THE HOFSTRA
HEMPSTEAD, NY VOLUME 91 ISSUE 7
CHRONICLE
TUESDAY May 7, 2024
KEEPING THE HOFSTRA COMMUNITY INFORMED SINCE 1935 NEWS
By Members of the Chronicle Editorial Board On Thursday, April 25, a faculty-organized protest in support of Palestine gathered for four hours in front of Hofstra Hall. The protest was made up of an estimated 100-plus Hofstra students and faculty. Students observing the protest – a fluctuating group of about 20-50 people – were invited to join protestors with the option to wear a mask to protect their identity. Student Voices for Palestine also participated in the event. SVP’s constitution states that its purpose is “to educate others on the matter, raise awareness and foster civic engagement” and “to bring attention to the ongoing violence, to advocate for and to celebrate the history of the Palestinian people.” The protestors made speeches and led chants, including, “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crime,” “Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest” and “Judaism yes, Zionism no, apartheid has got to go.” Speakers at the protest included English professor Lee Zimmerman, anthropology department chair Salim T.P. Daniels, and several members of SVP, including Alisha Paracha, a freshman political science major who is the public relations manager for SVP. “I’m tired of watching people continuously die, and I’m tired of going to a university where the president has not called for a ceasefire, where the president has not reached out to the Palestinian students or anyone who has been affected by this,” Paracha said during her speech. In an interview with the Chronicle, Paracha said a goal for the protest was to reach the Hofstra community and beyond. “We need to make sure that
Students join faculty in pro-Palestine protests
Ethan Albin / The Hofstra Chronicle Hofstra faculty and students, including Professor Salim T.P. Daniels and members of Student Voices for Palestine, lead a protest on Thursday, April 25.
people know that there are people who are supporting Palestine, who don’t support their apartheid, who don’t support the occupation and are here and will stand for that,” Paracha said. “I think this club, Student Voices for Palestine, has been doing some really awesome stuff fighting for human rights and human lives, and I love seeing people working for it,” said Toby Turner, a freshman film studies and production major who attended the protest. According to Daniels, the faculty reached out to SVP, where Daniels serves as the faculty advisor and sponsor, to collaborate on the protest. “We don’t want any investments from Hofstra going to support Israel and companies that support Israel and occupation and inhumanity and apartheid. We don’t support that. And we want an end to it,” Daniels said in a speech during the protest. Hofstra’s 2022 tax forms, found on ProPublica’s nonprofit explorer list, listed foreign
investments in Europe (including Iceland and Greenland) and Central America and the Caribbean for a combined total of $163 million. However, as a private university, Hofstra’s other investments are not publicly available. Public Safety and other Hofstra administrators were also present during the protest, including Geraldine Hart, the associate vice president of public safety and community engagement; Jessica Eads, the senior vice president for student enrollment, engagement and success; and Rabbi Dave Siegel, a university chaplain and the executive director of Hofstra Hillel. Other members of the Hofstra community, including Russell Strachan, a junior video/television major and the treasurer for Hofstra Hillel, expressed uncertainty and concern about the protest. “It’s disheartening to see professors and classmates use certain rhetoric that makes Jewish students feel unsafe,” Strachan
said. “‘From the river to the sea’ is one example of the chants that was said.” “From the river to the sea” has a storied history that can be perceived as antisemitic. “I believe that people have the ability to say what they want. That is the beauty of our country, and we have the right to do that,” Strachan said. He noted that the experience on Hofstra’s campus “has been much better than other schools around the country.” According to SVP, several students submitted discrimination complaints in mid-March through Hofstra’s nondiscrimination forms and have not received a response from the administration. SVP has allegedly faced online harassment and doxxing by Hofstra students and have continued to submit complaints to the university “as the harassment continues,” Paracha said. Jewish students have also encountered discrimination in relation to the Israel-Gaza conflict, according to Strachan.
The Chronicle interviewed a Hofstra spokesperson via email, who wrote, “Hofstra has a long tradition and mission of supporting informed and robust discussion about important issues of the day through civil discourse. The ability of student groups to peacefully gather to discuss and express their opinions is an integral aspect of Hofstra’s educational mission.” On Wednesday, May 1, Hofstra President Susan Poser acknowledged the peaceful actions taken by the entire campus in an email to the Hofstra community: “While members of our community are permitted to gather peacefully and express their views, as university policy allows, we remain vigilant regarding the potential for antisemitism and Islamophobia, as well as any kind of discrimination or harassment. We have maintained a long-standing policy to this effect, and we will continue to stand by it.” Previously, Poser released a statement on Oct. 18, 2023, acknowledging concerns voiced by the community following Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Approximately 35,000 Palestinians have been killed over the past seven months due to Israel’s response, according to Reuters. Poser encouraged students who experienced harassment to report it and directed students to attend a Vigil for Peace held on Oct. 18. Daniels and Paracha alluded to difficulties with scheduling the protest. “Organizing events or anything that’s Palestine related has been so difficult,” Paracha said. “With numerous meetings, sleepless nights, a lot of harassment and literal tears, we have finally decided that enough is enough.” According to Daniels, in a timeline sent to members of
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