Categories of Discomfort and Fostering Rigorous Disagreement on Campus

Across the United States, students are rallying and advocating for their perspectives about the ongoing Israel-Hamas War. Campus conversations and environments are becoming increasingly hostile with many Jewish students reporting feeling unsafe. In this week’s episode, Yehuda Kurtzer is joined by Mijal Bitton, research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America and Rosh Kehilla (communal leader) and co-founder of the Downtown Minyan in New York City to probe the term ‘safety’ and how it interacts with the discomfort that a diverse, liberal education should engender. They ask: when is discomfort productive, when is it unproductive, and when does it cross the line to dangerous? They consider the purpose of universities as well as if and how Jews can continue to exist within, and even improve, systems that don’t see us. 

• Mijal Bitton’s Speech at the March on Washington 
• Mijal Bitton’s Speech at a rally at NYU 
• Yascha Mounk, mentioned by Mijal Bitton 
• Mijal Bitton’s article in opposition to the Women’s March, 2019 
• Avishai Margalit On Compromise and On Rotten Compromises  
• Harper’s letter on justice and open debate 
• Letter in response to Harper’s letter  
• Message from Northwestern’s President Schill to Senior Leadership 
• University of Chicago’s approach to free speech - The Kalven Report (1967) 
• University of Chicago’s “Statement,” October 9, 2023 
• Letter signed by 500 Columbia professors 

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