Jewish Communal Statement from UMass Hillel
October 31, 2023
We are grieving, because many Jewish and Israeli students, faculty and staff at UMass have personal connections to those who were murdered, injured, or kidnapped by Hamas and Islamic Jihad on October 7th, and many more have friends and family going into bomb shelters in Israel on a daily basis. We are grieving, praying, and standing with our loved ones at this time.
We condemn the horrific atrocities committed by Hamas against Israeli citizens, including babies, the elderly, peace activists and Arab-Israelis, as well as foreign nationals, for which there is no justification.
We call for the immediate safe return of all hostages being held by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
We support Israel's vital need to restore security after the attack on October 7 in which 1400 Israelis were brutally murdered and at least 239 kidnapped, including the most Jews murdered on a single day since the Holocaust.
We assert the foundational Jewish principle that every human being is made in the image of God and that every life is precious, including civilians in Gaza, and that it is vital that every viable measure is taken to protect innocent civilians and to provide humanitarian aid.
We affirm the right of free speech but condemn speech that celebrates the atrocities committed by Hamas, including the speech of those on campus cheering Hamas’ attack as a “great victory” in the immediate aftermath of the targeted murder, rape, torture and abduction of civilians.
We assert that every student deserves to feel safe on campus, at this time when many Jewish and Israeli students are fearful for their personal safety. Hateful dogmatic rhetoric is leading to a major rise in antisemitism and acts of hate across the country and world, and we must ensure that at UMass there is no place for antisemitism; nor for Islamophobia or any other form of hate.
We call on our campus community to raise up the ideals of civil discourse, education, and relationship and bridge-building, rather than the toxicity of dogma and twitter soundbites, in this time of high tension and emotion when social media dominates.
We pray for, and reaffirm our commitment to, a future in which all Israeli and Palestinian children will know only peace.
We are grieving, because many Jewish and Israeli students, faculty and staff at UMass have personal connections to those who were murdered, injured, or kidnapped by Hamas and Islamic Jihad on October 7th, and many more have friends and family going into bomb shelters in Israel on a daily basis. We are grieving, praying, and standing with our loved ones at this time.
We condemn the horrific atrocities committed by Hamas against Israeli citizens, including babies, the elderly, peace activists and Arab-Israelis, as well as foreign nationals, for which there is no justification.
We call for the immediate safe return of all hostages being held by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
We support Israel's vital need to restore security after the attack on October 7 in which 1400 Israelis were brutally murdered and at least 239 kidnapped, including the most Jews murdered on a single day since the Holocaust.
We assert the foundational Jewish principle that every human being is made in the image of God and that every life is precious, including civilians in Gaza, and that it is vital that every viable measure is taken to protect innocent civilians and to provide humanitarian aid.
We affirm the right of free speech but condemn speech that celebrates the atrocities committed by Hamas, including the speech of those on campus cheering Hamas’ attack as a “great victory” in the immediate aftermath of the targeted murder, rape, torture and abduction of civilians.
We assert that every student deserves to feel safe on campus, at this time when many Jewish and Israeli students are fearful for their personal safety. Hateful dogmatic rhetoric is leading to a major rise in antisemitism and acts of hate across the country and world, and we must ensure that at UMass there is no place for antisemitism; nor for Islamophobia or any other form of hate.
We call on our campus community to raise up the ideals of civil discourse, education, and relationship and bridge-building, rather than the toxicity of dogma and twitter soundbites, in this time of high tension and emotion when social media dominates.
We pray for, and reaffirm our commitment to, a future in which all Israeli and Palestinian children will know only peace.
