Dear Chancellor Guskiewicz,

We write to express our profound concerns about the escalating antisemitic situation on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) campus. The increasing incidents reflecting these views are not only deeply troubling but are creating a hostile environment for Jewish and Israeli students. This warrants your immediate attention and decisive action. Specifically, UNC must act to fulfill its obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect students, faculty, and staff from discrimination based on ethnicity or nationality. This means ensuring Jewish and Israeli students are safeguarded from discrimination and hostile environments on campus. 

On October 7th, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, resulting in the tragic death of over 1,400 Israelis and numerous atrocities including rape, beheadings, and mutilations, with more than 240 individuals taken hostage in Gaza. These are not the actions of political disagreement but the actions of hate and terrorism. Yet numerous individuals and entities are either praising or justifying this horrific attack. At the forefront of this is the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which openly supports the violent acts of Hamas, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization by the Secretary of State. The SJP is also engaged in the dissemination of educational materials and propaganda on campus that echo and promote Hamas ideologies, further entrenching their endorsement of the group’s objectives.

SJP has declared in their national toolkit that “Palestinian students in exile are PART of this movement, not in solidarity with this movement.” An Instagram post from UNC SJP states, “It is our moral obligation to be in solidarity with the dispossessed, no matter the pathway to liberation they choose to take. This includes violence.” This is more than vocal support. This suggests a direct and active participation in Hamas's objectives. The Senate recently passed a unanimous resolution condemning antisemitism on college campuses, citing UNC SJP among groups that have praised and justified the actions of Hamas.

An official image from UNC SJP’s Instagram channel calling for a “Day Of Resistance” rally displays a paraglider, a reference to Hamas terrorists' use of paragliders in their October 7th attacks and a symbol of triumph for the terrorist organization and its supporters. The image is captioned 'From The River To The Sea,' a demand for the erasure of Israel and its citizens. The local chapter adhered to National SJP's disturbing pro-Hamas material, clearly aligning themselves with their national movement and Hamas. On October 12th, SJP members at UNC shouted "We are Hamas!" directed at Jewish students and faculty, intensifying the increasingly unsafe campus environment for Jewish students. Such actions by SJP are effectively inciting hostility and fear. 

UNC faculty, staff, and graduate students have signed pro-Hamas petitions, claiming the necessity to contextualize the 'loss of life' within 'ongoing colonial oppression' and a 'population resisting oppression.' UNC academic departments are co-sponsoring SJP events, suggesting implicit endorsement of SJP by the university. Hebrew classes have transitioned to Zoom. Jewish students are concealing their identities. What's next? Hiding in an attic? 

Adding fuel to this disturbing environment is Prof. Chebrolu of the Rhetoric and Public Issues class, who stated during a lecture on October 17th, "The attack by Hamas was not senseless. There is context... America is part of a broader global criminal project... and also just like the Holocaust was horrifying, and this was part of a kind of reaction to that, an overcorrection." Two students have filed complaints against this class, among many other complaints filed against other faculty members. Put yourself in a Jewish student's shoes. How would you feel?

Numerous students, parents, and faculty have approached UNC expressing their concerns about the hostile campus environment for Jews. Yet, by taking effectively no action while citing "free speech" and "institutional neutrality," UNC is sending a clear message that eliminationist rhetoric and antisemitic statements are, regrettably, tolerated on campus. SJP has put UNC on notice regarding their affiliation and endorsement of violence. 

On October 14, 2019, ​​UNC signed an agreement with the Department of Education, committing to combat antisemitism on campus. This agreement was a response to concerns over antisemitic harassment related to a previous conflict in Gaza. Despite this formal pledge, antisemitic rhetoric and intimidation persist unabated at UNC. The administration’s lack of decisive action in light of their previous commitments is more than just a failure to protect its students. It is a breach of an agreement with a federal body, potentially subjecting the university to Title VI sanctions.

We call on UNC to take decisive action against the use of antisemitic communications. We call on UNC to condemn organizations, faculty, and staff that use slogans, symbols, graphics, or other forms of expression, that aim for the annihilation of Jews in Israel or the justification and rationalization of abhorrent terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians, including those of October 7th. We call on UNC to prohibit such outrageous and discriminatory incitement against Jews and Israelis on campus. This includes the use of reprehensible symbols (e.g. the paraglider), that contribute to a climate of fear and marginalization for Jewish students, a clear infraction of Title VI. 

In a pertinent and commendable move, Duke University has set a vital precedent by taking a stand against the slogan "From the River to the Sea," recognizing its implications as a call for the destruction of the Jewish state and an implicit endorsement of violence against Jews. We call on UNC to emulate this example of proactive stewardship to uphold a campus ethos that unequivocally rejects any rhetoric that fuels antisemitism and poses a real and legitimate threat to the Jewish and Israeli members of UNC’s student body.

We implore you to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of all students at UNC.

Sincerely,

UNC Students, Parents, Alumni, Faculty, Staff, Friends, and Donors