A Jewish student at Stanford University seeking a seat on the student senate has claimed that she was asked how her religion affects her view of divestment from Israel, causing a debate about what constitutes anti-Semitism to spill into the university’s student government election.
Molly Horwitz, a junior who was adopted from Paraguay, sought an endorsement from the Students of Color Coalition, a group that has helped many students win student senate seats in the past, according to a New York Times article. Horwitz said that during her interview with the student coalition, she was asked how her Jewish identity would affect her vote on divestment. In an interview with the New York Times, Horwitz said she was “really taken aback by the question,” but eventually responded that she disagreed with the Stanford student senate’s vote to encourage the university to divest.
Tianay Pulphus, the president of the Stanford chapter of the N.A.A.C.P., said that Horwitz’s claim was “baseless,” and that “at no point was she asked whether her Jewish identity impacted her view on divestment.” Pulphus was one of the students that conducted the interview with Horwitz.
Stanford officials are investigating the claim, along with another allegation that the Students of Color Coalition asked its endorsed candidates to promise to not affiliate with Jewish groups on campus.
Read more about the story at The New York Times.
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