US Villanova University Director brands Zionism as Fascism – and we are horrified

In a troubling display of academic antisemitism, the director of Villanova University's Counseling Center has sparked controversy by explicitly linking Zionism with fascism and colonialism during a professional psychology conference in Philadelphia.

Dr. Nathalie Edmond, who leads a center responsible for students' mental well-being, presented slides at the International Society for Improvement and Teaching of Dialectical Behavior Therapy conference that placed "Zionism and fascism" on the same spectrum. More disturbingly, another slide titled "The Colonized Mind" grouped Zionism alongside "internalized racism," "homophobia," and "rape culture."

When confronted about the "huge, huge antisemitism" in her presentation by a University of Washington graduate student, who called the slides "effectively anti-Jewish" and "troubling misinformation," Edmond's response was to characterize the subsequent criticism as a "modern-day lynching." This inflammatory comparison came despite the legitimate concerns raised about her conflation of Jewish self-determination with fascism.

The Philadelphia Anti-Defamation League, led by Director Andrew Goretsky, received numerous complaints about the presentation. Their intervention led to meetings with Villanova officials, urging them to clarify that the slides did not represent the university's position and recommending antisemitism training - a telling indication of the gravity of the incident.

Perhaps most revealing was Edmond's subsequent defense in a YouTube video, where she criticized what she called the "annihilating rage" of "Zionist Jews" who dare to object to "any hint of critique" of Zionism. While claiming to combat antisemitism, she simultaneously described the current situation in 'Palestinian territories' as a "genocide," employing language that many Jewish organizations have identified as antisemitic dog-whistling.

Villanova University's response has been notably tepid, merely stating that Edmond "spoke in a private capacity" and her views don't represent the university's position - a standard bureaucratic deflection that fails to address the serious concerns about antisemitism in academic institutions.

The incident at Villanova adds to a growing pattern of antisemitic rhetoric being normalized in academic settings under the guise of "anti-racism" and "anti-colonialism." That such views could be openly presented at a professional mental health conference - by someone responsible for counseling college students - raises serious questions about the safety and support of Jewish students on campus.

The College Fix contributed to this article.