This letter was originally shared on change.org here on Oct. 31 and has garnered over 500 signatures from Emory University community members as of time of publication. The letter has been edited for clarity and per The Emory Wheel’s style guide. While some footnotes have been removed from the original version, some have been placed into the body of the letter. You can find the letter in its original form here.
Dear President Fenves,
We, the undersigned, are writing in response to your email about the Oct. 25 protest at Emory University, where — after Hamas terrorists entered Israel from Gaza and brutally murdered over 1,300 and kidnapped over 200 Israelis — students repeatedly chanted antisemitic slogans and phrases, including “From the river to the sea.” However, the email’s use of the plural “slogans and phrases” suggested that the protestors chanted more than one antisemitic phrase.
It is admirable that you sent out a timely email to the community strongly condemning the protesters. This is certainly a welcome contrast to the actions of the presidents of other academic institutions who, when faced with similar situations, were much slower to condemn them, or did not condemn them at all.
We write today to inquire how else Emory will respond.
As you are aware the referenced slogan has been used by the terrorist group Hamas to reflect its goal of Israeli and Jewish genocide. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the slogan “From the river to the sea”:
“has long been used by anti-Israel voices, including supporters of terrorist organizations such as Hamas and the [Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine], which seek Israel’s destruction through violent means. It is fundamentally a call for a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, territory that includes the State of Israel, which would mean the dismantling of the Jewish state. It is an antisemitic charge denying the Jewish right to self-determination, including through the removal of Jews from their ancestral homeland.”
At the very least, this phrase is antithetical to the peace-oriented two-state solution and instead depicts a vision of a Middle East devoid of a Jewish presence. However, in the immediate wake of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel, where civilians were targeted and brutally and barbarically murdered, the use of this slogan by protesters at Emory takes on an even more vile meaning. We believe these chants call for additional violence against the Jewish community.
Available crime statistics support this belief. Since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians, reported incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism and assault increased by 400% in the United States when compared to the same time period of last year.
While the United States and the Emory community value free speech, there are ethical and legal limits to free speech when it becomes an incitement to violence. In R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul (1992), the U.S. Supreme Court decided that “threats of violence are outside the First Amendment [to protect] individuals from the fear of violence, from the disruption that fear engenders, and from the possibility that the threatened violence will occur.” The protesters’ rhetoric has created an unsafe environment for Jewish students at Emory, and by default, the Emory community at large. News reports have indicated that Jewish students at Emory have felt unsafe and unprotected after this protest and did not want to return to campus.
Under Emory’s Undergraduate Code of Conduct, the University expects each student to act responsibly, being accountable for the safety and wellbeing of themselves and others and strives to protect the community from the influence of those who do not embody these values in their conduct. More specifically, the Code prohibits “Engaging in conduct that is likely to cause foreseeable physical injury, or intentional or reckless conduct of an outrageous or extreme nature that causes severe emotional distress.”
Given the hateful and threatening statements made at the protest — and your acknowledgment that those statements were in fact antisemitic — it is our hope that Emory enforces its Code of Conduct and takes any other appropriate action. Inspired by our own education at Emory, and other academic leaders, we hope the University takes additional affirmative and intentional measures advocating for a mutually respectful dialogue free from vitriol and threats.
While we understand that Emory may not be able to publicly divulge information regarding disciplinary actions, we hope you will somehow assure us that more formal measures are underway. We are buttressed by your agreement that this rhetoric has no place in the Emory community, or any society that values the physical safety of its members.
