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T h e I n d e p e n d e n t S t u d e n t N e w s p a p e r o f B r a n d e is U n i v e r sit y S i n c e 1 9 4 9 Volume LXXVIII, Number 3
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Waltham, Mass.
DEMONSTRATION
STUDY-IN
“New Year, no genocide”: Brandeis Jewish Bund hosts first vigil this year
PAPERS: Posters lay across a table used by the Bund.
■ The day after the end of Jewish new
year celebrations, the Bund held a vigil to honor civilian deaths caused by Israel’s various ongoing military offensives. By SOPHIA DE LISI & IYLA LICHTENFELD
JUSTICE EDITOR IN CHIEF AND JUSTICE NEWS EDITOR
On Thursday, Sept. 25, members of the Brandeis Jewish Bund gathered with students and community members in the Shapiro Campus Center for a “vigil to honor and remember those murdered by Israel in Palestine, Iran, Yemen and Lebanon,” according to a Sept. 24 Instagram post. The vigil’s organizers entered the atrium and established themselves at the steps, laying banners and distributing surgical masks to attendees to be used as face coverings. Six members carried in a wooden coffin covered in a keffiyah, imagery which is synonymous with Bund gatherings. Two of the Bund’s banners, which have been used in previous demonstrations, read “Stop Supporting Genocide” and “Bund” written in Yiddish. A new banner with white lettering on a black background presented, “New Year No Genocide.” This vigil intentionally occurred one day after the celebration of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. A Bund member elaborated that these holidays are a time to reflect on the year that passed and to make amends. “However, it’s impossible to make amends for more than 700 days of genocide,” they said, posing the question, “How can our New Year ever be sweet as a genocide continues?” They addressed a semicircle of about 20 community members around the presenters, noting the lower attendance of this vigil compared to past events. During the demonstration, several Bund members delivered impassioned speeches. A key message relayed was the importance of collective action. In effect, the Bund said it is “contingent” upon students to “reject genocide” and show regard for the high number of civilian fatalities caused by Israel’s military operations in Palestine. Per a Sept. 4 article by the Associated Press, “more than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed in the nearly two-year war in the Gaza Strip.” The AP cited Gaza’s Health Ministry for this estimate: “Its figures are seen as a reliable estimate of wartime deaths by [United Nations] agencies and many independent experts,” the article clarifies. A speech read by a Bund member stated that the loudest message on campus has been “silent resignation” towards the destruction taking place and that many students are internalizing this attitude. “That we should stay quiet, stay hidden, stay afraid, while Palestinian students are doxxed, harassed and threatened on this campus. … We’re told to keep our heads down. But this is not the only option. We are not powerless and we are not voiceless. Sometimes the most valuable thing you can do is also the most basic: speak
out.” The speaker urged attendees to reassure others that they are not alone, adding that voices can shift power. “This campus will not protect us unless we make it — but it can, and we will,” they concluded. Anti-doxxing has become a rallying cry for the Bund amid claims of harassment against members who have unwillingly become publicly known. In the Department of Student Rights and Community Standards’ Rights and Responsibilities handbook doxxing is noted in section 10.4.a as “the public disclosure or threat to disclose another individual’s personally identifying or private information … without their consent, in a context reasonably likely to intimidate, harass, endanger, or cause harm.” In contrast to the Sept. 17 “Study in for Palestine,” The Justice did not observe any opposing or unaffiliated individuals taking photographs of the demonstrators or protesting. Concluding the vigil, a Bund member led chants such as “free free Palestine,” “stop the killing, stop the slaughter, Gaza has no food or water,” “Israel bombs, [United States of America] pays, how many kids did you kill today?” and “never again for anyone, never again is now.” Rounds of chanting continued for about seven minutes. By approximately 6:00 p.m., around 16 attendees remained in the atrium. Their voices had begun to grow hoarse. Considering the vigil was only advertised by the Bund a day before it occurred, the attendance was far from the largest the Bund has seen for a vigil. For example, The Justice reported about 75 individuals in attendance for the Bund’s Oct. 21 vigil last year. In an interview with The Justice after the event, an organizer said that this was a deliberate precaution to avoid risk of doxxing, which the organization has detailed allegations of. The Justice could not confirm them as of press time. More specifically, the Bund member said that the group has been, as they described, “targeted by Betar [U.S.] … a right-wing Zionist youth movement.” Betar’s U.S. website reads that “when antisemitic incidents occur, Betar is among the first to respond. Whether through the press, social media or campus action, we