The Happy Jews of the American University of Beirut, and Their Unhappy Fate

Recently, the American University of Beirut (AUB) made headlines when it was discovered, unsurprisingly, that the school does not list Israel as a nationality on the signup page for its online courses—meaning, effectively, that it bars Israelis. As AUB’s charter and accreditation is with the State of New York, the omission could render the school in violation of state or federal anti-discrimination statutes.

Why “unsurprisingly”? Because, for anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the institution and its reputation, this exclusion of Israeli citizens seems hardly worth noting. Throughout the prolonged turmoil of interethnic conflict in Lebanon until today, and despite the school’s professed devotion to serving as a neutral institution of higher learning, AUB remains a haven for supporters of Palestinian terror. Not for nothing did it earn the moniker “Guerrilla U,” bestowed on it by Newsweek back in 1970. Today, AUB mirrors the rest of Lebanon: divided along sectarian lines, united as a hub of anti-Israel activity.

Which makes it all the more curious that this same university, founded in 1866, was once home to a thriving community of hundreds of Jewish students. At its height in the early 20th century, Jews made up 12 percent of the student population—no small feat in an era when Jews faced restrictive quotas at major universities in America and Europe.