To the editor,

In their article, “Mamdani’s lesson,” the 40-plus unnamed members of Bowdoin’s Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine (FSJP) state that a majority of the Bowdoin community are of the opinion that Israel is guilty of genocide. Opinion, however, is not fact, and the prevalence of such opinions on campus is, sadly, unsurprising if students are only fed distorted views by a seemingly biased and ideologically myopic faculty.

It is disturbing for me to read that many faculty at my alma mater apparently see no place in the world for one country alone: Israel, a sovereign nation with flaws like all others. It is just as troubling that FSJP is unwelcoming of alternative “Zionist” opinions being presented on campus outside of their classrooms, belying any notion of freedom of expression for which Bowdoin supposedly stands. I hope Bowdoin continues to bring speakers who counter this agenda of hate so students can hear both sides of a complicated and mutually painful story, which they don’t appear to be getting in the classroom.

Marc Perlman ’98

Marc Perlman ’98 is a former President of the Bowdoin Jewish Organization (predecessor to Bowdoin Hillel).