"The text messages seen by The Electronic Intifada also show Cohen apparently trying to shape McCleary’s statements to minimize the role of Jewish students in SJP. The exchange begins with a message from Cohen asking the student if he is “the only Jew in SJP.”
“No. I can think of three other active core members off the top of my head, likely more at the general meetings,” McCleary responds.
“One of less than a handful of Jews?” Cohen then asks.
“If you’re trying to find a phrase to minimize Jewish participation I can’t help you,” McCleary shoots back. “There are a disproportionately large number of Jews in SJP based on campus demographics.”
But as far as McCleary is aware, he is the only Jewish SJP member at Berkeley that the Times approached.
McCleary felt that the New York Times article – which did not quote him or any of the other students interviewed for this post – “completely misrepsented my experiences as a Jewish student at Berkeley.”
“In my experience at Berkeley I have never experienced anti-Semitism,” McCleary said. “What I have experienced is being called a terrorist, a Nazi, a kapo – which is the most anti-Semitic thing you can call a Jew – but only by other Jews in opposition to BDS.”
Kapo is the word used to refer to Jews who collaborated in the Nazi extermination camps during the Second World War."
“No. I can think of three other active core members off the top of my head, likely more at the general meetings,” McCleary responds.
“One of less than a handful of Jews?” Cohen then asks.
“If you’re trying to find a phrase to minimize Jewish participation I can’t help you,” McCleary shoots back. “There are a disproportionately large number of Jews in SJP based on campus demographics.”
But as far as McCleary is aware, he is the only Jewish SJP member at Berkeley that the Times approached.
McCleary felt that the New York Times article – which did not quote him or any of the other students interviewed for this post – “completely misrepsented my experiences as a Jewish student at Berkeley.”
“In my experience at Berkeley I have never experienced anti-Semitism,” McCleary said. “What I have experienced is being called a terrorist, a Nazi, a kapo – which is the most anti-Semitic thing you can call a Jew – but only by other Jews in opposition to BDS.”
Kapo is the word used to refer to Jews who collaborated in the Nazi extermination camps during the Second World War."
