Dear President Englert, 

We were shocked to read the university's statement regarding the unprecedented terrorist attacks on innocent civilians by Hamas. The statement completely overlooked the fact that there was deliberate and indiscriminate killing, maiming, and hostage-taking targeting innocent Jewish and non Jewish people, and that Jewish people in Israel and Jewish people around the world are terrified for their own personal safety.  Jewish and Israeli students at Temple are scared to be on campus and are relying on you to speak up for them, call out antisemitism, and condemn Hamas.

The language used in your initial statement, of the “ongoing violence in Gaza” created a sense of equivalency between Hamas’ heinous massacre on civilians and Israeli Defense Forces’ operations in Gaza. This equivalency is false. The statement does not sufficiently condemn Hamas, a group which the US and the free thinking world recognize as a terrorist organization. 

While it is imperative to respect the opinions of those with grievances against the state of Israel, support for indiscriminate violence against civilians is never justified. You state in your letter, “We recognize that our students, faculty, staff, and alumni have a diversity of connections to and perspectives on the conflict.” There are no alternative perspectives or diverse opinions that can justify parading mangled corpses through city streets, brutally beating teenage girls, and kidnapping and beheading babies and elderly Holocaust survivors. For perspective, the proportions of civilians killed over only one day (over 900), scaling to the US population, would be about 35,000 people. This involves everyone in our small country, Jews, Muslims, and Christians. The terror does not stop based on your religion. 

We felt dismissed that the letter encouraged us to contact the Tuttleman Center and Interfaith Center.  Why isn’t the University providing crisis managers immediately on site for Jewish students to meet with?  We are traumatized and need help now. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the University immediately jumped into action in support of students and in affirming their support of the people of Ukraine. When the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the University played a prominent role in helping refugees and supporting students on campus who needed someone to talk to. We expect Temple University to express a clear stance now, just as you would for any other country. Making sure that it is clear that supporting and celebrating actions of a terrorist organization has no place on Temple campus. The failure to condemn such discourse is enabling an atmosphere of incitement against Jewish students. Israeli and the Jewish students and faculty feel unsafe with Temple SJP club’s actions. “Keep the momentum going” written on their account and “keffiyeh thursday” is actively allowing supporting terrorism among students. 
We are greatly disappointed by the lack of solidarity with Israel, and the lack of actions to make sure Jewish and Israeli students will feel safe on campus.

Jewish people have a song of expression and resilience where we say, “Am Yisrael Chai.” It means, the people of Israel live. This refers to all Jews, not only Israeli Jews. Am means people and Israel means Jewish.

On behalf of Am Yisrael, both at Temple and around the world, stand with us against terrorism. For ensuring safety of all students, faculty, and Temple community members. Now is the time.

Thank you,
Temple students, faculty, alumni, and their families.

PLEASE DO NOT DONATE TO CHANGE.ORG ON THIS PETITTION