Letter to the Editor: Self-Victimization Is A Dangerous Game

We must not let Dartmouth’s Jewish community succumb to the ‘victim mentality.’

Re: Rochkind: Time to Include All Voices This month, I attended my first Yom Kippur service as a part of the Dartmouth Jewish community, shortly after a swastika was found on campus. Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, a day meant for atonement.

But, instead of discussing our flaws, the service devolved into fearmongering and kvetching about a “lack of support from [our] non-Jewish friends.”

This mindset of victimization is dangerous to a culture of free speech and a precariously situated Jewish community.

Acts of antisemitism are despicable in all circumstances, and they must be combatted. However, decrying peers for not being constantly outspoken for the Jewish community is unproductive.

It’s reasonable to expect support from those around you, but it’s not students’ jobs to vocally condemn every act of hate.
The assumption on campus is that these acts are unacceptable.

Author's summary: Self-victimization hurts free speech.

The Dartmouth — 2025-11-04

Letter to the Editor: Self-Victimization Is A Dangerous Game

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