Stanford apologizes to Jews – WSJ

It’s a bit late — around 70 — but Stanford University formally apologized this week for discriminating against Jewish applicants in the mid-20th century. Like all those apologies for things done by people long dead, it’s a gratuitous gesture. It points to a missed opportunity, for even a little self-reflection would reveal many things in 21st century academia that will one day seem as repugnant as earlier prejudices against Jews.

The Report of the Advisory Task Force on the History of Jewish Admissions and Experience at Stanford is an interesting read. He states that after a thorough investigation he found evidence « of steps taken to suppress the number of Jewish students admitted to Stanford in the early 1950s ». He also found that « members of the Stanford administration routinely deceived parents » and others who were « concerned about these actions ».