We are deeply disappointed by the actions of administrators at Brown, Rutgers, and Northwestern University, who have acquiesced to demands from Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
Over the last month, SJP chapters and their supporters have intensified their propagandistic assault on Jewish students and faculty through disruptive and often violent protests, as well as the construction of massive encampments in common university spaces. In these spaces, students call for “intifada” – violence against Jews, the destruction of the State of Israel, and express support for the terrorist organization Hamas. These displays of antisemitism and extremism have undoubtedly created unprecedentedly hostile environments for Jewish students.
By bowing to the demands of these on-campus hate groups, Presidents Schill, Holloway, and Paxson have sent the message that bigotry and extremism work. Why should students bother following the rules or engaging in respectful dialogue when lawlessness is rewarded?
Jewish students cannot count on their university leadership to stand up for their right to participate in university life without fear. They are also stoking Jew-hatred and jeopardizing the academic mission of their respective universities.
By providing a channel for BDS activists to propose sanctions against Israeli institutions, businesses, and people, they are only opening the door to more institutionalized discrimination against Jews.
We must bring an end to the capitulation to bigotry, intimidation and violence by campaigning for increased accountability of university administrators.