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Pitt. Following incidents at the University of Pittsburgh including a ‘Week of Rage,’ a ‘Banquet for Gaza’ held on Yom Kippur and multiple attacks on Jewish students, the Pitt Faculty Assembly
addressed antisemitism on campus. Robin Kear, the Faculty Assembly President, said, “I have heard urgent calls for increased attention to antisemitism efforts more broadly on campus” and Jennifer Murtazashvili, a Jewish professor, warned that the campus climate “has led to an environment where many of the Jewish students I’ve spoken to are hiding their identity.” The Faculty Assembly plans to launch a committee to respond to antisemitic incidents affecting Jewish students.
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UCLA. At the same time an antisemitism task force at the University of California Los Angeles released a harsh report on the environment for Jewish students and staff during the previous school year (see below for much more on this report), the school now faces a lawsuit
claiming that the school stifled the First Amendment rights of anti-Israel protesters when it shut down an encampment in April. After ignoring the university's notice that the disruptive encampment was an 'unlawful assembly,' over 200 people were arrested. Replying to the lawsuit, UCLA noted that "the encampment that arose on campus this spring became a focal point for violence, a disruption to campus and was in violation of the law. These conditions necessitated its removal."
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Toronto. The hidden cost of encampments can sometimes be found in the spreadsheets. At a recent University of Toronto board meeting, the administration revealed that dealing with the anti-Israel encampment this spring cost the school $4.1 million, with expenses due to everything from increased security to property damage to lost parking revenue. Another cost of the protests has been the peace of mind of Jewish students. As Hillel Ontario CEO Seth Goren
noted, as Canadian universities face new protests this year, "Our hope is that moving forward, the university will understand that appeasement of people who are engaged in extreme, dangerous, hateful conduct doesn't work."
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SJP Chapters. A new ADL report
on anti-Israel activists who have glorified Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar after his death notes that dozens of chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and other campus groups were among those explicitly supportive of Sinwar after his death. For example, a posting in a City University of New York student Telegram channel said of Israel’s removal of terrorist leaders, “Hundreds more will rise to take their place…Indeed it is a Jihad of victory or martyrdom.”
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(Source: Left: University of California, Berkeley, SJP. Right: Central Florida SJP | Instagram) |
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Minnesota. Protests continued at the University of Minnesota as demonstrators gathered outside Hennepin County Jail, calling for the release of 11 pro-Palestinian activists
arrested last week after occupying an administrative building. The original protest at Morrill Hall, where protesters spray-painted security cameras and barricaded exits, aimed to push the university to divest from companies supporting Israel. University President Rebecca Cunningham condemned the disruption, stating that “destruction of property” is not legitimate protest. Minnesota Hillel emphasized its commitment to the safety of Jewish students during this time.
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Faculty. Faculty at a number of schools are rallying against new restrictions on campus protests, which they see as attempts to stifle dissent and academic freedom. Following last spring’s
encampments and protests, some universities implemented stricter guidelines, including limiting protest times and requiring pre-approvals for signs. Among the schools where faculty are voicing their dissent in support of the rights of anti-Israel protesters are Indiana University, Harvard, Northwestern, Columbia and Rutgers.
DEEPER: Earlier this fall, the American Association of University Professors ended its longstanding opposition to academic boycotts, a move some say reflects anti-Israel sentiment. Critics, including former professor Ken Tashjy, believe this decision represents a troubling shift. "The current position of the AAUP is completely contrary to the concept of academic freedom."
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Albanese Campus Tour. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese — who ADL reports has a deep record of antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — has been invited to speak on campus at several schools in the U.S. ADL has alerted
the schools about Albanese's well-known history of extreme rhetoric. Hen Mazzig, who runs the Tel Aviv Institute which fights antisemitism, noted about her distortions: "Since Oct. 7, Albanese has consistently white-washed reports of the atrocities committed by Hamas." |
