To: The Wellesley College Community
From: President Paula A. Johnson
Re: Condemning Antisemitism
Date: October 7, 2022
The Wellesley News recently published an editorial that endorsed the Mapping Project.
Wellesley College values the existence of a free press both at Wellesley and in the United States, and supports individuals in our community feeling free to peacefully express their views on political issues. The Wellesley News is a student newspaper—an organization that is editorially independent from Wellesley College—and the views of its editorial board do not reflect the views of the College.
While it is not my practice to comment on the newspaper’s editorials, I do feel the need to make it clear that Wellesley College rejects the Mapping Project for promoting antisemitism. The project encourages the targeting of approximately 500 Jewish and other organizations in Massachusetts, including educational institutions like Wellesley, MIT, and local public school systems, and lists the names and addresses of individuals who are affiliated with these organizations. Its stated goal is “to reveal the local entities and networks that enact devastation, so we can dismantle them. Every entity has an address, every network can be disrupted.”
I am deeply concerned that the Mapping Project poses a significant threat to the physical security of the Jewish community of Greater Boston, including neighbors and partners of the College. Claiming that Jewish people and organizations are responsible for a host of societal harms and calling for action against them is, by definition, antisemitism. An April report by the Anti-Defamation League shows that antisemitic incidents in the U.S. increased 34% between 2020 and 2021 and are at an all-time high. Such attacks are also on the rise globally.
Wellesley College believes that targeting people based on their race, religion, ethnicity, or any other protected identity, such as gender identity or sexual orientation, is an affront to our shared democratic values and to the College’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We will continue to strive to make our campus a safe and inclusive place for all members of our community.
