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| Melissa Landa |
Melissa Landa had been a popular teacher at the University
of Maryland, College Park for ten years when it was decided that her contract
would not be renewed. The reason? Landa had become too Jewish, too in-their-face about her Zionism and the immorality of
BDS. She had organized her former classmates to fight against campus
antisemitism and in particular against Professor Joy Karega, an antisemitic
professor at her alma mater.
Landa’s brand of activism, in short, had U of Maryland
administrators in a conjoined state of nightly bruxism. This just wasn’t the right kind of activism. It wasn’t Black
Lives Matter popular or Free, Free Palestine popular. They needed to find a
pretext to SHUT HER DOWN.
Then Landa traveled to Israel for Passover—just long enough
that U of Maryland administrators could say she was forsaking her duties as a
teacher—even though she’d received prior permission, and had arranged to
fulfill her teaching obligations during the time she would be away. (Y’all have
heard of Zoom, right?) That’s when the U of Maryland administrators rubbed
their hands together and uttered the silent collective equivalent of “Nyuh uh
uh,” and failed to renew Landa’s contract.
In other words, Melissa Landa was fired. A popular,
award-winning teacher cut from the faculty and from her livelihood for the
crime of teaching while Jewish. Landa took the obvious next step and sued the
university for discrimination—because
that’s what it was: they didn’t like that Landa was being so, well JEWISH.
Did the University of Maryland realize that Landa wasn’t
going to “go silent into the night?” If not, they aren’t as smart as you’d
think, considering they represent an institution of learning. Landa is good at
agitating for change. She is pretty much the reason Joy Karega got cut from
Oberlin. So, not smart U of Maryland, College Park. Not smart at all.
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| Facebook post by Joy Karega depicts PM Netanyahu as an ISIS fighter. Thanks in large part to Melissa Landa, Karega was fired from her position at Oberlin. |
As for the rest of us, this story of modern antisemitism
should come as a shock to every American. A popular professor fired for being a
Zionist? For visiting Israel and displaying the Israeli flag? It’s
unconscionable that this is what it has come to for Jews in America and in
academia.
Landa, it is clear, has long been fighting for the basic
religious rights of her people. It looks like it may be time for us to fight
for hers. Here is what you need to know:
Varda Epstein: Can
you tell us a bit about your background and family? Where did you grow up, and
what is your Jewish background and experience?
Melissa Landa: I was born in Apartheid South Africa. My
grandparents had fled the pogroms of Lithuania and had come to South Africa
around the time of the First World War. I grew up in a traditional Jewish home
with a strong Zionist ideology. My parents were also anti-Apartheid activists.
I first experienced antisemitism after immigrating to the United
States and living in an area where there were few Jews. I attended Oberlin
College, where I ate in the Kosher
Co-op and lived in Hebrew
House. At that time, Judaism and Zionism flourished on the Oberlin campus.
My husband is Israeli. He is the 13th generation
in his family who was born in the land of Israel. I have been to Israel 18
times and look forward to going again soon.
Varda Epstein: How
long had you been teaching at U of Maryland, College Park prior to what was,
effectively, your dismissal? When did things go wrong?
Melissa Landa: I joined the faculty in 2007, four years
after completing my PhD in the same College
of Education. I was dismissed
10 years later, in 2017. Things began to deteriorate at the very beginning of
2016.
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| This flier was found pinned to a bulletin board in the Oberlin College student union during the 2013-14 academic year. |
Varda Epstein: Your
troubles with U of Maryland appear to have begun just after you began to be
more vocal in advocating for Israel, in 2015. Was this advocacy a kind of sudden
change for you? Was there some kind of awakening, or something else that served
as a catalyst to make you speak out?
Melissa Landa: Yes. I joined an Oberlin alumni Facebook group, where I shared my study abroad program in Israel. I was viciously attacked for supporting Israel. As I engaged with those who were attacking me, it became clear to me that Oberlin had become a bastion of anti-Israel antisemitism. Along with three other concerned alumni, I formed a group called Oberlin Alumni Against Antisemitism.
Almost immediately, a recent graduate contacted me and
shared with me the Facebook posts of former Oberlin Professor Joy Karega. They included
images of Benjamin Netanyahu as an Isis fighter; accused Israel of shooting
down a Malaysian aircraft; accused Israel of orchestrating 9/11; and blamed
Jacob Rothschild for instigating war. I felt that I needed to pursue these
issues with the Oberlin administration on behalf of all concerned alumni.
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| A Facebook post by Joy Karega suggests Jacob Rothschild is responsible for instigating wars. |
Varda Epstein: I’m
aware that the group you founded, Oberlin Alumni Against Antisemitism, joined the
Oberlin chapter of Alums for Campus Fairness after a few months. The ACF is a nonprofit
that fights against anti-Zionism on campus. How many members are in the Oberlin
group? What has this group achieved?
Melissa Landa: We have about 100 active members today. As a
result of our work, Joy Karega was dismissed from her faculty position. She and
Oberlin College settled out of court.
Varda Epstein: You
took the step of displaying the Israeli flag in your office. Why? What was the
response to this?
Melissa Landa: I wanted to hang an Israeli flag in my office to promote my study abroad to Israel program. My associate chair discouraged me from displaying the Israeli flag and I complied. He told me that it was offensive to many students. I displayed a map of Israel instead.
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| Melissa Landa with her study abroad students in Israel, a few days before she was fired. |
Varda Epstein: Help
us understand this: were you a popular teacher? Was the administration happy
with you? What happened?? Was your activism really such a sudden change? What
is your take?
Melissa Landa: In 2013, I received the College of
Education’s Excellence in Teaching Award. In 2017, I received the College of
Education’s Exceptional Scholarship Award. In 2017, I also received a letter of
commendation from the University’s Associate Vice President for Internal
Affairs for my contributions to Study Abroad, including my efforts to raise
money for first generation college students to participate in my study abroad
program to Israel. And after I was fired, 17 students of color wrote a letter
to UMD’s Diamondback newspaper “Letter:
We’re Melissa Landa’s former students. She should still work at UMD,”
expressing their dismay that I had been fired. They wrote, “Landa is our ally
and was one of the best professors at this institution.”
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| Melissa Landa (far left) receiving the Exceptional Scholarship Award in the College of Education one month before she was fired. |
Varda Epstein: Your
lawsuit speaks of religious discrimination. You claim wrongful termination as a
kind of retaliation for expressing your Jewish beliefs and affiliations. But
this isn’t about Jewish observance, for instance, not being allowed to keep
kosher, or avoid working on Shabbat, right? How do you see what has happened as
an abrogation of your religious rights?
Melissa Landa: Zionism is part and parcel of my Jewish identity.
While I do keep a kosher home, I also express my Judaism by supporting and
defending Israel. In addition, there was also the more typical kind of
religious discrimination in that I was singled out and treated very differently
than my non-Jewish peers when I arranged to miss some classes in order to
observe Passover.
Varda Epstein: What
happens next? Do you have options? What would you like to see happen?
Melissa Landa: The University of Maryland either submits a
response to our complaint or offers to settle out of court.