refuse to let hate go unchecked.” The member recalled that Betar has used its Instagram account, “betarnews,” to draw attention to the Bund’s on-campus programming. The Justice has a copy of a now-deleted Betar post from Feb. 5. The caption tags the University’s Instagram and states, “Another sick school which [is] hosting an event tonite [sic] for jihadi terrorists.” The caption continues, “Join Betar[,] hear playing loud Zionist Israeli music. Any school which wants to honor terrorists has no business getting funding. Please take [a] video — including of those terrible people hosting for @icegov and other government entities.” The post also included a call for Betar’s followers to attend the Bund’s Feb. 5 vigil, though The Justice did not observe counterprotesters associated with Betar at this event. In addition to keeping the event obscure for con-
■ A small opposition formed as the
Bund fashioned a display of maps, articles and posters while calling for the University’s respect and an end to violence in Palestine. By IYLA LICHTENFELD JUSTICE NEWS EDITOR
On Wednesday Sept. 17 the Jewish Bund held a “Study in for Palestine” gathering in Farber Library from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. At one large table several Bund members laid out maps of Palestine and Israel, posters naming those dead from the conflict, and a banner reading “Stop Supporting Genocide.” About 10-15 other Bund members and supporters flanked the central table and sat at adjacent tables leading toward Starbucks. At around 4:00 p.m., a small opposition of at most 10 students huddled in a circle deliberating the Bund a little
A Brandeis student explores red mud production in the United States. By SAAYA DAGA
more than five feet away from the table. At the time, most of the opposition appeared to be male students, some wearing religious apparel and similar white button downs and black slacks. The men did not interact with the Bund beyond standing within the vicinity of the protest and glancing at the table. Bund members came dressed in mostly black and dark colors with some covering their faces to prevent identification. Others who were stationed at the table filled the roles of spokesperson or educator per the informational and advocational lens of the event. These members were available to the public and press for comment while those spread around Farber’s first floor functioned as studiers to fill as many seats as possible, a promoted goal of the event. A member of the Bund spoke of the group's purpose in organzing the study in, “we have a moral responsibility in calling to be here and at the very least bring voice to Palestinians, to bring attention to a campaign of ethic cleansing and genocide that is currently happening in the occupied terri-
See RESISTANCE, 5 ☛
BEMCo in the basement: supervisors speak on recent policy changes ■ BEMCo has implemented new
changes, including switching from pagers to a radio system and moving operations to the basement of Scheffres Hall. By HANNAH SHAPIRO JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
See ADVOCACY, 5☛
Red mud
Photo courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS.
The Brandeis Jewish Bund holds first event of the academic year, grows interest from students in-person and online
ANIKA JAIN/The Justice.
GATHERING: Bund members assemble to hold banners and speak.
Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps is undergoing various policy changes in the 2025-26 academic year. There has been confusion and speculation among the student body surrounding these changes. Managers of the clinical side of the BEMCo, Ellen Chiang ’26, Julia Kole ’26 and Hannah Bennet ’26 help lead the student-run emergency response service. Chiang serves as the Executive Director of BEMCo, overseeing events like Emergency Medi-
cal Technician classes and volunteering. Bennett is the Director of Operations, managing “the day to day aspect of BEMCo … making sure we have all … our medications and our medical supplies … I make sure the trucks are running and make sure any incidents that happen get reported to me.” As the longest-term member of BEMCo, Kole, who joined on her very first day at the University, shared her perspective on some changes she has witnessed during her time with the organization. She emphasized the importance of the relationship between BEMCo and the Department of Public Safety. Despite having neighboring offices, BEMCo did not know any of the officers, Kole claimed. This year, they have been devoting more effort into building relationships with Public Safety officers. These relationships allow BEMCo to operate more smoothly and efficiently, stated Kole in a Sept. 25 interview. Kole discussed other changes to BEMCo including moving their office twice. BEMCo previously
Arts censorship
Levine sworn in as president
An examination of the Trump administration's attempt to censor the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian.
By GRACE DOH
Photo courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS.
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See COLLABORATION, 5 ☛
NEWS 3
Ethics of dementia care By LILY CHAFE
By ALICE NGUYEN
FEATURES 6
SKYE ENTWOOD/The Justice.
New Brandeis fencing coach By JULIA HARDY
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FORUM 9 SPORTS 10