Sincerely,
Emory Alumni:
Micha Joffee, MD (95C, 00M)
Jason Schlosberg (97C)
Geoffrey Ittleman (97C)
Julie Milliken (97C)
Dave Milliken (96B)
Robert Mayer (96C)
Andrew Basroon (94C)
Andrew Schwartz (97C)
Antoine Almonte (98C)
Elizabeth Hobbs (97C)
Joshua Singer (97C)
Shari Saideman (99C)
Michael Mashaal (94C)
Laura Broder (97C)
Jordan Klear (94B)
Glen Surnamer (94C)
Geri Kalb (92B)
Jodi Zeitoun (97B)
Cobie Jane (97C)
Lee Mendelson (94C)
James Georges (94C)
Catherine Goldman (95B)
Merle Hugon (94C)
Meredith Cohen (94C)
Mara Kurlander (85C)
Kevin Cookler (99C)
Jason Heaven (93C)
Sabrina Berger (95C)
Alexandra Shanklin (97C)
Matt Friedman (94B)
Jennifer Blinderman (93C)
Greg Solometo (95C)
Jacalyn Rose (84C)
John Park (96C)
Merri Goldberg-Mathason (96C)
Jeffrey Zavitkovsky (91C)
Deborah Abrams (97C)
Julie McLaughlin (97C)
Margaret Kinnear (96C)
Robin Buckler (95B)
Shaina Gordon (09C)
Andy Zinn (97C)
Sarah Aschkenasi (96C)
Stephanie Zinn (96C)
Jennifer Herzog (97C)
Jeffrey Turell (97C)
Brandi Horowitz (97C)
Robert Baron (99B)
Ilana Decker (96C)
Mindy Mielnikowski (95C)
Renee Slade (96C)
Amy Yosowitz (98C)
Jessica Freilich (07Ox)
Jenny Lysinger (95C)
Joni Redlich (98C)
Karla Crabtree (97C)
Erin Schiesel (98C)
Stefanie Lightman (93B)
Lawrence Scheer (98G)
Russel Kirsh (98B)
Abigail Schlaff (00C)
Jason Ravitz (94C)
Jeff Rindsberg (97C)
Eric Dessen (85C)
Lisa Sharma (10B)
Debbie Hertz (91B)
Melody Bechler (19C)
William Korth (76C)
Scott Greenberg (02L)
Libby Sudlow (95C)
Loren Taub (93C)
Robert Wachtel (88C)
Lauren Elinsky (95C)
Dena Maple (03C)
Danielle Groves (96C)
Sara Kogon (99C)
Dov Block (00M)
Jonathan Davidoff (94B)
Debra Marcus (75C)
Stephanie Rubel (99C)
Marlene Cohn (99C)
Richard Litner (99B)
Karen Buczek (89C)
David Edwards (97C)
Paul Bolno (96C)
Judd Koenig (97C)
Justin Gordon (06C)
Ryan Katz (01L)
Beth Volin (75C)
Julie Kaplan (99C)
Alejandro Sola (02B)
Kathy Cline (91B)
Todd Kipperman (96C)
Gary Wainer (75C)
Mindy Kobrin (93C)
Daniel Goldberg (96C)
Andrew Fike (96C)
Tamara Rothenberg (98C)
Deborah Sloan (89C)
Scott Feld (79B)
Carolyn Padwa (85Ox)
Jed Frankel (90C)
David Williams
Aaron Padwa (12C)
Mark Copen (95C)
Steven Zaychik (04B)
Bryan Langbord (06C)
Robin Peters
Samantha Parks (97C)
Stuart Kuntz (95C)
Gadi Netzer (98B)
Jessica Linden (22C)
Marcy Brand (88C)
Jodi Koelsch (90B)
Laura Cruse (95C)
Jonathan Kloster (00B)
Jonathan Nissan (09C)
John Sheesley (98C)
Beth Saban (01C)
David Kuntz (98B)
Pamela Klein (03C)
Dawn Solash (93C)
Adam Gleklen (90C)
Dayna Basri (20B)
Steven Howard (78C)
Jarrett Silver (07L)
Sarah Pollak (05C)
Mara Epstein (05C)
Jordan Hamburger (98C)
Joseph Tipograph (o8L)
Stephanie Wagner (20PH)
Robert Jaffe (96C)
