College’s “Progressive Caucus” Accused of Anti-Semitism

A Kingsborough Community College professor whose father served as that institution’s President for nearly three decades says he’s been a victim of anti-Semitic vandalism, verbal assault and harassment campaign to get him fired for supporting Israel.

“In recent months, anti-Semites turned my father’s photo from a source of inspiration into a symbol of destruction. The vandalism marked the start of a systematic and pernicious campaign in which I have been targeted and harassed because of who I am and what I believe,” wrote Prof. Michael Goldstein, who worked at Kingsborough for more than 20 years, in the Daily News. “The reason for their attack? I’m Jewish, politically conservative and I believe in Zionism, the civil rights movement of the Jewish people.”

According to the professor, vandals wrote “Fuck Trump Goldstein, Kill the Zionist Entity.” The graffiti was found the day after Kingsborough Professor Katia Perea, a member of the Progressive Faculty Caucus, threatened to “handle this myself” after she failed to get Prof. Goldstein fired for his pro-Israel views. According to Goldstein, he never had any conflicts with Perea and never even met her, so her demand to fire him was pure on political grounds.

According to Prof. Goldstein, the Progressive Faculty Caucus engaged in “unending campaign of harassment and belittlement,” and accused Kingsborough and CUNY of unwillingness to stand up to the powerful Caucus. The school’s inertia resulted led to at least 1,000 flyers being distributed on campus calling for his firing, along with standard accusations of racism, sexism and Islamophobia.

“I fear for my safety. I now have full-time security provided by the school. The PFC shows no signs of abating until I’m removed from Kingsborough, my second home for 20 years. They freely admit to their targeted harassment of me, and they are proud of it.”