Op-ed: We can’t avoid tough conversations about Zionism while claiming academic freedom

By David Myers

In recent weeks, controversy surrounding Israel and Palestine once again roiled UCLA’s campus. This time, the catalyst was a talk by Noura Erakat, a professor at Rutgers University, on the theme of “Revisiting Zionism as a Form of Racism and Racial Discrimination.” Campus critics of the event argued that it lacked balance and contributed to a feeling of unsafety for many Jews on campus.