Letter to the Editor: “Bi-Co Jews Against Genocide Say: Not in Our Name”

Editor’s note: Open letters published in the Bi-College News do not reflect the views of the publication, its staff, or its editorial board. This letter represent only the views of the author. The Bi-Co News continues to strive to reflect the perspectives and experiences of all students across the Consortium.

Dear Members of the Bi-Co Community,

As members of the Jewish community who have been labeled a fringe group, we’d like to respond to the “Silenced Jewish Voices” letter that was recently sent to the Haverford community [Editorial Note: Read the full story here]. We ground our response in the Jewish value of Pikuach Nefesh, the idea that saving a life transcends all other commandments. Our highest priority is advocating to end the genocide of people in Palestine and calling for a ceasefire now; we reject attempts to undermine us with false claims of antisemitism.

We are not a fringe group; Jews who support Palestine are part of a global movement and a rich history of Jewish organizing. From secular to Orthodox, Jews across the spectrum have been calling for a ceasefire and for the genocide to end. A diverse array of Jewish groups and affinities across the country have demanded a ceasefire, including families of Israelis directly impacted by the October 7 attack and Holocaust survivors. Anti-Zionist Jews make up a large faction of the Jewish community in the Bi-Co, and no one has the right to arbitrate our legitimacy. To call us a fringe group diminishes our voices and undermines the community we have built that is strongly rooted in our Judaism. Jewish students are distancing themselves from Zionism at increasing rates across the country, and as a result, there is rising sentiment to dissociate anti-Zionist Jews from Judaism as a whole. We consider this an upsetting attempt to alienate us from our religious and cultural community. 

We unequivocally stand against the oppression and violence of all people, against the normalization of Israeli violence and the genocide of the Palestinian people, against antisemitism, and against Islamophobia. As Jews who believe in the sanctity of all life, and in Palestinians’ right to live peacefully in their rightful home, we respond to the genocide that Israel is perpetrating by saying: Not In Our Name.

Our Jewish values such as Tikkun Olam and Tzedek— repairing the world and justice— inform our commitment to doing everything in our power to stop this mass slaughter and displacement of Palestinians. We reject the accusation that our voices are being tokenized by SJP: we stand in solidarity with SJP because our moral duties as humans, informed by our Judaism, require us to. Our voices are not being used: we are actively choosing to use them.

SJP has explicitly denounced all forms of antisemitism, and its platform is one of co-resistance and struggling for a more just world for everyone: including Jews. Accusing SJP of antisemitism on the sole basis of their support for Palestinian liberation is hurtful, irresponsible, and dangerous. We categorically reject such a hateful statement. This both accuses the Jewish students who are intentionally part of SJP of sacrificing pieces of our Jewish identity and places unfair blame on all members of SJP. 

Support for Jewish people and the defense of the state of Israel are often conflated, causing anti-Zionism to be conflated with antisemitism. Yet, we believe that the existence of the state of Israel does not enable Jewish people to be safe; there is no world in which an apartheid state (as Israel has been classified by Amnesty International) keeps anyone safe. The Arab Jewish community has been discriminated against since the inception of Israel, so it certainly was not constructed to keep all Jews safe (Al-Qasem). Zionism has been branded in some Jewish communities as a savior from our oppression, particularly in light of Nazi Europe, but in reality, it exploits our suffering to violently displace the Palestinian people in the name of a Jewish ethno-state (Dana et. al). After all, an early slogan of the Zionist movement referred to Palestine as “a land without people for a people without land,” proving that Zionists saw Palestinians as non-existent, non-humans (Dana et. al). But unfortunately, the conflation of antisemitism and anti-Zionism is being used to invalidate and silence resistance to genocide in Gaza. This creates dangerous conditions for Pro-Palestinian students and organizers. 

Pro-Palestinian student advocates have faced threats of death, violence, financial instability, threats to future employment, doxxing, and retaliation from higher education institutions. Last week Columbia University suspended the groups Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, taking away university funding and not allowing them to hold events on campus after they held a peaceful public art installation. Three law students at Harvard and Columbia universities who were believed to be tied to open letters that expressed pro-Palestinian views had their offers of employment rescinded from a top law firm.

Additionally, students of color advocating for Palestine are experiencing heightened racist and Islamophobic threats. At the University of Connecticut, students received an email mocking the death of Palestinians, and the former leader of the campus’ SJP received a voicemail calling her a “terrorist” and using a racial slur. 

There is a genocide happening in Gaza. Israeli politicians have labeled Palestinians as “human animals” and have a blatant disregard for innocent Palestinian lives. Ethnic cleansing of Palestinians has been carried out by Israel for decades, and we are currently seeing the most intense bombings and displacement of people in Gaza since the land was declared a “hostile territory” in 2007. As of November 10, the Israeli Occupation Forces have killed over 11,000 Palestinian people, including over 4,500 children in Gaza. This amounts to 1 out of every 200 people in Gaza. The Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, a senior official in the Biden administration, says the actual number of casualties is likely far higher than reported. Entire family lines have been erased. 

Regardless of your beliefs on whether Israel should exist or not, regardless of whether you identify as Zionist, non-Zionist, or anti-Zionist; it is imperative to stand up against the indiscriminate murder of Gazans. We are calling for an end to the violence, an end to the displacement, and we are calling to forge the path to peace. We will not be quiet while Israel is committing genocide in our name as Jews. We demand a ceasefire now. 

