UTA vice chairman Jay Sures has sent a letter to the members of the UCLA Undergraduate Student Association Council, writing that he is “disgusted and appalled” about a statement released by the group in response to a planned appearance on campus by Omer Shem Tov, an Israeli who was held captive by Hamas for 505 days.
“Talk about a missed opportunity. Rather than hearing the perspective of a 23 year old peer abducted by terrorists at a music festival and held hostage by Hamas for 505 days, those of you who voted for the letter of condemnation chose not to listen at all,” Sures wrote in his letter, which was viewed by The Hollywood Reporter.
The UCLA student group had released a statement opposing Tov’s appearance at an event organized by the campus Hillel.
“While we affirm the humanity of all people impacted by violence, we reject the selective platforming of narratives that obscure the broader reality of ongoing state,” the student group wrote, adding that it was asking UCLA to “reconsider its role in sponsoring future programming that advances incomplete and harmful representations of ongoing violence.”
Sures, who also sits on the University of California Board of Regents, sent his letter on Friday on Regents of the University of California letterhead.
“Let’s unpack this. Omer Shem Tov is not a representative of the Israeli government. In fact, he is a young student, like many of you, whose life took a horrific turn when he and his friends were kidnapped at a music festival and driven into Gaza, where he was held hostage and tortured for months underground without contact to the outside world,” Sures wrote. “While your letter expresses concern over ‘a troubling disregard for Palestinian life,’ it says nothing about the Israeli lives lost on Oct. 7th, including the shooting of many of Omer’s close friends. Nor does your letter mention the countless rapes and massacres carried out by Hamas on that day. It is as if none of that happened.”
Sures has not been afraid to weigh in when it comes to speech issues at the University of California. Earlier this year he released a letter of support for CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss after a planned lecture was canceled for security reasons.
“As someone who has paid the price with having my personal security violated as a consequence of being outspoken about rampant anti Israel and anti semitic sentiment on college campuses, I fully understand why Bari would cancel,” Sures told THR at the time.
Last fall he was feted at a gala dinner held by Jewish Federation Los Angeles at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, where he was honored for his commitment to the Jewish community in the face of historical rates of antisemitism.
In his letter Friday, Sures reaffirmed his support for free expression on campus.
“As a Regent for the University of California, I deeply cherish our democratic values of freedom of speech and expression. These First Amendment protections provide the foundation for learning and growth at our institution and have given our students freedoms they would not know in many other countries, especially in the Middle East,” he wrote. “This is why our university proudly supports all student groups in hosting speakers and programming from a wide range of perspectives. That is never going to change. We do not do this to court controversy or anger our community members; we do this because our students must have access to as diverse an array of opinions and ideas as possible. Might some of what you see and hear at times make you uncomfortable? It very well might. But it is that discovery that will allow you to challenge ideas and grow
“The student leaders on your council who opposed this event would have benefited from what Omer Shem Tov had to say. All they had to do is listen,” he continued. “Instead, they have hardened their hearts and closed their minds.”
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