In May 2021, the world witnessed a sharp escalation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that was partly triggered by a property dispute in Sheikh Jarrah. While Hamas launched over 4,000 rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip, activists from all over the world began a wave of protests against Israel and...
Israel Slandered When Described as an Apartheid State
Penn has more than 600 student organizations – a laudable source of pride for our school. I love seeing Instagram stories and Facebook events that highlight new student initiatives in pursuit of academic honesty and exploration. However, recently, I’ve begun to see some that are very disheartening. In 2019, student...
The Chilling Scenes Outside the Israeli Embassy Show the Urgency of Tackling Antisemitism
May 18, 2021 — On Saturday I attended a protest outside the Israeli embassy in Kensington, reluctantly disguised by my mandatory mask. I was disheartened, but far from surprised, to encounter many images, banners and audible chants expressing the most vicious antisemitism. Among them were countless aggressive cries of “From...
Pittsburgh Universities Must Adopt the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism
Buried en masse and unmarked throughout Eastern and Western Europe, in Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem and everywhere in between lay the victims of history’s longest and most lethal hatred: antisemitism. The evidence of its wrath on the Jewish people is an exhaustive study leaving an indelible stain on society....
Nuance on Angela Davis Speaking at Northeastern
Photo: Monika M. Wahi/Wikimedia Commons An article published on Feb. 26 by Noah Colbert condemned a statement published by the Hillel advisory board. The statement condemned a planned event that featured Angela Davis as a speaker on the grounds that, among other things, Davis “is a staunch advocate of the BDS campaign” and “has…a...
The Double Standard of Campus Equality
Photo: Rick Dikeman at English Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons When studying past dystopias in school, we assure ourselves that we would never have fallen for the same propaganda that brainwashed millions. We insist that we would have been abolitionists in America or would have protested against racism in apartheid South Africa. Legislation...
IHRA Resolution and Defining Antisemitism
Every year, when Jews around the world observe Purim, they finish the Megillah and celebrate that the Jews of ancient Persia were saved. The story of Purim is unique among Jewish stories because the Persian Jews’ salvation came by way of human initiative — through the relentless efforts of Mordechai...
Straight From the Horse’s Mouth: Antisemitism Is Inherent to SJP Activism
Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel/Wikimedia Commons On February 26th, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Brown University hosted an event featuring speakers who discussed Palestinian activism. Unsurprisingly, it was an exercise in antisemitic rhetoric and argumentation, including hateful tropes such as, “These attacks on capital, on money are what scares them [Israelis,...