Anti-Israel Protesters at Drexel University Demanding Immediate Termination of Jewish Student Organizations

Immediate termination of Jewish organizations on campus, closing a Starbucks, abolishing a public safety department, and ceasing any campus use of Hewlett-Packard supplies: these are a few of a lengthy list of demands from anti-Israel protesters at Philadelphia’s Drexel University.The demonstrators set up an encampment over the weekend and demanded that by August 1, the school must “immediately terminate Drexel’s chapter of Hillel,” which the anti-Israel coalition describes as a Zionist organization whose purpose is to “facilitate birthright trips to Occupied Palestine.” The demonstrators also are insisting that the school “immediately terminate Drexel Chabad” for welcoming an ex-Israeli soldier into the Drexel community.The university says it is beginning a “phased return” to normalcy, as classes remain virtual but some labs and studio classes are in person on Tuesday.“It has become increasingly clear that encampment protesters have created a hostile, confrontational environment by subjecting passersby to antisemitic speech and by issuing several ‘demands’ that have unacceptably targeted individual members of our faculty and professional staff, a member of our Real Estate Advisory Committee, and two Jewish campus organizations,” the university’s president, John Fry, wrote in a letter, calling on the protesters to disband “immediately.” The university “safeguards free speech,” Mr. Fry notes, but also “has the right both to impose restrictions on any demonstration that disrupts normal operations or creates a threatening, unsafe environment for other members of our community, and to take action against illegal trespassing.”The demonstrators “remain steadfast in our demands,” the Drexel Palestine Coalition’s social media pages note, adding that they are “disappointed in President Fry’s unwillingness to negotiate in good faith in order to meet the encampment demands.”The students as of Tuesday are calling for more supplies including tarps, tents, and sleeping bags.In response to the encampment the executive director and campus rabbi at Drexel’s Hillel chapter, R. Isabel, expressed gratitude for “partners on campus” who believe in a commitment to “the safety, well-being, and shared sense of belonging” of all students and faculty, while adding a list of resources for Jewish students who are feeling fearful or alone.

Anti-Israel Protesters at Drexel University Demanding Immediate Termination of Jewish Student Organizations

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