In Solidarity,

ES ‘24, Jewish Haverford Student, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

MK ‘24, Jewish Bryn Mawr Student, Jewish Voice for Peace Member, Cofounder BiCo Students for Justice in Palestine

EBS ‘25, Jewish Bryn Mawr Student, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

SC ‘24, Jewish Haverford Student, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

SW, Jewish Bryn Mawr Student

Anjali Agarwal ‘27, Jewish Haverford Student, Jewish Student Union Board Member, Jewish Student Union Member, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

CR ‘27, Jewish Haverford Student

JPK ‘25, Jewish Haverford Student, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

JS ‘25, Jewish Student Union Board Member

JW ‘24, Jewish Haverford Student

M. I. ‘26, Jewish Bryn Mawr Student, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

NG ‘27, Jewish Haverford Student, Jewish Student Union Board Member, Jewish Student Union Member

MJF ‘24, Jewish Haverford Student

LL ‘24, Jewish Haverford Student

HL, Jewish Haverford Student, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

Diana Varenik ‘22, Jewish Haverford Alum

N Y, Jewish Student Union Board Member, Jewish Haverford Student

FP, Jewish Haverford Alum

AB ‘21, Jewish Haverford Alum

ZK ‘23, Jewish Bryn Mawr Student

SCM ‘24, Jewish Haverford Student

LT ‘19, Jewish Bryn Mawr Alum

MG ‘22, Jewish Haverford Alum

IGN ‘25, Jewish Bryn Mawr Student

EAB ‘25, Jewish Voice for Peace Member, Jewish Haverford Student

TG ‘27, Jewish Haverford Student, Jewish Student Union Board Member, Jewish Student Union Member

BK ‘22, Jewish Haverford Alum

ED ‘19, Jewish Haverford Alum

ECW ‘25, Jewish Bryn Mawr Student

JdL ‘26, Jewish Bryn Mawr Student

PS ‘26, Jewish Haverford Student, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

SW, Jewish Haverford Student, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

CKC ‘25, Jewish Haverford Student

DH ‘26, Jewish Bryn Mawr Student

JZS ‘23, Jewish Haverford Alum, Jewish Voice for Peace Member, Former JSU Board member 

S.S. ‘26, Jewish Bryn Mawr Student

AV, Jewish Haverford Student

AW ‘20, Jewish Bryn Mawr Alum

Leila Bagenstos ‘22, Jewish Bryn Mawr Alum

NK ‘18, Jewish Haverford Alum

Rosemary Cohen ‘18, Jewish Haverford Alum

RP ‘25, Jewish Bryn Mawr Student, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

EK ‘22, Jewish Bryn Mawr Alum

SDR ‘19, Jewish Bryn Mawr Alum, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

LB ‘27, Jewish Haverford Student

JCE ‘26, Jewish Haverford Student

David Cohnstein ‘19, Jewish Haverford Alum

AL ‘25, Jewish Haverford Student

BMG ‘26, Jewish Haverford Student

DP ‘25, Jewish Haverford Student

RW ‘20, Jewish Haverford Alum

SF ‘24, Jewish Bryn Mawr Student, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

Ella Brooks-Kamper ‘25, Jewish Haverford Student, Jewish Student Union Board Member, Jewish Student Union Member

J ‘24, Jewish Haverford Student

PG ‘25, Jewish Haverford Student

AW ‘26, Jewish Haverford Student, Jewish Student Union Member

EP, Jewish Haverford Student

NS ‘26, Jewish Haverford Student

Anonymous Jewish Haverford Alum Family

Ogk ‘24, Jewish Haverford Student

SK ‘23.5, Jewish Haverford Student

DG ‘21, Jewish Haverford Alum

AP ‘26, Jewish Haverford Student

HB ‘23, Jewish Bryn Mawr Alum

Eliza Koren ‘21, Jewish Haverford Alum, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

RS ‘24, Jewish Student Union Board Member

E.S. ‘25, Jewish Haverford Student

MW ‘24, ​​Jewish Bryn Mawr Student, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

AC ‘25, Jewish Haverford Student

EE ‘25, Jewish Haverford Student

CR ‘25, Jewish Haverford Student

KH ‘25, Jewish Haverford Student

EN ‘22, Jewish Bryn Mawr Alum

EK ‘26, Jewish Haverford Student

RS ‘24, Jewish Haverford Student, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

HG ‘22, Jewish Bryn Mawr Alum

SK ‘26, Jewish Haverford Student

LC ‘27, Jewish Bryn Mawr Student, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

SF ‘24, Jewish Haverford Student

SRAR ‘18, Jewish Haverford Alum

NS ‘25, Jewish Haverford Student, Jewish Student Union Member, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

Julia Tanenbaum ‘17, Jewish Bryn Mawr Alum

MS ‘27, Jewish Haverford Student

EMM ‘20, Jewish Haverford Alum

WC ‘24, Jewish Haverford Student

PM, Jewish Haverford Alum

JL ‘26, Jewish Haverford Student

SC ‘22, Jewish Bryn Mawr Alum

SS, Jewish Haverford Student

JD ‘21, Jewish Haverford Alum

Faia Kronick ‘23, Jewish Bryn Mawr Alum

CG ‘26, Jewish Bryn Mawr Student, Jewish Voice for Peace Member

Claire S ‘21, Jewish Haverford Alum

R.S. ‘25, Jewish Haverford Student

TL ‘25, Jewish Haverford Student

AST ‘26, Jewish Haverford Student

LS ‘25, Jewish Haverford Student

Alexandra Lederman ‘26, Jewish Haverford Student

RHB ‘25, Jewish Haverford Student, Jewish Student Union Member

EOS ‘19, Jewish Bryn Mawr Alum

GHG ‘19, Jewish Haverford Alum

L.L. ‘26 Jewish Haverford Student

RGN ‘23, Jewish Haverford Alum

VG ‘25, Jewish Haverford Student

MH ‘25, Jewish Bryn Mawr Student

RS ‘25, Jewish Bryn Mawr Student

MR ‘17, Jewish Haverford Alum