Hillel JUC, other Jewish organizations condemn “Palestine solidarity encampment” protests

The “Palestine solidarity encampment” protest ended on Tuesday morning around 2 a.m. after negotiations with the Mayor’s office. The protesters, who constructed their encampment on the Cathedral of Learning lawn around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday night, demanded in an Instagram post that the University “disclose all University investments” and “divest University of Pittsburgh finances, including the endowment, from companies and institutions that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide and occupation in Palestine.”

The protesters also demanded that the University “immediately terminate Pitt’s chapter of Hillel” and “immediately terminate the Student Coalition for Israel at Pitt.” 

Hillel JUC, the parent organization of Pitt Hillel, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh put out a joint statement on Monday condemning the protests.

“[Hillel JUC] and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh are outraged by the recent encampment organized outside the Cathedral of Learning,” the statement said. “This group has made several antisemitic comments and demands, including the immediate termination of Hillel JUC.”

Several of the protest organizations previously stated their opposition to antisemitism. In a response post on Instagram to Chancellor Joan Gabel’s accusations that the protesters spray painted antisemitic graffiti on the Frick Fine Arts Building, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), the main organization behind the protests, stated that it “rejects antisemitism in all forms and remains committed in support of our Jewish comrades.” 

Hillel JUC also criticized the protesters’ use of language such as “From the river to the sea” and “intifada.” Hillel JUC and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh condemned the use of these phrases in their joint post on Instagram. 

“Globalize the intifada is a call for indiscriminate violence against Israel and potentially against Jews and Jewish institutions around the world,” the statement said. “‘From the river to the sea Palestine must be free’ is a call to eliminate Jews from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean, which includes the more than 7 million Jews in Israel.” 

According to NPR, “intifada” is a word that means “uprising” in Arabic. It also refers to two separate periods in the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict. The First Intifada, which took place in the late 1980s, resulted in nearly 2,000 deaths, with most being Palestinian. 4,300 people were killed in the Second Intifada, which occurred in the early 2000s, with most casualties being Palestinian once again. Palestinian forces, mainly Hamas, did target Israeli civilians during the Second Intifada, resulting in 741 Israeli civilian deaths. 

“From the river to the sea” refers to the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, which make up the eastern and western borders of Israel. 

SJP did not respond to a request for comment specifically regarding Hillel JUC and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s statement, but did say they would release a general statement in the coming days.

Other Jewish organizations on campus also voiced their support for Hillel and condemned the protests. Chabad posted a statement on Instagram on Monday, saying that it “stands unequivocally in support with our Hillel JUC family and the members of the Student Coalition for Israel at Pitt.”

“The blatant antisemitic demands from the recent encampment are abhorrent, discriminatory and entirely driven by hate,” the statement said. “Jewish students have a right to feel safe and welcome on campus, and our organizations will continue to proudly serve as a prospering hub for Jewish life.”

The Student Coalition for Israel at Pitt has not put out a statement regarding the protests or the demands. 

Pitt’s chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), a Jewish fraternity, also published a statement on Instagram condemning the protests and supporting Hillel. The fraternity reiterated many of Gabel’s accusations against the protesters, including the “defacement of the Cathedral of Learning and the Frick Fine Arts Building, the attempt to ignite materials in the Cathedral’s revolving doorway and the throwing of a weapon through a window.” 

Pitt Divest from Apartheid and other protest organizations posted to Instagram on Monday denying that protesters attempted to set fire to the Cathedral. Organizers also said they have “no reports or evidence that members of the encampment defaced buildings with antisemitic graffiti.”

Maria Montaño, communications director for Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, said in a press release that the Mayor’s office’s meeting with the protesters on Tuesday morning was “in no way an endorsement of those demands.”

“I want to be clear: while demonstrators reiterated some of their demands as part of the discussion, the primary focus of this meeting was not about their demands, but about how we could find a way to resolve the conflict on Pitt’s campus peacefully,” Montaño said.