We write this letter in tears, because we are terrified. 

Tomorrow marks National Students for Justice in Palestine's "National Day of Resistance." This "resistance protest" will be held at Columbia University, with their support to allow "civil discourse."

No amount of Barnard/Columbia identification safety checks tomorrow will make us feel safe. When there is a known, permitted protest in support of the horrific acts done to Israel and the Jewish people this week, we feel unsafe. 

SJP condemned the email from you, Dean Grinage, because you “extended support to those ‘affected by violence and loss of life in Israel.” 

SJP condemned an email from you, Dean Lisa Rosen-Metsch, because it “obfuscated Palestinian resistance as terrorism.” 

SJP’s national “day of resistance” toolkit considers this massacre a “historic win” glorifying the “martyrs.” 

They declare, “As the Palestinian student movement, we have an unshakable responsibility to join the call for mass mobilization.” 

On Saturday morning, entire families were gunned down in bed. On Sunday, friends/family were kidnapped into Gaza. On Monday they began to lose their lives. All week, the lives of innocents were stripped in ways so horrific, we cannot relive them through this letter. All week, we said goodbye to our friends, parents, sisters, brothers who left to go fight these atrocities, and help bring the kidnapped home. Tomorrow, we will walk through campus while fellow classmates support and promote what has happened to our family, our people, and to innocent children and babies. 

There is a fine line between “civil discourse” and supporting and PROMOTING the terrorism to the like of 911. 

There is a fine line between free speech and speech of incitement of imminent lawless action: “We have an unshakeable responsibility to join the call for mass mobilization….national day of resistance” (SJP toolkit). 

If groups shouted at us when mourning the hundreds of lives lost at a community vigil; If SJP terms the rape, mutilation, kidnapping, and slaughter of family, friends, elderly, and babies “resistance," then what will be their “day of resistance” tomorrow? 

It is simple. We go to bed terrified. We will wake up feeling unsafe. We will walk to class feeling unsafe. This is college. Our parents sent us here to receive an education amongst a safe community. Why do we feel petrified before a day of school tomorrow? 

Consider these emotions and fear collective with the entire Jewish/Israeli community.