In this week’s New York, Craig Horowitz writes about “the new p.c. anti-Semitism,” which “mixes traditional blame-the-Jews boilerplate with a fevered opposition to Israel.” The piece is thoughtful and balanced, particularly in its explanation of how anti-Israel attitudes have emerged since 2000 among the American left.

The Horowitz article recalls one of the more disturbing incidents in academe recently, namely the controversy over a Cal-Berkeley course called"The Politics and Poetics of Palestinian Resistance," in which the instructor, activist for a group called Students for Justice in Palestine, put together a blatantly anti-Israel course that also advised conservative students not to enroll. In response, the Berkeley Faculty Senate did not rebuke the instructor for bringing anti-Israel politics in the classroom, but instead changed the university’s policy on academic freedom to protect the rights of politically engaged instructors.

One more reminder why we should try to avoid overt politicking in the classroom.