JEWISH AND PRO-ISRAEL COMMUNITY TO CA AG KAMALA HARRIS: WE’RE TROUBLED THE STATE AG IS UNWILLING TO RESPOND TO OUR SERIOUS CONCERNS
Contact: Nicole Rosen
202-309-5724
communications@AMCHAinitiative.org
Santa Cruz, CA, February 5, 2015– 24 organizations with hundreds of thousands of members and supporters wrote today to California Attorney General Kamala Harris demanding she respond to evidence that California State University Northridge (CSUN) mathematics professor David Klein has illegally used taxpayer resources to promote anti-Israelism and antisemitism. A year ago, AMCHA Initiative presented evidence to Harris that Klein is in violation of state and federal laws. Harris has yet to acknowledge the request.
“Many members of the Jewish community and concerned citizens of this state are appalled that a mathematics professor at a California state university is permitted to use the taxpayer-funded university website to post antisemitic material and promote an illegal boycott of Israel, and they are troubled that the state Attorney General is unwilling to even respond to these serious concerns,” wrote the groups. “Klein’s blatant abuse of power and taxpayer dollars must be stopped. We urge you to address AMCHA’s and our concerns as soon as possible.”
A year ago, AMCHA provided Harris with substantial evidence demonstrating that Klein has been in violation of the following state and federal laws:
- CAL. GOV’T CODE § 8314, which considers it a misdemeanor to use “public resources” to advocate for “personal or other purposes which are not authorized by law.”
- CAL. EDUC. CODE § 89005.5(a)(2)(C), which considers it a misdemeanor to “display” the CSU name or any variant of that name “in connection with” any propaganda or promotional activity “which has for its purpose the support, endorsement, advancement…[of] boycott or of any political…activity or program,” without the permission of the CSU Trustees.
- 50 U.S.C.App. § 2402 (5) and § 2407 (c), which make it illegal for a state agency to engage in anti-Israel boycott activities.
The organizations that sent the letter are:
Accuracy in Academia
Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity (AEPi)
AMCHA Initiative
American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists
American Freedom Alliance
Americans for Peace and Tolerance
Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA)
CUFI on Campus
David Horowitz Freedom Center
Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET)
Hasbara Fellowships
Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel
Iranian American Jewish Federation
Israeli-American Council (IAC)
LA Advocacy Collective
Middle East Political and Information Network (MEPIN)
Proclaiming Justice to the Nations
Scholars for Peace in the Middle East
Simon Wiesenthal Center
StandWithUs
Students and Parents Against Campus Anti-Semitism
The Lawfare Project
Training and Education About the Middle East (T.E.A.M.)
Zionist Organization of America
A full copy of today’s letter can be found HERE and below.
AMCHA Initiative is a non-profit organization, based in California, dedicated to investigating, documenting, educating about, and combating antisemitism at institutions of higher education in America. AMCHA Initiative’s efforts are bolstered by a network of more than 5,000 members and supporters of the Jewish community — including university alumni, parents and grandparents, rabbis, religious school principals and synagogue members — who have joined together to speak in one voice to ensure the safety and well-being of Jewish students on college and university campuses across the country.
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February 5, 2015
Dear Attorney General Harris,
We are 24 organizations with hundreds of thousands of members and supporters nationwide, many of them citizens of California. We are deeply concerned about the actions of California State University Northridge Mathematics Professor David Klein who for the last five years has been using the CSUN web server to host his politically-motivated “Boycott Israel Resource Page,” aspects of which meet the definition of antisemitism adopted by the U.S. State Department.
More than one year ago, Tammi Rossman-Benjamin and Leila Beckwith, co-founders of AMCHA Initiative, shared what they believe to be substantial evidence demonstrating that Klein’s “Boycott Israel” webpage was in violation of both state and federal law. We understand that in the ensuing year, you neither responded to their letter nor enforced the laws which would prohibit Klein from using the CSU name or resources to promote his hatred of the Jewish state and an illegal boycott of Israel.
Many members of the Jewish community and concerned citizens of this state are appalled that a mathematics professor at a California state university is permitted to use the taxpayer-funded university website to post antisemitic material and promote an illegal boycott of Israel, and they are troubled that the state Attorney General is unwilling to even respond to these serious concerns. Klein’s blatant abuse of power and taxpayer dollars must be stopped. We urge you to address AMCHA’s and our concerns as soon as possible:
If Klein is in violation of state law, then please ensure that his “Boycott Israel Resource Page” is removed from the CSUN server and that Professor Klein is appropriately sanctioned for his illegal behavior.
If Klein has not violated California law, then please publicly clarify for the citizens of California why the substantial evidence presented in the letter that was sent to you one year ago fails to demonstrate that Klein has violated state or federal law.
Thank you,
Accuracy in Academia
Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity (AEPi)
AMCHA Initiative
American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists
American Freedom Alliance
Americans for Peace and Tolerance
Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA)
CUFI on Campus
David Horowitz Freedom Center
Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET)
Hasbara Fellowships
Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel
Iranian American Jewish Federation
Israeli-American Council (IAC)
LA Advocacy Collective
Middle East Political and Information Network (MEPIN)
Proclaiming Justice to the Nations
Scholars for Peace in the Middle East
Simon Wiesenthal Center
StandWithUs
Students and Parents Against Campus Anti-Semitism
The Lawfare Project
Training and Education About the Middle East (T.E.A.M.)
Zionist Organization of America
Cc:
CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White
CSU Board of Trustees
CSU Associate Vice Chancellor and Deputy General Counsel Andrew Jones
Senior Assistant Attorney General Douglas Woods
California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson
California State Senator Robert M. Hertzberg (Northridge)
California State Assembly Member Matthew Dababneh (Northridge)
California Senator Carol Liu, Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Education
California Assembly Member Patrick O’Donnell, Chair of the Assembly Education Committee
California State Senator Marty Block, Chair of Legislative Jewish Caucus
U.S. Congressman District 30 Brad Sherman
California Jewish community leaders