As Jewish faculty, staff, students and alumni at diverse Iowa universities and colleges, we are committed to the values of academic freedom, pluralism, and independence that animate higher education. These values undergird our commitment to teaching, research, serving the public, and practicing our professions to the highest possible standard. 

We write to dispel misconceptions that are being wielded by people with little knowledge of academia to weaken university life and harm our students. Financial threats to universities and stripping First Amendment rights from students, faculty, and researchers in the name of the Jewish community is deeply offensive to us. It must stop. 

As people who are deeply familiar with campus life – many of us walk our campuses every day – we can report that broad-stroke portrayals of universities as hotbeds of antisemitism do not reflect our lived experience. We recognize that antisemitism, like other forms of bias, is present on college campuses, and that the current environment is especially heated. Some of us have witnessed antisemitic or racist incidents. Political speech and assembly, however, must not be conflated with hate speech. Speech regarding Israel and Palestine is no exception to this rule. 

Higher education offers unique opportunities for exploration, respectful debate, and learning about our complex society. Far from a threat to a more just world, these opportunities are among the best antidotes to ignorance and hate. Diminishing higher education threatens our shared future.  

We come from different points on the political compass. We experience our identities as Jews or people of Jewish ancestry in myriad ways. But we are united by the conviction that a distorted view of antisemitism must not be used as a cudgel to silence the vigorous exchange of ideas that lies at the heart of university life. To punish universities financially, to limit academic freedom, or to revoke student visas in the name of protecting Jewish students is both wrong and dangerous. It is an injustice to those very students and an injury to American society at large.  

In affirming this conviction, we join not only Jewish academics nationwide but also prominent Jewish institutions such as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, the Union for Reform Judaism, and the National Council of Jewish Women. In signing this statement, we speak only for ourselves. Institutions are included strictly for purposes of identification. 

List of signatures is updated on a regular basis. To see the current list of signatures or add your name, please click here (https://forms.gle/9rmLQhXu5eMm6hv66)  

1. Lisa Heineman, Professor, University of Iowa 
2. Maurine Neiman, Professor, University of Iowa     
3. Tanya Keith, Past President, Iowa State University Hillel, Iowa State University  
4. Barcey T. Levy, Professor, University of Iowa 
5. Sally Frank, Professor of Law, Drake University  
6. Jonathan Wendel, Distinguished Professor, Iowa State University    
7. Delaney Hoffmann, student, University of Iowa  
8. Rebecca Entel, Professor, Cornell College 
9. Bram Elias, Clinical Professor of Law, University of Iowa College of Law 
10. Max F. Rothschild, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Iowa State University  
11. Linda K. Kerber, May Brodbeck Professor Emerita in the Liberal Arts, University of Iowa 
12. Douglas W. Jones, Emeritus Associate Professor of Computer Science, University of Iowa 
13. Miriam Gilbert, Professor Emerita, Department of English, The University of Iowa 
14. Alliyah Kazan, student, University of Iowa  
15. Bethany Berger, Professor, University of Iowa College of Law    
16. Mark Graber, Emeritus Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine    
17. Peter Rubenstein, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Iowa 
18. Aron Aji, Director of Translation Programs, University of Iowa 
19. Rachel Sandler Silva, alum, Grinnell College & University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine  
20. Claudia Corwin, University Faculty, University of Iowa 
21. Alan R. Kay, Professor, University of Iowa 
22. Ezra Hendelkin, alum, Coe College; staff, University of Iowa  
23. Naomi Greyser, Associate Professor of American Studies & English, University of Iowa 
24. Lisa Schlesinger, Professor, University of Iowa 
25. Mark Blumberg, University of Iowa Distinguished Chair, University of Iowa 
26. Dr. Alex Davenport, Academic Advisor, Iowa State University 
27. Loren Glass, M.F. Carpenter Professor, University of Iowa    
28. Amy Rutenberg, Associate Professor, Iowa State University 
29. Kimberly Zarecor, Professor, Iowa State University 
30. Alan Goldman, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Iowa State University 
31. Frederick Smith, Professor Emeritus, University of Iowa 
32. Barbara Schwartz, Clinical Professor Emerita, College of Law, University of Iowa 
33. Eric Gidal, Professor, University of Iowa 
34. Ellen Lewin, Professor Emerita, University of Iowa 
35. Amanda Weinstein, Associate Professor, Iowa State University 
36. Albert Erives, Associate Professor of Biology, University of Iowa    
37. Len Sandler, Clinical Professor of Law, University of Iowa College of Law    
38. Stanley Perlman, Professor, University of Iowa 
39. Amy L. Margolis, Program Director, University of Iowa 
40. Alex Price, Staff, University of Iowa 
41. Kal Klass DDS, alum, University of Iowa College of Dentistry 
42. John Fingert, Professor, University of Iowa 
43. Michael Flaum, MD, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine 
44. Tom Baer, Senior Engineering Associate (retired), University of Iowa 
45. Elana Buch, Associate Professor, University of Iowa    
46. David Gooblar, Assistant Professor, University of Iowa      
47. Misha Misyuk, student, University of Iowa 
48. Sara Mozena, alum, University of Iowa 
49. Frederic Gerr, Professor Emeritus of Public Health, University of Iowa 
50. Robin Hemley, Professor Emeritus, University of Iowa 
51. Jared Harvey, alum, University of Iowa 
52. Nora Claire Miller, alum, Iowa Writers’ Workshop, University of Iowa 
53. Adam Daigle, alum, University of Iowa 
54. Audrey Messinger, student, University of Iowa 
55. Karen Bender, alum, Iowa Writers’ Workshop, University of Iowa 
56. Leah Dillon, student, Drake University 
57. Bernard Sherman, Performing Arts Programming Specialist (retired), University of Iowa    
58. Alisa Weinstein, staff, University of Iowa 
59. Ann Laquer Estin, Aliber Family Chair Emerita, University of Iowa College of Law    
60. Judith Finkel Harrington, Professor Emerita, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Northern Iowa 
61. Sarah Farbman, alum, Grinnell College 
62. Ashley Sowerby, alum, University of Iowa 
63. Rachel Hecker, student, University of Iowa 
64. Tamar Fox, alum, University of Iowa 
65. Meredith Alexander, Emeritus Faculty, Theatre Arts, University of Iowa    
66. Andrea Frazier, alum, University of Iowa 
67. Laurel Snyder, alum, University of Iowa 
68. Molly Kraus-Steinmetz, alum, Grinnell College 
69. Jacqueline Hwa Wallner, alum, University of Iowa 
70. Ian Gold, alum, Grinnell College 
71. Douglas Nathanson, MD, Visiting Instructor, Department of Neurology, University of Iowa 
72. Lucy Morris, alum, University of Iowa 
73. Nicholas Harshman, student, University of Iowa 
74. David Cunning, Professor, University of Iowa 
75. Meredith Jacobson, alum, University of Iowa 
76. Jay Brown, MD, alum, University of Iowa (BS, MD) 
77. Michelle J. Edwards, alum, University of Iowa 
78. Jacob Schneyer, alum, Grinnell College 
79. Flory Gessner, Alum, University of Iowa 
80. William Carson, Professor of Music, Coe College 
81. Allison Amend, alum, University of Iowa 
82. Allison D. Simon, alum, University of Iowa 
83. Gretchen Larson, student, University of Iowa 
84. Ruth Glick, Drake University 
85. Paul Sacks, Professor Emeritus, Iowa State University 
86. Jay A. Ansher, alum, University of Iowa 
87. Dan Sarasin, DDS, alum & former faculty, University of Iowa College of Dentistry 
88. Dennis Cohen, alum, University of Iowa