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Behind Mr. Georgetown
Call Your Mother Since 1920 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2024
THEHOYA.COM
Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 106, No. 2, © 2024
Families of Four Hostages Discuss, Reflect on Oct. 7, Call for Focus on Hostages Maren Fagan
Senior News Editor
Four family members of U.S. citizens who have been held hostage or killed in Gaza called for a focus on the hostages during a Sept. 19 event at Georgetown University. Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of Sagui Dekel-Chen, a civilian taken hostage Oct. 7; Ruby Chen, the father of Itay Chen, a U.S.-Israeli dual citizen serving in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) who was killed Oct. 7; Orna Neutra, the mother of Omer Neutra, a U.S.-Israeli dual citizen serving in the IDF taken hostage Oct. 7; and Iris Liniado, the daughter of Judy Weinstein and Gad Haggai, both killed on Oct. 7, spoke at the event. The Center for Jewish Civilization (CJC) at the School of Foreign Service (SFS) hosted the event, with CJC professor Bruce Hoffman moderating. According to Hoffman, the event represented the first time families of U.S. hostages have
spoken on a university campus. SFS Dean Joel Hellman introduced the speakers and the event by calling for the audience to unite in grieving the loss of innocent lives on all sides of the conflict. “We gather here today, of course, with heavy hearts,” Hellman said at the event. “For each of the innocent civilians affected, there is a family — Israeli and Palestinian alike, cutting across many countries, some here in our own community — agonizing over the uncertainty of the hostages’ fate or grieving over the lost ones.” Military and political conflict in the region has been ongoing since before the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948, which Palestinians characterize as an occupation and which led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. The most recent escalation occurred Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas and other militant groups See HOSTAGES, A7
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
Four family members of U.S. citizens held hostage in Gaza called for a focus on the hostages and their release in a Sept. 19 event.
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
Anthony Allen (CAS ‘90), a beloved Georgetown University Police Department (GUPD) officer and former forward on the men’s basketball team who scored 221 points during his college career, died Sept. 11 in Dayton, Md. He was 57.
GUPD Officer Anthony Allen Dies at 57 Aamir Jamil
Senior News Editor
Anthony Allen (CAS ’90), a Georgetown University Police Department (GUPD) officer and former forward on the men’s basketball team, died Sept. 11 in Dayton, Md. He was 57. Born Sept. 10, 1967, in Port Arthur, Texas, Anthony Joseph Allen Sr. grew up in a sporting family, with his two older brothers playing high school football. Allen, however, played high school basketball for Abraham Lincoln High School, winning two state championships and receiving the Texas “Mr. Basketball” award in
his senior year. Scouted by Georgetown men’s basketball coach John Thompson Jr., Allen attended Georgetown after graduating from Lincoln in 1986. In his first game, the 1986-87 season opener, Allen scored 15 points in 15 minutes; despite knee and ankle injuries limiting his time on the court, he went on to score 221 points over his college career. “Anthony was a smart player, you know,” Thompson Jr. told The Hoya in 2008. “He was competitive, and he was the kind of guy that was a very good defensive player, and a lot of the things we tried to do predicated on a person being a team player as
well as a person who could rebound and defend. Anthony could do those things, and that was very important.” After graduating, Allen played on a U.S. exhibition team in France before joining Athletes in Action, a Christian organization that combined exhibition basketball with ministry, which sent him to Mexico and Australia. Allen returned to Georgetown in 1994, joining GUPD as a campus police officer. He patrolled the northern side of campus during night shifts and eventually rose to the position of master police officer. While serving at GUPD, Allen completed his graduate studies to
become a minister and then served as an assistant pastor at Mount Horeb Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., also working with youth ministry. Known for his singing in high school and college, Allen served as a choir director at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School. Fred Johnson, GUPD’s patrol operationscommander,whoworkedwith Allen for 13 years, said Allen was dedicated toGeorgetownanditscommunity. “If you talk to anybody in this university about Anthony Allen, he’s a staple,” Johnson told The Hoya. “He’s a true Hoya, blue and gray. Always caring, See ALLEN, A7
