Photo Credit: Facebook
Drexel Hillel Rabbi Isabel de Koninck (Left), with Noam Chomsky (center) and Drexel President John A. Fry (2nd from Right)

Also, according to Chomsky, the United States is not a democracy, it is a “plutocracy” in which most citizens are disenfranchised.

De Konick is a part of the Hillel of Greater Philadelphia, but Rabbi Howard Alpert, the chief executive officer of HGP does not share de Koninck’s apparent enthusiasm for Chomsky.

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When asked to comment on Drexel awarding Chomsky the honorary degree and Drexel’s Hillel rabbi gushing over him, Alpert was unequivocal:

“Noam Chomsky has criticized Israel in the most vile, vitriolic, and hate-filled terms for many years. He should be shunned, not honored, whatever his academic achievements might be in areas of his technical expertise.”

Alpert refrained from directly commenting on Rabbi de Koninck’s enthusiastic and public position towards Chomsky, despite repeated requests to do so. The Hillel CEO also did not respond when asked whether HGP made its position known to Drexel University when the honorary degree decisions were announced back in April.

Chomsky spoke on June 12, at the ceremony for master’s graduates in art and design, education, business and professional studies. He was described by the university as a “professor emeritus at MIT, linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, logician and political commentator.”

One former Drexel student shared her views with the JewishPress.com.

I was extremely saddened to see my alma mater give an honorary award to an individual who does not embody the university’s morals in the slightest. As a Jewish Dragon I am deeply offended that the university would associate itself with such an unabashed anti-Semite. The  beliefs and virtues of the current Jewish student body are threatened by this overt display of approval for Chomsky’s hate speech.

To see the Hillel Director proudly post a photo of herself with Noam Chomsky represents the ultimate betrayal to the Jewish population at Drexel. How can we allow someone with such extreme views to shape the minds of university students? There is already enough anti-Israel and anti-Scemetic hate speech on campus that college students must work tirelessly to combat, now we are allowing the Hillel director to add fuel to the fire?

The Israel Project, a U.S.-based educational non-profit organization, created an online petition calling on Drexel to withdraw the award.

The leadership of Drexel’s Dragons for Israel, which describes itself as “Drexel University’s pro-Israel organization,” declined to comment on the award, although they said they were aware of it.

Niki Gianakaris, the university’s director of media relations, refused to return a phone call from the JewishPress.com.


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Lori Lowenthal Marcus is a contributor to the JewishPress.com. A graduate of Harvard Law School, she previously practiced First Amendment law and taught in Philadelphia-area graduate and law schools. You can reach her by email: [email protected]