Breaking News: Jewish Fraternity Not Wild About Palestine

Dan Regester10 years ago

AEPi at the University of Chicago is in hot water after some racially insensitive emails leaked yesterday afternoon. BuzzFeed was able to obtain emails from the chapter’s active and graduate listserv dated between 2011-2015, and “shockingly,” the Jewish fraternity didn’t have the most favorable opinions on Palestine or Islamic culture altogether.

In a few email chains, the chapter referred to an empty gravel and garbage filled lot next to the house as “Palestine.” In others, they call a Muslim woman in student government a terrorist, connect C-4 explosives and dynamite as the two staples of Islamic culture, and a brother uses the term “Towel Heads” in his subject line from an email while traveling abroad in Israel and talking about the “Hamas fuckers.”

Let’s not pretend like this is the isolated opinions of a few brothers in this specific chapter. There’s a pretty universal disdain between those of the Jewish faith and Islam. After fighting over the same plot of land for thousand years or so, that generally tends to happen. Hooray, religion.

The AEPi emails actually seem relatively tame compared to what I expected to see going in. I honestly didn’t blink an eye. Yeah, no shit they aren’t wild about what’s going down in the West Bank right now.

I don’t think this is a story at all if the other emails about an MLK party in 2013 don’t get released.

From Buzzfeed:

Brothers—

It is with a great sense of somber pride that I am organizing this important and annual event to be held at the AEPi house. Reverend Marathon Luther King Jr. did more for our civil rights than any other leader during the civil rights era. Following the horrors of prohibition, the puritanical powers in control of the United States successfully stigmatized day drinking. This travesty flavored American life in many ways, leading to increases in domestic abuse, legitimate rape and worst of all oppression. MLK took a stand. He had a dream. He led a million man march on Washington in order to make his dream a reality.

In his honor I will be hosting a celebration at the house. We will begin day drinking at 9:00 a.m. sharp. …At 7:00 p.m., to a meal of Harold’s and your third 40 rack we will watch Black Dynamite. If you wish to participate, respond to me…

Let us honor this Great American.

Hezbollah

Day drinking, fried chicken, and a classic blaxploitation flick? Fuck, that sounds like an awesome way to spend a day. You do it any other time, you’re golden. You even do it on MLK day without publicizing it? You’re still good. But selling these activities to the entire chapter on MLK Day solely due to stereotypes and then having it get leaked? Just a bad look all around.

This email didn’t help the cause, either.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the word n*gger. By calling it the “n word” you are giving it power that it doesn’t deserve. it’s the context of the word that matters, not the word itself. Read Huckleberry Finn, the George Carlin routine on racist words, and every Richard Pryor routine ever, not to mention the entire Tupac discography.

You’re just picking the wrong hill to die on, guy.

The emails were apparently leaked by a former member.

Keep your brothers close, and your scorned former brothers closer. Or, just stop documenting any questionable comments, concerns, and opinions that might bone you if they’re released..

[via Buzzfeed]

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