Juan Hernandez (06G)
Alan Gross (82B)
Emory community members:
Ilene Benator
Tony Hernandez
Joanna Feldman
Elga Joffee
Irene Kramer
Patricia Chernick
Michelle Zimmet
Joseph Leone
Lisa Cohn
Nikki Khanna
B Burns
Loren Simpson
Irish Fisher
Gayle Job
Ilysa Davidson
Ahmed Salem
Eve Sorkin
Jason Green
Raleigh Kortiz
Robin Leader
Kristine Kelch
Akira A
Ryan Thompson
Karen Daichman
Jennifer Sargent
Nathina Melton
LaMar Chamblee
Brian Friedman
Amareese Forty
Joshua Curphey
Hooshik Carapeti
Melissa Mason
Erika Lichtenberger
Ashley Crispe
Jerry Wolf
Josef Belleville
James Rice
Kate Anderson
Justina Jones
Jackie Hernandez
Tatyana Poradich
Cindy Livingston
Vanessa Gmach
Riley Atkins
Cathy Rupp
Reginald Butler
Dolly S
Talia Sragow
Zevi Yosef
Fanya Epelbaum
Joey Goldstein
Natalie David
Heidi Levine
Joann Haddad
George Blecher
Jina Missle
Inna Yakovlev
Nitzan Messer
Rhonda Moses
Ella Levi
Elissa Wagner
Stacey B
Yakov Raskin
Mark Sturm
Lori Lambert
Dan Altbach
Oleg Vishnyak
Danielle Dishy
Batsheva Fenig
Anthony Mammola
Jake Skillman
April Glass
Erica Rosen
Alex Beroukhim
Anita Kanitz
Ariele Gordon
Alan Kuhel
Angela Streeter
Vered Frumer
M Abdelqader
Rivi Biton
Carina Benadiva
Rosanna Palumbo
Dave Chen
Peryl Bedziner
Eileen Botwin
Karen Rose
Heather Hamood
Zaina Qaddoura
Leah Hirschberg
Asher Schreier
Vida Gross
Amanda Madrigal
Inna Finkelshteyn
Pamela Triana
Keala BM
Davud Orlando
Biangy Gil
Thomas Billings
Robert Lako
Nona Balaban
Andres Stern
Michael Regan
Ash White
Yakov Kuzi
Nancy Waldman
Asmaa Abughazaleh
Christine Mitsopoulos
David Patrick OQuinn
Joyce Padgett
Tania Washington
Rina Podolsky
Marie Fourm
Simone Taylor
Pezz Segall
Steven Morello
Nilton Migdal
Janine Rigano
Jordana Yechiel
Jack Dennis
Brian Moe
Larry Gevirtz
Evelyn Stavsky
Cianna Hickman
Rina Poplawsky
JoAnn Tancer
Kathie Wheeler
Jolie Gielchinsky
Nicholas Gruepala
Charles Miller
Caren Adler
Melanie Salama
Clayton Biggs
Benjamin Merel
Julia Davis
Noam Teplitsky
Len Tenenbaum
Judith Braun
Mayer Benzakein
Shawne Kanter
Ariel Stein
Andrew Floyd
Miriam Chopp
Rena Solomon
Сергей Иванов
Garareh Golriz
Patricia Assouline
Jonah Minkove
Leo Pogre
Beth Lipset
Aleksandr Gorovoi
Ninel Jabotinsky
Jack Mizrahi
Lillian Haddad
Sophia Bernstein
S Jelen
DL
Nicole Damavandi
Megan Marcus
Gaetan Lebegue
Irene Ramos
Linda Horowitz
Dorothy Jabolonka
Faye Shagalow
Gitty Naparstek
Angelika Gallin
Stuart Shreiber
Yehuda Moskowitz
Mirta Dreiman
Ruben Rivera
Honey Mann
Amir Shplman
Nattalie Liener
Linda Tannenbaum
Helen Kamin
Aly Lefkowitz
Julie Henkel
Jean M
Miriam Ellenbogen
Joy Levinson
Enzo Martinez
Pam Bredlinger
Corey Meyers
Roberta Alexander
William Langrock
Lisa Allen
Vlad Lizak
Melina Looyzadeh
Stacie McManamy
