American Jewish Committee, ACE, Hillel International, and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, groups representing the collegiate and broader Jewish communities and higher education leaders, are deeply alarmed by inflammatory social media posts and rhetoric targeting trustees. The language was employed by the National Students for Justice in Palestine’s (SJP) as part of its “Week of Rage” campaign, which coincided with the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack.
The campaign, which explicitly targets trustees, among other tactics, labels specific trustees as “butchers” on social media and issues calls to “break the butchers,” “dismantle the board of butchers,” and “abolish the board.”
In the context of rising politically motivated and antisemitic violence in the United States and around the world, we are deeply concerned by SJP’s use and encouragement of rhetoric that appears to normalize violence as acceptable means of achieving social change and justice. Since Oct. 7, trustees have been subjected to vandalism, harassment, and physical attacks. The language used in this latest SJP campaign poses a real threat to the safety of these individuals — who generously dedicate their time and resources to supporting the critical mission of higher education in this country.
This type of dangerous and fear-inducing rhetoric has no place on our college and university campuses or in society at large.
CONTACTS
Jennifer Bell (AJC)
mediacomms@ajc.org
202-836-9058
Etan Harmelech (Hillel)
press@hillel.org
860-302-8563
Jon Riskind (ACE)
jriskind@acenet.edu
202-939-9453
Joe Brenckle (AGB)
media@agb.org
202-640-6739