“Nonsense with a side of greens,” by Joshua T. Katz.

“Nonsense with a side of greens,” by Joshua T. Katz.

On November 3 of last year, Richard Himelfarb, a Hofstra University professor of political science, said of remarks made by one of his colleagues at a faculty meeting that they were “complete word salad.” The colleague, Santiago Slabodsky, a professor of religion from Argentina who holds a named chair in the Jewish-studies program, proceeded to file a harassment complaint, alleging—on the basis of no evidence—that Himelfarb’s phrase was discrimi…