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CUNY Nixes Tony Kushner's Degree Over Anti-Israel Rhetoric
By
Garth Johnston
Published May 4, 2011
Modified May 5, 2011
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By
Garth Johnston
Published May 4, 2011
Modified May 5, 2011
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This spring CUNY's John Jay College of Criminal Justice was supposed to award an honorary degree to the Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner. But that plan has been tabled by the CUNY Board of Trustees after one member expressed concerns over anti-Israel beliefs he believed that Kushner had espoused, the Jewish Week reports.
The claims against Kushner were brought forward by Jeffrey S. Wiesenfeld (whom you might remember from this incident in which he got into a shouting match with Charles Barron), who cited to the board a series of anti-Israel statement he believed were from Kushner that he'd found on the website of Norman Finkelstein (presumably from here). And his argument didn't stop there:
When people identify themselves with "these types of viewpoints," Wiesenfeld told his fellow trustees, "it's up to all of us to look at fairness and consider these things," especially when Israel sits in such a hostile neighborhood. "There's a lot of disingenuousness and non-intellectual activity directed against the State of Israel on campuses across the country," he said, adding that CUNY has had its share of such activity, although it's far better than most universities.
After Wiesenfeld made his argument the board voted to table Kushner's honorary degree, which effectively kills it as they won't meet again until after commencement. Only problem? Kushner, a playwright who certainly doesn't shy away from politics, isn't against Israel, telling the Jewish Week that "There's never been a moment in my entire life when I haven't expressed complete and full support of the State of Israel."
Further, in a 2007 interview Kushner got pretty explicit regarding his opinion of Israel, saying "I want the State of Israel to continue to exist. I have always said that. I've never said anything else. My positions have been lied about and misrepresented in so many ways. People claim that I'm for a one-state solution, which is not true." Later in the same interview he continued, "In terms of the Palestinian situation, as I've always said, I'm in favor of a two-state solution."
Responding to the situation an angry Kushner (whose play The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures is currently playing at the Public) wrote a letter, below, to the CUNY Board and told the Observer that he now has "no intention of ever accepting an award from CUNY."
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honorary degree
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