WALTHAM, Mass.
It will be an unusual commencement for a Jewish-sponsored university: a speech by a Jordanian prince, and an honorary degree for a playwright who has bluntly criticized Israel.
Sunday’s ceremony will also be a fitting end to yet another contentious year at Brandeis University. The school has faced criticism for hiring a Palestinian scholar who some contend has ties to terrorists. It also took flak for removing student artwork depicting Palestinian suffering, saying the piece lacked context.
Some have also objected to Sunday’s commencement lineup, less for the speaker, Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan (a longtime peace proponent), than for an honorary degree being awarded to playwright Tony Kushner.
“I will have great pride in what we’re doing” on graduation day, Brandeis President Jehuda Reinharz said in an interview this week in his campus office. The honorees, he said, exemplify Brandeis’ four pillars: excellence, social justice, nonsectarianism and Jewish sponsorship.
Sharp political debate is nothing new at Brandeis. The school has only about 3,200 undergraduates, and about half are non-Jews, yet it is highly visible in the American Jewish community. U.S. Jews founded the university in 1948, have supported it generously and watch it closely, not hesitating to criticize when they believe the school has lost its way.
Some believe Reinharz has done just that.
