Sept. 11, antisemitism and Oberlin’s politics of omission

An exhibition at Oberlin College's Allen Memorial Art Museum, "The Land Is a Being Who Remembers Everything," is criticized for omitting Jewish experiences of prejudice and state violence in American history. The author notes that despite the exhibition's focus on "the connection between the identity of the United States and state-sanctioned violence," it failed to include instances like General Grant's expulsion order against Jews or immigration restrictions that affected Jewish refugees. This omission is seen as part of a broader trend at Oberlin, where "Zionism has all but vanished from respectable campus discourse." The article highlights a recent graduation ceremony where a student displayed a Palestinian flag, contrasting it with the likely reception of an Israeli flag. Furthermore, the college's lack of official commemoration for the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and the superficial treatment of Islamist extremism in campus discussions are cited as examples of a selective approach to historical and political scrutiny.