Guarded by more than 150 uniformed and plainclothes police, George Lincoln Rockwell, leader of the American Nazi Party, yesterday addressed about 1,000 students at Hofstra University here–and was pronounced a “bore” by the majority of the audience. Before he talked, Dr. Randall W. Hoffman, dean of students, and Robert Van Leirop, president of the Student Council, told those in the hall that their speaker’s philosophy was “repulsive” but that he had all right to be heard.
Two pickets paraded in front of the hall, but there were no demonstrations against Rockwell’s appearance. He told the audience he felt he was speaking before “one of the most liberal, leftist and Jewish universities in the country.” About 50 per cent of the nearly 8,000 students at the university are Jewish.
The Student Council, the university’s Alumni Association, the Board of Trustees and the faculty all issued statements condemning Rockwell’s views. In his speech, Rockwell denied he was anti-Semitic, saying he was “only anti-Zionist.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
