On October 7, 2023, the terrorist group Hamas breached Israel’s borders and committed the worst pogrom against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Hamas terrorists broke into communities and homes in Israel, slaughtered children, women and men, raped women, decapitated babies, mutilated dead bodies, and kidnapped innocent Israeli, American and other civilians – including children and the elderly – and brought them to Gaza where they have been held hostage ever since.
It would be reasonable to think that such a barbaric atrocity – together with already soaring antisemitism in the U.S. and around the world – would galvanize college students to support Israel and condemn Hamas and its unspeakable massacre. Hamas’ goals are clear, reflected in its charter: the elimination of the Jewish state of Israel and the murder of every Jew.
Instead, Hamas’ massacre has horrifyingly triggered anti-Israel, pro-terror protests on campuses across the country. National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) publicly praised Hamas and its violence, terrorism, and murder as “a historic win for the Palestinian resistance.” According to SJP, “This is what it means to Free Palestine; not just slogans and rallies, but armed confrontation with the oppressors.” SJP encouraged more “confrontation” and violence, issuing a “Call to Action” and urging students on campuses across the country to mobilize for a “Day of Resistance.”
On campuses across the U.S., students are protesting against Israel and in support of terrorism. And Jewish students are understandably afraid for their physical safety. At the University of Washington, a Jewish student pleaded with a man who appeared to be a university official, crying, “They want our people dead; they want us killed. How is it allowed? How are you allowing this? They want us dead. Please end it, please.”
Shockingly, many university leaders have remained silent in the face of these pro-terror protests. They are not publicly condemning them or the protesters, sending a message of cold indifference to Jewish students who need and deserve their support.
Listen to a Columbia University professor’s warning to every parent in the U.S.: Your children are not safe at universities that have refused to condemn SJP and other pro-terror student organizations and their reprehensible and immoral conduct.
If any Jewish student needs help or support, please contact us at https://campus.zoa.org/your-civil-rights/#pre-form.