Last weekend it was announced that Utrecht University of Applied Sciences (HU) had indefinitely postponed a lecture series on the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. The university wanted to “facilitate a diverse and balanced dialogue” and needed “more time to place the events of October 7 and beyond in a broader perspective, with room for diverse opinions and beliefs,” was the initial statement.
The Telegraph wrote about it on Sunday and a storm of criticism arose. Why was there a need for a “dialogue” about the murder of six million Jews, concerned speakers and politicians wondered.
A day later, the HU made a U-turn and announced that the series would continue anyway. This would only have been postponed for the safety of all those present. “We reject the suggestion that we link education about the Holocaust to current tensions,” said the HU chairman. On Monday it turned out that the lectures would be given without adjustments, with only a week’s delay.
What happened here?
Critical of the CIDI
The lecture series was devised by CIDI to inform future teachers about the Holocaust. “That knowledge is decreasing,” says Naomi Mestrum, director of the Center for Information and Documentation Israel. July last year, CIDI approached Utrecht University of Applied Sciences to see if there was interest, and there was.
The eight guest lectures cover topics such as: ‘anti-Semitism from zero to now’ and ‘bystanders: how Dutch society responded to the persecution of the Jews’. CIDI and Utrecht University of Applied Sciences announce the series online as follows: “Teachers note in class that some young people downplay, deny or justify the Holocaust, often on the basis of the complex Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many people are concerned that the current war between Israel and Hamas will reinforce these trends.”
The Utrecht citizens’ initiative New Neighbors, which involves both Palestinian and Jewish Utrecht residents, contacted Utrecht University of Applied Sciences in recent weeks about this lecture series. They are critical of the CIDI, which they believe is not neutral and contributes to polarization. In their own words, their criticism is not aimed at “the content of the lecture series”, but at the “coordinating role of the CIDI”.
New Neighbors sees CIDI as a “pro-Israeli lobby organization”. Moreover, New Neighbors says, both CIDI and HU have not been transparent about the fact that some speakers are affiliated with CIDI.
New Neighbors sent a letter to the HU and was invited for an interview last Friday. There they found other letter writers (“students, employees of other colleges and Utrecht residents”) with the same grievances. They were told that the lecture had been postponed.
“We did not require that certain matters be included in the lecture series,” says a spokesperson for New Neighbors. “We are not about that. We are not the ones who made the connection with Gaza. We were surprised by the fact that that was presented as a reason.”
During the conversation with the HU, they were told that their concerns would be taken into account. Possible protests that the group was considering were suspended. The feeling that a “constructive” conversation had taken place prevailed, say New Neighbors spokespersons. On Instagram, the group wrote: “Speaking out works.”
Guarantee safety
That Friday morning, Naomi Mestrum received a call from the HU with the same message: the lecture was ‘suspended’. “The college said that they needed more time for the preparations,” Mestrum says by telephone. “I asked: will it still go ahead for the summer? They couldn’t answer that at the time.”
The CIDI does not teach speakers “how to teach,” Mestrum responds to the aforementioned criticism from New Neighbors. Mestrum emphasizes that the lecture series is not about what is currently going on in Israel. “That is not discussed at all.” This is also said by Hans Wallage, who received his PhD in Jewish history in December. In addition to his work as a researcher at the University of Amsterdam, he works for CIDI. In his lecture he wants to outline where the anti-Semitism that led to the Holocaust comes from. “Then you don’t start in 1930, but you have to go further back in time, to the old stereotypes that have existed about Jews for centuries.”
On Monday, CIDI had a “constructive” conversation with the HU, but the lectures will still go ahead. “No speaker is canceled,” said CIDI director Mestrum. “There is a threat.” To guarantee safety, the organization needs “a little more time”.
New Neighbors has had no contact with Utrecht University of Applied Sciences since the conversation last Friday, despite several contact requests from New Neighbors.
Utrecht University of Applied Sciences did not respond to repeated interview requests NRC.
Correction (30-1-2024): An earlier version of this article stated that De Telegraaf wrote about the issue on Saturday. That must be Sunday.
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