 NEW YORK (Press Release) — Several university administrations across the country have capitulated to the demands of anti-Israel protesters.
Top Stories Washington. Anti-Israel protesters cleared their encampment from the University of Washington quad on Monday after the University administration capitulated to their demands. As part of the agreement, UW commits to: funding at least 20 scholarships for Palestinian students displaced from Gaza, reviewing study abroad programs and soliciting names of those to review from the groups leading the protest, expanding hiring and scholarship on Palestine, and meeting with student representatives to explore “divestment decisions.” Shame on UW. DEEPER: Read the text of the agreement. GW. During George Washington University’s commencement ceremony in Washington, DC on Sunday, dozens of graduates walked out during GW President Ellen Granberg’s speech, as part of an anti-Israel protest. At least 70 students chanted slogans, raised signs, and waved Palestinian flags. While this is a relatively small number, what is notable is that protesters could be heard chanting in Arabic: “From the water to the water, Palestine is Arab,” and “There is only one solution, intifada revolution.” A two-state solution, apparently, is not something they support. DEEPER: Read ADL’s backgrounder on “the river to the sea” chant. Drexel. Anti-Israel protesters continue to disrupt campus as they maintain their encampment at Drexel University’s Korman Quad, despite President John Fry’s call to disband. The campus was placed on lockdown on Monday, with classes virtual, while police continued to monitor the protest. Today, labs, studios, and smaller classes are returning in person, and lectures will remain virtual. No arrests have been made. Penn. The University of Pennsylvania held its 268th commencement yesterday at Franklin Field, the historic home of the Philadelphia Eagles. After protesters tried to occupy a building last Friday, weeks of an anti-Israel encampment, and the embarrassing resignation of its President over failure to address antisemitism the ceremony went off without noticeable disruptions. Here’s a toast to dear old Penn! Michigan. The Board of Regents of the University of Michigan met last Thursday days after anti-Israel protesters showed up at the homes of many Regents in the early hours of the morning to make demands of them related to boycott, divestment, and sanction of Israel. Board of Regents Chair Sarah Hubbard said Michigan will not divest from Israel and in terms of a boycott: “We will continue to have very robust discussions and relationships with academic institutions in Israel and everywhere else.” Also at the meeting, during the public comment period, a parent of a UM student urged them to take action against antisemitic speech on campus that “called for uprisings or used language that could incite violence or cross the line of protected speech into unlawful territory.” Bard. After a weekend-long occupation of Bard College’s main administrative building, protesters have agreed to end their occupation after College leaders late Sunday agreed to meet their demands regarding divestment. Per an agreement seen by the Times Union, the College capitulated to SJP protesters’ demands, including by reportedly agreeing to lend the College’s support to “political, social and legal” challenges to New York’s existing anti-BDS stance. This precedent is both dangerous and shameful. Columbia/CUNY/NYU. About 550 people gathered near Columbia University for an alternative graduation ceremony organized by faculty and staff hosted at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine for pro-Palestinian students who feel “very alienated” from their schools. Coined the “People’s Graduation”, the event included students from Columbia, City University of New York (CUNY), and New York University, some of whom were barred from participating in their schools’ ceremonies. Speakers included Fady Joudah, a Palestinian-American poet, who shared his poem “Dedication,” and a screened video message from Hind Khoudary, a Gaza-based Palestinian journalist who expressed gratitude to the protesters. |
| Campus Champions
Daylight Verses. Salman Rushdie, the British-American novelist who survived a near-death stabbing in 2022 after living for years under a fatwa, or death sentence, by the Iranian ayatollahs spoke to the German magazine Bild about the Israel-Hamas war. Rushdie noted while he’s long supported a Palestinian state, he warned it would become an authoritarian Islamist regime like Afghanistan if created today. “If there were a Palestinian state now, it would be run by Hamas and we would have a Taliban-like state. A satellite state of Iran. Is this what the progressive movements of the Western Left want to create?” Last Word. Yale President Peter Salovey, who is leaving the post this summer, delivered his last Commencement address as head of the Ivy League university. He spoke movingly of how his grandfather — Yitzchak Leib Soloveitchik — taught him the importance of love and compassion in life. Salovey recounted how Rabbi Everett Gendler marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, and ended his speech with a “l’hitraot” — or “see you later” in Hebrew. |
| Am Yisrael Chai 💪✡️
Golan Heights. For the past seven months, every Saturday night, Israelis have come together with the families of the hostages to demand a deal and make sure the hostages are not forgotten. This past Saturday, Israel’s Eurovision representative Eden Golan gave a powerful performance of her fifth-place-winning song; however, she delivered the uncensored version of her song “Hurricane,” now called “October Rain,” for the first time. One Family. There are more than 643 children who have lost one or both of their parents in the Oct. 7 terror attacks, and what started as a start-up effort is now the Israel Children’s Fund that has raised over $20 million from more than 2,000 donors within six months. Said CEO Lior Krengel: “Some witnessed [one or both of] their parents murdered, others had to hide in a closet for 30 hours. All of them are refugees in their own country, many lost their best friends, other siblings. We need to make sure they’re fully supported and as fast as possible. Otherwise, those orphans today are the youth at risk tomorrow. |