What if Yeshiva University's deans are really happy that Jimmy Carter is coming to campus?

I've already reported that Jimmy Carter - America's most anti-Semitic former President - is to receive an award from Yeshiva University and its Cardozo Law School. I have also noted that the university administration has attempted to pass off the decision to honor the only American President to hug Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh as a decision made by the students in which Yeshiva's administration played little or no role.

The students have made this decision based on President Carter's achievements, and we support their right to do so."

One can only wonder whether Yeshiva and Cardozo would have supported the students' right to honor David Duke. Or to put it in a context that YU President Richard Joel might more easily understand, what if Cardozo's Journal of Conflict Resolution decided to honor Baruch Lanner?

But it's worse than that. Lori Lowenthal Marcus reports that the deans at Yeshiva are actually quite pleased that the Jew-hater Jimmy Carter is coming to campus.

The award is being presented by the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution. The law school administration has insisted – through a statement issued by a public relations firm – it was a choice made by the students. Sources have suggested the opposite is the case.

In what appeared to be an effort to distance themselves from the award and the event, at least to those complaining, some concerned individuals were told “on good assurance” that neither Cardozo’s Dean Diller nor YU’s President Joel would be present at the award ceremony, and that they were completely uninvolved.

As a letter obtained by The Jewish Press that was sent by Dean Diller to certain “high roller” alumni inviting them to the event made clear, however, Diller plans to be front and center at the event.

“Today, I am particularly pleased and honored to invite you,” wrote Dean Diller, “to a very special afternoon with President Jimmy Carter on April 10, 2013 at 3:30 pm.”  Diller closed the letter by telling the big givers he hoped they would “plan to join me in welcoming the 39th President of the United States to the law school.”

Read the whole thing. 

Surprisingly, activist Yishai Flesher, who is also an alumnus of Cardozo, is sticking his head in the sand.

I am a proud graduate of the Cardozo School of Law, and I support the right of the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution to bestow the International Advocate for Peace Award upon former US president Jimmy Carter. And I do not agree with the so-called “Coalition of Concerned Cardozo Alumni” who asked Cardozo Alumni to “to condition any continued support of Cardozo, be it financial or otherwise, on the cancellation of this event” (although I respect their efforts).

The only way to make any Jewish institution understand anything is by hitting their pockets. Go to any Jewish institution, and anything that's not nailed down has a plaque on it that says who donated it. It is clear from Lori Lowenthal Marcus' report (above) that one of the motivations for inviting Jimmy Carter to Yeshiva is the prospect of donations from rich Jewish Leftists.

From the outset, a clarification is needed: the law school, as such, is not granting Carter the peace prize. Nor is the administration. Rather, it is the the Journal of Conflict Resolution — a student publication with a long history of honoring problematic public figures. This is a very important distinction: there are a lot of student-run journals (think of it as a type of club) on the Cardozo campus, and they enjoy the autonomy to run events such as this one.

As to who is granting the award, see Lori Lowenthal Marcus' report above. And as to student-run journals at a law school being a 'type of club'... as someone who was a member of one, they're not a club, at least not in law school. They're populated by the school's elites, their members get first crack at the best jobs the law firms have to offer at that particular school, and what the journal members write (or far more likely edit for Professors) becomes the supporting material for court cases for years to come (and no, I'm not a big fan - I dropped off after a year - but my description is reality as any big firm lawyer will tell you). This is not the Glee Club honoring Howdy Doody.

When I was at the law school, the very same journal awarded Desmond Tutu the very same prize. Back then, there was this nice girl named Melissa, and she had formed the first pro-Israel club in the 25 years of Cardozo history. It was called CHAI: Cardozo Heightening Awareness for Israel – and she asked me to be the Vice-President of the club.

Sorry Yishai (and yes, we have met and been on a panel or two together), but your head was on much straighter in 2003 than it is today.

Have you asked your wife what she thinks of this before you wrote that article?

And what do you make of the fact that (at least as far as I can tell), the protests are all coming from alumni and not from students? If the school honors Obama or Ahmadinejad ten years from now, will anyone  even raise their voice?

I'm all in favor of a loud protest against Carter - and I am sure there will be one. But if there's still hope of canceling the event altogether, I'd try that first.