Antisemitism on campus

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 By Douglas Sandoval

In October 2023, CAMERA on Campus began to document a new vile phenomenon, where anti-Zionist student groups, namely Students for Justice in Palestine and their supporters, openly praised Hamas and argued that Israeli civilians massacred on October 7 got what they deserved.

Following the Hamas massacre, Israeli artists Dede Bandaid and Nitzan Mintz started “Kidnapped,” - a campaign to raise public awareness of the more than 220 known Israeli hostages taken into Gaza by Hamas.

Their call to action? To raise awareness by spreading and sharing posters with the names, photos, and details of Israeli hostages in Hamas custody in public areas.

Like many pro-Israel groups on campus, Boston University Students for Israel (BUSI), a student group that participates in the CAMERA on Campus Coalition program, took part, posting flyers of the hostages on corkboards, lamp posts, and common areas of the university.

On Friday, October 13, members of BUSI spotted a group of students tearing down the posters, which included Noora Lahoud, an active member of Boston University Students for Justice in Palestine, and Anna Epstein, co-president of Politica, a self-identified global affairs club and publication run by Boston University students.

After witnessing Noor Lahoud tear down several posters, a member of BUSI began filming. She then continued to tear away at more posters on video. As Lahoud walked away, she claimed the posters were “spreading propaganda - fake news.” She flagrantly denied well-documented Hamas war crimes that included the kidnapping of more than 220 Israelis.

When a member of Boston University Students for Israel confronted Anna Epstein, she absurdly attempted to justify her actions of tearing down the flyers by saying that any support for the Israeli victims was propaganda. She tried to justify this by stating that she is Jewish.

Being Jewish does not absolve someone from being antisemitic, as CAMERA has documented. There are Jewish groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and public figures like cartoonist Eli Valley that identify as Jewish yet disseminate antisemitic tropes. One can be intolerant toward their own people group.

Of course, students can express their opinions, but tearing down posters and effectively silencing the speech of other students is a violation of the basic tenets of free speech. It is hypocritical to believe that their speech triumphs over someone else’s.

Members of Students for Justice in Palestine at Boston University and their supporters are not satisfied with celebrating the mass murder, rape, and kidnapping of Jews and calling for the elimination of the State of Israel in public rallies.

Instead, they also insist on hiding the atrocities committed by Hamas, including the abhorrent detainment of hundreds of Israeli civilians, including women, children, and the elderly.

Let’s be clear: Jewish and pro-Israel advocates on, and off campus must not relent in our efforts to give voice to the voiceless. We must continue to advocate for the innocent people brutally attacked and held hostage at the hands of Hamas. No one, especially terror apologists on campus, will keep us quiet.

Douglas Sandoval is Managing Director for CAMERA on Campus. A similar article was originally published in the Algemeiner.  

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