanted to see their reaction to someone I admire very much.

Hillel itself did not sponsor this lecture, but CAMERA on Campus. Co-sponsored by UJA, Zionist Organization of America, and NEWMAN CATHOLIC CAMPUS MINISTRY OFFICE AT HUNTER did.

The adult leaders of the Hunter chapter of  Hillel were very supportive of the students involved with Hillel to work with these organizations to bring Chloe and I applaud them. Clearly my disdain which I left with 20 years ago, from my own involvement with Hillel was sadly reaffirmed in that they still wish to bury their heads in the sand and not engage and empower the Jewish youth even in the face of them being surrounded by the crocodiles in their kefiyahs and their hijabs chanting horrible things about Israel.

I'll post some empowering video from Chloe later and update this post with her righteous words.

For now, I'll leave you with what I was brought up to date on. About two years after I left Hunter, antisemetic graffiti started appearing on the boys bathroom walls. True to the nature of Hillel and Hunter as well, this never made the news and I never heard about it, until tonight. Apparently there was discussion between the Hillel representative at that time and another religious organization's representative about what to do. In the meantime, some Russian Jews came to Hunter and learned about this hateful garbage and dressed up in black and apparently found the culprits in action and gave a proper beat down.

Guess what happened next? NOTHING. That's right. NOTHING....NO MORE antisemetic graffiti.

You see folks, THAT's the lesson. Those Russian kids knew it. Sadly the supposed adults running Hillel do not.

Chloe talked a lot about, and I'll paraphrase her words, not having to prove yourself, to have confidence. She's right. Those Russians knew this.

20 years ago Hillel didn't want to engage at all. Be quiet they told me. Be quiet Lauren. They will go away.

I knew they would not. I was right. Damn it! I was right!  I wish I were not.

These Jewish kids at Hunter today are living a hell. When I was there it was just beginning. Although even I didn't quite grasp what I was experiencing, hell this was before 9/11, it was the start of the movement you are seeing today. And because we failed to address it and give it a proper beat down, like the Russian Jews did, the students today are fearful. They are! This was upsetting for me to witness. I was NEVER frightened walking around Hunter back in the 90's. NEVER. I would confront the Student Body President who clearly did not like me because I am a Jew and who I later found out had gone to the Dean and complained about "that Lauren", making statements about us Jews etc etc. These were the days before iPhones and pictures. But I had a friend inside the Dean's office and he showed me the files. But I was NEVER intimidated. NEVER. I wrote letters to the editor and I spoke up, without the support of Hillel. The people who I should have made solid friends with, turned and high tailed and didn't respect me for this. So be it.

The Jewish students at Hunter today feel threatened. Whatever I saw, was nothing compared to what these students are now facing. It is so much worse for them.

But I was encouraged to see at least 30 students show up to listen to Chloe. Back in the day, I couldn't get 10 Jewish students to come to any event. Feeling no support, eventually I left the organization.

If Hillel doesn't fully support the adult organizers at Hunter College today, in their FULL support of these students to work with these other organizations and keep bringing in speakers who empower and speak properly about how to deal with BDSholes and SJP and other sickening Jew-hating organizations, then they should be considered null and void once and for all.

Their decisions and silence in the past 20 years has brought nothing good for the Jewish students and has emboldened and empowered the evil Jew haters to walk all over us. NO MORE!

I hope THESE kids will don their black shirts and start giving the beat downs that need to be done.