UMass Hillel's Statement on the BDS event
at the Fine Arts Center
October 31, 2019
We are greatly dismayed that UMass Amherst is again being used as a platform for a high profile provocative anti-Israel event next month, the latest in a series of similar events over the past few years. Just as the extremes on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict dominate the political reality to the detriment of those who live in that disputed and beloved land, divisive events like this one polarize and inflame conflict at the expense of our campus community.
UMass Hillel stands with the university in its effort to build a campus community of dignity and respect for all students. We are grateful for Chancellor Subbaswamy’s statement about the upcoming event.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is complex, with interwoven layers of history, narrative and human experience. It presents serious challenges and is fraught with emotions for those who care about it. Higher education should support our future leaders to grasp complexity and multiple viewpoints, forging sophisticated understandings through critical thinking, self-reflection and an openness to questions.
Instead, recent anti-Israel events on campus have promoted dogmatic narratives and sentiment which convey a reductionist and dehumanizing portrait of Israel. Student questions have been belittled and it has been made clear there is no room for alternative viewpoints, all in the name of justice and intersectionality. It is a reality that many Jewish students and other members of our campus community feel less safe to express their identity as a result of the tenor, scale and messages of these events.
It is incumbent on all of us to make the aspirations of the Hate Has No Home at UMass initiative a reality and to create a safe and welcoming living-learning environment for every member or our community.
UMass Hillel is proud to be connected to an institution that stands firmly behind our right to free speech. Efforts to subvert free speech are equally detrimental to society whether they come from the left or the right. But it is also true that it is the responsibility of all members of our community to use our free speech and academic freedom with the care, respect and sensitivity that embody our highest educational ideals.
In coming weeks, UMass Hillel will support Jewish students individually and communally, empowering them to express their values and identities while respecting the diversity of student experiences and opinions. We will promote respectful discourse about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict aimed towards peace and understanding. We will support campus leaders to understand and be responsive to Jewish student experiences and concerns and work towards an inclusive and safe campus community for all. In the face of divisive challenges, UMass Hillel remains dedicated to our mission to add value to students’ lives and contribute positively to the campus community.
UMass Hillel stands with the university in its effort to build a campus community of dignity and respect for all students. We are grateful for Chancellor Subbaswamy’s statement about the upcoming event.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is complex, with interwoven layers of history, narrative and human experience. It presents serious challenges and is fraught with emotions for those who care about it. Higher education should support our future leaders to grasp complexity and multiple viewpoints, forging sophisticated understandings through critical thinking, self-reflection and an openness to questions.
Instead, recent anti-Israel events on campus have promoted dogmatic narratives and sentiment which convey a reductionist and dehumanizing portrait of Israel. Student questions have been belittled and it has been made clear there is no room for alternative viewpoints, all in the name of justice and intersectionality. It is a reality that many Jewish students and other members of our campus community feel less safe to express their identity as a result of the tenor, scale and messages of these events.
It is incumbent on all of us to make the aspirations of the Hate Has No Home at UMass initiative a reality and to create a safe and welcoming living-learning environment for every member or our community.
UMass Hillel is proud to be connected to an institution that stands firmly behind our right to free speech. Efforts to subvert free speech are equally detrimental to society whether they come from the left or the right. But it is also true that it is the responsibility of all members of our community to use our free speech and academic freedom with the care, respect and sensitivity that embody our highest educational ideals.
In coming weeks, UMass Hillel will support Jewish students individually and communally, empowering them to express their values and identities while respecting the diversity of student experiences and opinions. We will promote respectful discourse about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict aimed towards peace and understanding. We will support campus leaders to understand and be responsive to Jewish student experiences and concerns and work towards an inclusive and safe campus community for all. In the face of divisive challenges, UMass Hillel remains dedicated to our mission to add value to students’ lives and contribute positively to the campus community.
