The Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies hosted a conference on March 25 and 26 to discuss Jewish scholarship in Arab and Islamic countries (Photo by NMGiovannucci | CC BY-SA 4.0).
The board of advisors of Penn’s Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies urged Interim President Larry Jameson to end the Gaza Solidarity Encampment and “restore order” on campus as the protest continues through its second week.
The letter, which was obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian, calls on Jameson to “act immediately,” even if that entails inviting the Philadelphia Police Department to campus. It was signed by the Advisory Board with the “knowledge and approval” of Steven Weitzman, the Ella Darivoff director of the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies and undergraduate chair of Penn's Religious Studies department.
A University spokesperson declined to comment.
Weitzman wrote to the DP that during “this very difficult time for Penn, it is very important that all stakeholders have the opportunity to express their views and concerns forthrightly, and to feel heard.”
“I am grateful to the Katz Center board for caring so much about the university community, and for their efforts to help it find the right way forward,” he added.
The letter acknowledges the University’s “principles of free speech and academic freedom” but argues that “an encampment in the heart of the campus that promotes and propagates hateful and reprehensible speech” violates Penn’s policies.
The board of advisors also wrote that they “reject the moral equivalence of the two sides in opposition in these campus protests,” referring to the two sides as “Zionists” and “Anti-Zionists.” The letter defines “Anti-Zionists” as “those who hate the Jewish people and believe they should be killed, expelled, or live as second-class citizens or resident aliens.”
“We urge the University to expand it’s teaching of the history of Zionism, and the Jewish People’s long contribution to Western Civilization, the United States and humanity, all while persevering through two thousand years of persecution, which reached an apex in the Holocaust,” the letter read.
The letter also stressed the importance of Penn’s connection to Israel, writing that “nearly every school and department at Penn connects with universities in Israel,” resulting in collaborations that are “vital to Penn’s goal of advancing knowledge.”
“We call on Penn to renew this commitment [to Israeli universities] and to do so loudly, as it is vital to the work of the Katz Center and other programs at Penn,” the letter continued, suggesting that the University should “elevate and highlight” antisemitism education for incoming students.
The signatories also referenced two of Jameson’s statements since the encampment began — the first of which, on April 26, called for the encampment to disband immediately, and the second of which "reiterat[ed] [his] position that the encampment is in violation of Penn’s policies" on May 6.
In the May 6 email to the Penn community, Jameson said the Gaza Solidarity Encampment is making Penn's campus "less safe" and suggested that those in the encampment are more interested in "confrontation" and escalation than negotiating an end to their demonstration.
“Despite your comments and numerous reports of Jewish students being intimidated by those in and around the encampment since April 26th, Penn has taken no action to cause the encampment to be disbanded, or, to our knowledge, punish any of those affiliated with the University who are participating in such blatant violations of University rules and policies," the letter read.
Last week, a University spokesperson wrote to the DP that Penn has opened disciplinary cases into at least three students participating in the encampment.
1985 Wharton MBA graduate and Wharton Board of Advisors chair Marc Rowan also criticized encampments taking place across the country during a May 6 appearance on CNBC.
“I think all of us should be frustrated,” Rowan said. He described on-campus protests as “antisemitic,” “anti-American,” and “anti-Western.” He also claimed in the interview that the people “taking over campuses” were mostly non-student “outsiders.”
Rowan went on to say that the professors supporting “leftist ideology being espoused by protesters’” has “paralyzed” university administrations from clearing campuses and “enforcing the law.”
During the fall semester, Rowan was a leading critic of former Penn President Liz Magill and former Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok, repeatedly calling on them to resign over the University's handling of antisemitism on campus.
The encampment has received continued criticism from pro-Israel University alumni. A petition circulated by Alums for Campus Fairness — an alumni organization opposed to antisemitism — is calling for Jameson to end the encampment.
“Campus leadership must deter the establishment of these hate-filled encampments and protect Jewish students," ACF Executive Director Avi D. Gordon wrote in an email obtained by the DP. "Free speech rights must be respected and must be exercised in compatibility with everyone’s safety and security. Those who violate codes of conduct, including time, place, and manner restrictions on public demonstrations, should face the consequences.”
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