American Jews have experienced a rampant spike in antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses since Oct. 7, 2023. As proud alumni of Emory University, we, the 1994 graduating class from Alpha Epsilon Pi, were saddened to witness an antisemitic encampment on Emory’s campus in April. Similar protests across the country have silenced and intimidated Jewish students, which is inappropriate and unjust.
Many of us have children now attending or about to attend college. We want our children and their classmates to explore new ideas and follow their intellectual curiosities. Students deserve the right to do so in a peaceful environment, free from intimidation tactics and with access to all university buildings and resources. Moreover, it is important that those on college campuses rely on legitimate facts to impart their perspective. Flaws in a “burn it all down” approach are readily apparent because violence is an unhelpful tool to secure peace in Israel or a brighter future for Palestinians in Gaza. Worse yet, calls for an “intifada” — the mass murder of Jews — are just wrong.
When bigotry arises, particularly when directed at groups that have historically been persecuted, oppressed and systematically massacred, and such bigotry is perpetuated on Emory’s campus, we have no choice but to stand up and strenuously object. The gang mentality demonstrated by the pro-Palestinian protestors during the week of April 25, and the bullying, heckling or other abhorrent behavior they exhibited, requires an urgent response. Propaganda, outright lies, intentional misstatements and close-mindedness have led to fervent Jew-hatred on college campuses, which always demands swift action. We must start by stating certain undeniable truths about the conflict.
The pro-Palestinian protestors across the country often fail to acknowledge the atrocities that occurred on Oct. 7, 2o23 or the 121 hostages still being held in Gaza. We need to explain that Hamas wants to take the land “from the river to the sea” — meaning all the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. This includes the entire State of Israel, as well as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which are governed by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. We must remind the Emory administration and faculty that this rallying cry by protestors, borrowed from Hamas, is a call for all of Israel and its people to be wiped off the Earth. The chant does not support a two-state solution but rather demands the extrication of Jews as an indigenous people from land they have inhabited for more than 3,000 years.
Courtesy of Dr. Zachi Evenor/ Wikimedia Commons
For protestors demanding that Israel immediately agree to a peace deal in Gaza and a two-state solution, we must explain that the Palestinian Authority and neighboring Arab countries rejected over eight opportunities for peace between 1947 and 2020. Each of these plans would have created a state for the Palestinian people. Since declaring statehood in 1948, Israel has consistently offered land in exchange for peace and security. Unfortunately, some of its neighbors — and groups like Hamas — reject those efforts and instead pledge to destroy Israel and the Jewish people.
When the anti-Israel crowd demands an end to the alleged Israeli occupation in Gaza, we must remind everyone that Israel unilaterally evacuated the Gaza Strip in 2005. Regrettably, Palestinians elected Hamas to power, and the group began diverting humanitarian aid to support its military operations and reign of terror, including the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre.
In response to arguments from the anti-Israel crowd that the United Nations (UN) should be empowered to resolve this dispute and provide aid to those suffering in Gaza, we should respond that the UN, through its refugee agency, has allowed humanitarian aid to be diverted to Hamas and other terrorist organizations and that employees of the UN participated in the attacks on Israeli citizens on Oct. 7, 2023, according to Israeli intelligence. We must also acknowledge that neighboring Arab countries have refused to assist Palestinians and instead chose to use the conflict as a tool to attempt to discredit Israel on the international stage.
Protestors seem to ignore that Iran has been supporting Hamas for years, sending hundreds of millions of dollars to Hamas and providing military training to the terrorists. If a terrorist organization funded by Iran launched thousands of missiles into the United States from UN-sponsored schools and hospitals a few miles away, we would rightfully ask our government to protect us. One would think the protestors would, at minimum, condemn Iran as the largest global terrorism sponsor and adversary of basic human rights, all while working towards becoming a nuclear power, despite its “commitment” to the deal that it signed with the United States.
There were assertions from the protesters on April 25 that Israel is engaged in ethnic cleansing or committing so-called genocide against Palestinians. These protestors ignore that, between 1948 and 2023, the combined population of Jews in Arab countries surrounding Israel dropped from 985,000 to 12,000 — a decrease of about 99%. As a result, Israel is the sole safe haven for Jews across the Middle East. During the same period, the number of Arabs in Israel increased from 156,000 to 2.1 million and the number of Arabs in Gaza increased from 80,000 to 2 million. Thus, claims of ethnic cleansing or genocide are patently untrue. It is also worth noting that Arabs residing in Israel have the same legal rights as Jewish Israelis. At the end of the day, we doubt we will positively influence bigots from the anti-Israel crowd. However, we appreciate the swift actions by University President Gregory Fenves to combat hate and secure the campus when facing an unruly, antisemitic mob like the one that developed on April 25. Emory must remain a place of learning and discovery, not one of bullying and harassment of any kind. We cannot remain silent when our community is prejudiced, and we must continue to speak truth in the face of falsehoods.
Signed by 29 Brothers of Emory AEPi Class of 1994
Assisted by Lane Barrocas (93B) and Paul Blutter (93B), Brothers of Emory AEPi Class of 1993
