When I arrived at the venue I was greeted by signs calling me a child rapist, pedophile and worse. I began my speech by explaining that the woman who had falsely accused me had since withdrawn all of her charges and had admitted that she may have confused me with someone else. The fact that I was totally innocent of false charges, didn’t seem to diminish the personal hate that many students directed toward me. I gave my speech and then opened it up to questions saying that I would prioritize negative questions. I was hoping they would be about the Israel-Hamas conflict but many of them simply repeated the false charges against me. I respectfully answered all of the questions and invited students to ask follow ups.

Some of the questions related to Antisemitism and its relationship to the diversity, equity and inclusion programs that exist in many schools including Cardozo. I strongly oppose DEI, because its definition of diversity excludes Jews and Asians; its definition of equity is exactly the opposite of individual equality; and its definition of inclusion explicitly excludes Jews and Asians. When I quoted Martin Luther King’s dream for a society where people are judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character – I was booed and many students walked out. That of course is their prerogative and an exercise of their freedom of speech. But it is remarkable that quoting MLK at Cardozo Law School has now become a provocation.

When I concluded the event, many students came up to me and said how important it was to hear my voice since their voices had been silenced at Cardozo and no one had spoken up on behalf Jewish and pro-Israel students. This is particularly surprising because Cardozo Law School is affiliated with Yeshiva University, which is a Jewish school.