GU Jewish Space Completed, Renamed Ammerman Makom Ruth Abramovitz GUSA Desk Editor
death is an opportunity to show members of the Georgetown community that the Women, Life, Freedom movement continues to remember Amini’s life and her legacy across the globe. Full disclosure: Ava Joulapour previously contributed to The Hoya. “We’re doing a vigil and remembrance of her and to remind Women, Life, Freedom is still alive,” Joulapour told The Hoya. “People are still fighting at home and we honor and respect every day what they’re doing for us.” Satya Heidrich-Amin (SFS ’25), the outreach coordinator for
Georgetown University community members joined Sept. 14 to rededicate the university’s campus gathering space for Jewish students as the Ammerman Makóm, marking the completion of the renovation. Makóm — located in the Leavey Center — hosts a variety of events for the Georgetown Jewish community and its Campus Ministry office, Jewish Life, including Shabbat services, Torah studies and Jewish Student Association (JSA) events. The multipurpose space, originally opened in 2011, underwent significant renovations starting in the summer of 2023 before reopening for student use beginning in October 2023. The renovation, sponsored by donors including Andrew Ammerman (SFS ’72) and his family, included improvements such as an expanded seating area, sliding doors which separate the prayer space from the entry space, decorative elements highlighting Jewish imagery and a permanent ark to hold the Torah scroll. Additionally, Michelle Sloane Wolf (CAS ’85) and Steve Wolf (MSB ’84) sponsored the construction of a kosher kitchen in Makóm. Talia Zamir (CAS ’26), a Jewish engagement intern who GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY oversees student programming The Georgetown University Jewish community rededicated their for the Office of Jewish Life and co-president of JSA, said the gathering space Sept. 14 following a total renovation of the space.
See VIGIL, A7
See MAKOM, A7
KATE HWANG/THE HOYA
The Georgetown University community and the Iranian Cultural Society (ICS) gathered for a commemerative vigil to mark the second anniversary of Masha Amini’s death Sept. 16.
ICS Holds Commemorative Vigil to Honor Mahsa Amini Kate Hwang
Student Life Desk Editor
Georgetown University community members gathered at a commemorative vigil to mark the second anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death. Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, died Sept. 16, 2022, while in the custody of Iran’s “morality police,” a force responsible for enforcing Iran’s strict dress code regulations, after she was arrested for allegedly improperly wearing a hijab. The Sept. 16 vigil was organized by Georgetown’s Iranian Cultural Society (ICS) in Red Square. ICS members lit candles and set up a memorial
for members of the Georgetown community to stop by and pay their respects. After the “morality police” arrested Amini, she was sent to a detention center in Tehran, where police officers reportedly beat her unconscious; she died three days later. In the immediate aftermath of her death, protestors demonstrated across Iran, sparking a global movement for the human rights of Iranian women known as the Woman, Life, Freedom movement; Georgetown students also joined a protest in downtown Washington, D.C. Ava Joulapour (SOH ’25), the president of ICS, said the second anniversary of Amini’s
NEWS
OPINION
GUIDE
SPORTS
New Faculty Members
Take Advantage of Hilltop
Oasis Fans Face Ticket Desert
Fumbles Cause Stumble
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26 new professors have joined the university to teach across Georgetown’s undergraduate schools.
Andrew Sobanet, the interim dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, urges students to jump at new opportunities.
Ryan Lee (SFS ’26) reflects on Oasis’ cultural impact and criticizes Ticketmaster’s handling of the band’s reunion tour.
Georgetown’s football team played messily and turned over the ball in its first loss of the season at Sacred Heart.
CampusGroups Chaos
Don’t Hang Up
Suki Waterhouse Sparkles
Spirited Victory
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Technical difficulties on the CampusGroups platform led to issues for students purchasing tickets to Mr. Georgetown.
Madison Fox-Moore (CAS ’26) challenges political inaction and university silence on school shootings.
Waterhouse weaves a captivating musical tapestry in “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin,” exploring love, loss and self-discovery.
Published Fridays
The Washington Spirit defeated the Houston Dash and will look to succeed in the upcoming NWSL playoffs.
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