Maddie Berman
Faby Azerad
Philip Weisberg
Jonathan Lewis
Rachel Mbiango
Marina Sun
Ariel Nurieli
Alicia Zan
Albert Padwa
Zulfiya Sharafutdinova
Andrea Lassoff
Jacob Billig
Jelena Vilensky
Tiffany Leong
Shiva Singh
Carole Berger
Romy Selati Loseke
Zachary Standig
John Werner
Marisa Kaplan
Michael Klein
Nazy Maddahi
Alissa Manocherian
Cynthia March
Joel Rouse
Norma Mishal
Rayna Auerbach
David Gabay
Dorin Roth
Syd Lu
Dora Lauren
Joyce Reiss
Caryn Borger
Jeffrey Compton-Wright
Scott Siegel
Liza Russ
Helen G
Bella Baruch
Irine Schweitzer
Dale Paige
Janine Ellis
Maria Blum
Shiva Golshani
Mauricio Miselewicz
Kristin Rainbolt
Heather Fisher
Tanaz Mahfar
Mary Mowrey-McKee
Kira Kvitnitskaya
Chaya Margaretten
Sharon Bartel
Sarah Fish
Cindy Duncan
Cynthia Newbold
Maya Kopytman
James Azar
Nathan Monhian
Tamar Albert-Ephrat
Gayle Prokopchak
Vivian Zand
Natalie Batshaw
Naomi Masri
Ricky Zegelstein
Tamar Frances
Parasto Kahen
Roman Goldvekht
Jonathan Antflick
Jenny Haim
Stu Clenman
Sari Siegel
Lilly Knop
Lilach Greenbaum
Alison Geffin
Zaharah Markoe
Erica Muchnick
Revital Gallen
Shimon Danielei
Maria Teichman
Allla Goldberg
Bahram Mishkanian
Arielle Miller
Shiva Haloyan
Raisa Saratovsky
Elizabeth Direktor
Ely Eddi
Sharon Sasson
Lily Fidel
Sabrina Edery
Nechama Wiesenfeld
Scott R
Esther Sperber
Mark Jubas
Sam Steinberg
Natalie Forood
Joyce Govrin
Shilav Edri
Shiri Etzioni
Katia Majstorovic
Danielle Faitelson
Aaron Pearlstein
Rina Levi
Tova Schwed
Nahid Rafii
Jennie Lewcowicz
Johnny Morgan
Sruly Appelbaum
Hillel Hammerman
Steven Liebe
Ellen Lessans
Nina Berman
Ricky Schechter
Katherine Broome
Hal Guberman
Maria Gabone
Stanney Jameson
Aryeh Brecher
Karen Hechtman
Jim Barcena
Jay Lerman
Niki Wise
Desiree Golbahar
Lillian Miselewicz
Elizabeth Windsor
Erika Rikhiram
Yuyu Kohn
Sharon Lippmann
Hodaya Cohen Werner
Orly Nahum
Margarita Gurevich
Dafna Kotok
Sandy Azizo
Eve Cohn
Moran Avigad
Anita Hazan
Ruth Scher
Adelina Yusupov
Catherine Muller
Ravit Gilmart
Garrett Hausman
Alla Ginzburg
Shoshana Rozen
Jonathan Gradman
Eman Zrail
Elisa Weiss
Robert Khanian
Jeffrey Klein
Norbert Gershkovich
Allan Schwartz
Julia Sharoff
Jessica Perl
Adi Tobias
Shannon Makhanian
Mike Shen
Aaron Milchman
Ilana Zadok
Sandy Sasy
Yelena Mikhaylova
Flora Gulyan
Teresa Shpizear
Joan Sullivan
Maya Reuss
Marisa Douenias
Maya Ruttenberg
Liat Hasin
Stephen Smith
Rick D
Stephanie Vilinisky
Benjamin Buzali Yedid
Mali Newman
Marcelle Suliman
Sheri Schreier
Joelle Hancerli
Lily Marvin
Lilian Hay
William Johnson
Saar Zaken
Amnon Shulman
Bluma Rubenfeld
Sandy Shields
Hope Halpern
Jessica Smooha
Julia Warren
Susan Baron
Stephanie Eber
Denise Brody
Fiona Bethea
Kristi Nassif
Renee Brrg
Sean Sullivan
Rachel Shapiro
