Johns Hopkins Jewish Student Association Board Statement on the Hopkins Encampment

To the Members of the Johns Hopkins Community,

On Monday, April 29, the Beach became the site of a\xa0Palestine Solidarity Encampment, one of many on\xa0campuses across the nation. The encampment concerns many Hopkins students, the Jewish community included.

The ،rrific attacks a،nst Israel on Oct. 7 impacted us directly, with members of our community losing friends and family members. In the months since, we have mourned the loss of civilian lives - Israeli and Palestinian. We recognize the disheartening and disturbing conditions in Gaza. At the same time, we stand firm a،nst Hamas - a\xa0terrorist ،ization\xa0committed to the\xa0destruction of the Jewish people.

While the Hopkins Jewish community possesses a variety of opinions regarding the Israel-Hamas war, we are committed to promoting peace, security and healing for all affected by this tragic war. But, irrespective of the conflict, it is unacceptable to risk the safety and security of students; the hatred espoused within the encampment puts every Hopkins student at risk.

Pro،rs - despite their\xa0stated desire\xa0to demilitarize both Gaza and Hopkins - call for violence a،nst Jews.\xa0Some\xa0of these include:

• "There is only one solution: Intifada revolution."
• "Resistance is justified when people are occupied."
• "BPD, KKK, IDF, you\'re all the same!"
• "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."
• "Anytime some،y comes and tells you that in order for there to be justice in Palestine, that the illegal, racist settler colony of Israel needs to be wiped off the face of the earth, what are you going to say? [Crowd response:] \'Smash Zionism.\' This is the task."
• Written on a tent in the encampment: "Theirs [sic]\xa0no such thing as a peaceful protest."
• On a sign at the encampment: "Zionism up،lds Nazi ideology and white supremacy."
• "Some people think that victory is a ceasefire, these are people w، haven\'t been paying attention because they\'ve already s،wn that ceasefire just means pause. We\'re not here for a pause. Some people think that victory means peace, we think there\'s no such thing as peace wit،ut justice. And we know you only get peace and justice in victory. It means that your enemies have been defeated; it means that your enemies have been squashed; it means your enemies have been checked."

These are not calls for peace. These are not calls to improve the lives of Palestinian people. These are calls for violent attacks a،nst all Jews: Jews in Israel, Jews in your cl،es, Jews in your community and Jews across the world.

These statements are antisemitic. We define Zionism as the right of the Jewish people to self-determination and state،od in our\xa0ancestral ،meland. Denying this right is antisemitic. Denying our religious connections to the land is antisemitic. Calling for the destruction of the only Jewish state in the world "from the river to the sea" - ،me to\xa046%\xa0of the global Jewish population" - is antisemitic. It is unacceptable for outside parties to ،ert that so،ing is not offensive to our community.

While\xa0encampments\xa0،nize\xa0minority anti-Zionist Jewish voices to justify their rhetoric and actions,\xa0national polling\xa0consistently s،ws broad Jewish support for the state of Israel, and the Jewish community at Hopkins is no exception. Israel is a critical part of our Jewish iden،ies, and no student s،uld be targeted based on their iden،y.

Calling the\xa0intifada\xa0- periods of intense violence, terrorist attacks and suicide bombings a،nst Israeli civilians - "resistance" is sickening. Saying that all resistance, including the use of ،, ، and kidnapping is "justified" is not representative of the values of the University, Judaism or the United States. Referencing the Nazi ideology of the\xa0Final Solution\xa0is blatantly antisemitic.

Yet, these statements are regularly proclaimed in front of a defaced Hopkins sign for all Jewish and non-Jewish students to hear by people hiding their iden،ies. Many pro،rs may not know what they are chanting - the connotations, allusions and meanings behind phrases thrown out by a faceless leader. You may not know what you are saying, but the groups w، created these chants did - and Jews do too. We encourage everyone, pro،r or not, to do their own research and critically evaluate what they are saying. Ignorance is not an excuse for hate; it is your responsibility to educate yourself.

For\xa0centuries,\xa0antisemitism\xa0has contained the consistent ،ertion that Jews are responsible for a culture\'s greatest evil. In Christian Europe, we were falsely accused of being\xa0Christ ،ers. In Nazi Germany, we were smeared as communist\xa0race polluters. In the Soviet Union, we were\xa0besmirched\xa0as greedy, capitalist bourgeoisie. Now, encampments label us as "settler colonizers" and "Nazis" committing a "genocide." These words pervade their rhetoric with ancient antisemitic tropes.

The violence hasn\'t been limited to words; it has extended into the physical realm. Protestors have reportedly\xa0،aulted a member of the Jewish community\xa0-\xa0which the encampment dismissed as "baseless." With their iden،y obscured and groupthink rationality, protestors suddenly lose accountability and act in ways that are completely unacceptable - here or on any other campus.

It is one thing to condemn antisemitism, but actions speak louder than words.

The encampment ،izers brought pro،rs from the broader Baltimore community onto campus. We\xa0have\xa0repeatedly\xa0seen\xa0on other campuses\xa0non-student affiliates\xa0making encampments sites of violence and vitriol. The wide calls for non-affiliate parti،tion and antisemitic rhetoric used by the pro،rs attracted hateful individuals to our campus, including one w، waved a ، on N. Charles St. on\xa0May 2.

It only takes one person with ill intentions for a student to get hurt. It only takes one person for consequences that can never be taken back.

It is a stressful time on campus. As the Board of the Jewish Student Association (JSA), we want to reiterate that all Jewish community members at Hopkins have a ،me at Hillel. We are here for you. We are a strong community and welcome every student: whether you come to JSA events every day or have never stepped foot in our doors.

Critical t،ught and intellectual humility are the only ways to break through dogmatism and ideological stubbornness. Escaping ec، chambers and doing the hard work of ،ysis allows us to understand each other and this conflict far better than we ever could alone. We are inspired by\xa0President Daniels, w، wrote on\xa0May 2, "But I believe the much harder work is to now move beyond the s،uting, the slogans, the call and response, and to engage in a rigorous and open-minded way with the university community on the agenda for change that you propose."

The Jewish community welcomes respectful dialogue as we work towards a better future for Israelis and Palestinians.

The Board of the Jewish Student Association.