Jews cite frustration, gains as SFSU task force ends

Ask Paul Cohen how effective his work was on San Francisco State's task force for intergroup relations, and he says time will tell.

Ask him what life was like on the rancorous panel and his answer is shorter: "Oy!"

The task force, convened by SFSU President Robert Corrigan in the wake of a vitriolic near-riot following a May 7 pro-Israel rally, placed its final report on Corrigan's desk in mid-December. And while Jewish task force members say some progress was made, they readily admit that they did not have fun making it.

"The meetings were sometimes difficult. I'm not sorry we've concluded our work," said Rabbi Doug Kahn, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council.

"I walked in with the expectation that there would be a common commitment to creating a campus that was committed to civility and the safety of all students. And what I found was a wider range of viewpoints than I anticipated.

"I remember one meeting in which one of the task force members said the university had to protect uncivil and disrespectful speech as well as civil. And of course free speech has to be protected within its proper boundaries. But the fact that this was being emphasized by a member of the task force was, for me, an indication of how different our perspectives sometimes were," continued Kahn.

"So, many of the discussions were tougher than I thought they should have been. But the outcome, overall, was a positive one."

Perhaps the task force's most tangible suggestion was a stricter codification of the rules regarding rallies and counter-rallies on campus. Details, such as how far apart opposing groups must stand from each other, should be strictly enforced, according to the task force.

"Distance between groups and efforts to protect both the participants in the rally as well as in the counter-demonstration: Those are big gains in the areas we wanted," said Cohen, the senior campus strategic services consultant to Hillel.

"From my point of view, new rules and regulations regarding rallies and counter-demonstrations are clearly some of the biggest gains."

The task force also suggested the establishment of an Islamic studies department and the hiring of an Israeli studies professor for the school's Jewish studies department in addition to other proposals dealing with curriculum, hiring practices, assemblies and protected speech.

"Arab and Muslim members of the task force put a great deal of effort into trying to see an Arab and Muslim program established equivalent to the Jewish studies program," said Cohen.

"Jewish members of the task force were in favor of that. We saw no reason why that kind of academic endeavor, if it produces pride in identity, is something that we should object to. Rather, we were pleased to see it."

Both Kahn and Cohen confirmed that Arab, Muslim and student members of the task force made a significant effort to reduce or overturn a one-year suspension Corrigan levied upon the General Union of Palestinian Students.

GUPS' behavior at the May 7 fracas -- combined with the revelation that the student group's university-hosted Web site contained graphics depicting Israel's destruction and was linked to pages denying the Holocaust and accusing Jews of ritual murder -- resulted in a suspension announcement over the summer. Hillel was reprimanded for its role in the rally's aftermath.

"There was a considerable effort of many members of the task force who felt GUPS' sanctions needed to be lifted to change the environment on campus. The president of the student government and many of her fellow officers and board members came to a couple of meetings demanding actions and saying the actions of [Corrigan] were not equal," said Cohen.

"That's ridiculous, because the groups' actions were not equal. As we did not see a formal apology of GUPS that met our expectations, we saw no reason for the task force to intervene."

But, when it's all said and done, will the task force's work prevent another May 7-style debacle on campus?

"The proof will be in the pudding," said Cohen. "We have to see what happens on campus in terms of [whether] anti-Israel forces, if they become active in Iraq protest rallies, will impact Jewish students."