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One says he will move to Israel
Jewish students at the University of Pittsburgh are calling on the administration to take a stand in support of Israel, as protests continue on and near campus.
Pitt’s main campus has been a regular source of protests since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 of last year. At one point, pro-Palestinian students had organized five protests in less than a month, as previously reported by The College Fix.
On Monday, some students joined up with the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s Pittsburgh branch to protest attacks on the Houthis in Yemen by the U.S. and Britain.
Joshua Minsky, a Jewish student and College Republican leader at Pitt, called on Chancellor Joan Gabel to condemn the protests that have been taking place on campus.
Minsky told The Fix via social media messaging that Chancellor Gabel must stop “trying to play both sides when it comes to this issue,” but instead condemn the protests that “openly support terrorist groups which advocate for the genocide of Jews.”
“I think that by not condemning protests which support terrorist groups which call for the death of all Jews, the aim of neutrality which the university is trying to take is actually them just allowing antisemitism,” Minsky said recently.
Chancellor Gabel once released a statement condemning Hamas’ invasion of Israel back in October of 2023. However, no statement regarding the multiple pro-Palestinian gatherings on campus has been released.
Pitt and Chancellor Gabel did not respond to two requests for comment sent in the past week via email that asked for comment on university plans to support Jewish students.
Minsky also spoke out against the Monday “Hands Off Yemen” rally and the antisemitism that he said came along with it.
“To say that America should not attack Houthi rebels is to embrace antisemitism and anti-western ideals,” he said. “The mission statement, as defined on official Houthi documents, of this terrorist group is to kill all Jews, destroy Israel, and destroy the United States.”
Reuters referred to the attacks, meant to retaliate against the Yemen group for attacking ships in the Red Sea, as “a dramatic regional widening of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.”
At the protest, students convened with signs opposing Israel and calling to “FREE PALESTINE.”
“STOP the genocide; END the occupation; FREE PALESTINE,” one sign read.
Another sign linked “White Supremacy” to Israel, reading “Death to White Supremacy; Capitalism = Extinction.”
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The Houthis are “an anti-Israel and anti-Western alliance of regional militias (Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis) backed by Iran,” according to Reuters.
“While I do not believe that these [protestors] think they are being antisemitic, their actions and opinions, if allowed to come to full appreciation, would result in the dismantlement of the Jewish state and the genocide of millions of Jews in the Levant,” Minsky said.
Riley Crow, a Jewish student at the University of Pittsburgh, told The Fix via social media messaging that he is starting to give up regarding Chancellor Gabel’s ability to stand up for people like him.
“I’ve given up on the fact the chancellor will just suddenly protect Jews on campus,” Crow told The College Fix. He is involved with Jewish fraternity AEPi on campus.
In regards to the Jan 17 protest, Crow accused the students involved of “emotional protesting.”
“Uneducated mass animosity against Jewish people doesn’t ever work out for us,” he said. “Not all of these Palestinian supporters are Jew-haters, but neither was the average German citizen until they became one without knowing it.”
He told The Fix he does not expect the university to “silence” anyone.
“In all realness I don’t expect them to silence any group,” Crow said. “Or to appear as though they’re picking sides. It’d be nice if they looked into what some student groups on campus are saying with their messaging though.”
“When a memorial or vigil gets spat at or interrupted with celebration of Oct 7, you’d think they would step in and at least warn them why stuff like that is abhorrent,” he said.
“I understand the anger. Palestinians are suffering there no doubt about that,” he said. “You can raise your voice for Palestinians without chanting and rooting for Hamas and more death of Jews.”
Due to everything happening on and off campus, Crow revealed that he is planning on leaving the U.S. and moving to Israel within the coming years to “help strengthen it and ensure its future.”
Editor’s note: The article has been updated with further comments from Crow.
MORE: Jewish students sue Harvard alleging inaction against ‘rampant’ antisemitism
IMAGE: Party for Socialism and Liberation/Instagram
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