The Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) focuses on promoting the study of modern Israel. Its director is Dov Waxman, an author, academic and leftist commentator.
Among Waxman’s views: BDS is not antisemitic:
Nor is the recent Amnesty report accusing Israel of apartheid:
In fact, his views on what is and what isn’t antisemitism stink:
In other words, he has a hard time recognizing the antisemitism of the left.
So it is hardly surprising Israel-hating, pro-BDS group IfNotNow has engaged him to speak about the relationship between Israel and American Jewry:
Why am I mentioning all of this?
The founder of the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies and Chair of its Advisory Board is Dr. Sharon Nazarian, an Iranian-born American social activist, academic and philanthropist.
Dr Nazarian is also currently the Senior Vice President, International Affairs for the ADL.
I have long noticed the ADL’s reticence to call out the antisemitism of the left. True, there have been some more promising signs in recent times, but I am left scratching my head as to how the Senior Vice President of International Affairs for the ADL could have someone like Dov Waxman – who does not believe things like BDS and Ilhan Omar are antisemitic – to head the Israel studies department at UCLA.
Update: Dr Nazarian just recently left the ADL to again serve full-time as president of the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Family Foundation.
