PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Ilya Bratman, Hillel Director for 9 campuses including 3 in the CUNY system
3:43:40
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Ilya Bratman, Hillel Director for multiple campuses including three in the CUNY system, testifies about the concerning incidents of antisemitism and hostility towards Jewish and Zionist students on CUNY campuses. He emphasizes the need for a clear definition of antisemitism and stronger policies to address these issues effectively.
- Bratman criticizes the current vague approach at CUNY, which he believes hinders proper investigation and adjudication of antisemitic incidents.
- He calls for accountability for faculty members who he claims are indoctrinating students with biased views on the Middle East.
- Bratman suggests that if antisemitism is concentrated within a small group, CUNY should be able to effectively restrain these disruptors and create a better educational environment.
Ilya Bratman
3:43:40
Hi.
3:43:41
Thank you, chair Dinowitz and the members of the committee, and, we thank, chancellor for being here, but we're upset that he's not here to listen to these testimonies.
3:43:50
My name is Ilya Bratman.
3:43:51
I am the Hill director of 9 campuses in Manhattan.
3:43:55
3 of them are, in the CUNY system, Baruch City and John Jay.
3:43:59
This semester, we have seen some of the worst conditions and incidents for our students as certain agitators, haters, antagonists, and criminals continue to intimidate, harass, threaten, and terrorize Jewish and Zionist students across our campuses.
3:44:11
We cannot continue to fight this onslaught of hostility if we don't do not define anti semitism and clearly delineate the types of cases that cross the line.
3:44:20
As per judge Lippman's suggestions, we cannot provide more guidance and increased consideration without defining antisemitism.
3:44:26
The vagueness of the current conversation at CUNY allows for immense confusion around this issue and disables any ability to adjudicate these incidents.
3:44:35
It defangs the instruments available to the investigators and promotes continued lawlessness for the few hateful and desperate agitators.
3:44:42
How can we hold faculty accountable to their conduct in the classroom if our policies and definitions aren't clear and widely distributed and accepted?
3:44:51
The faculty continue to indoctrinate the young impressionable minds of our students to believe in a vision and fanatical fantasy of the Middle East that's devoid of historical concepts and truths and filled with flawed, unscarrolly analysis without evidence necessary for honest conversations on campus.
3:45:08
If we acquiesce to the report's finding that antisemitism is not widespread, is it concentrated within a small group of hateful agitators and aggressors, then we should be easily able to address this issue by restraining these few disruptors fully and effectively, eradicating evil and unacceptable conduct from the classrooms, hallways, plazas, and all spaces on our campuses and create an environment that's conducive to education and promotion of our great ideals and historic precedent at CUNY.
3:45:35
Thank you so much, and I hope we can get to answer some questions.