It has been weeks since militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing more than 1,400 people. Most casualties were Israeli civilians, with dozens more taken hostage. In retaliation, Israeli Defense Forces carried out a “complete siege” on Gaza consisting of airstrikes, a blockade and now a ground assault into Palestinian territory. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the Palestinian death toll in Gaza had surpassed 5,000 as of Oct. 23. More than 15,000 people have been injured.
There is no end in sight for the crisis in Israel and Gaza. As Athens bears witness to this turmoil, along with the rest of the world, communities are confiding in one another while demonstrating solidarity. Despite their differences in beliefs, they all share a collective sense of pain, rage, sympathy and compassion.
Morehead Takes a Side
On Oct. 12, UGA president Jere Morehead released a statement extending his concern to the Jewish community on campus: “As the world continues to watch and despair over the unfolding events, I—like so many of you—am outraged and deeply saddened by the terrorist acts perpetrated against innocent civilians in Israel.”
While the statement came up short for some, many Jewish students appreciated the message, especially those in Hillel, whom Morehead personally visited after the fighting broke out, alongside UGA’s police department and other administrators. Hillel is the largest Jewish campus organization at UGA and in the world. Its founding philosophy states “there isn’t one way to be Jewish.” Thus, the group embraces diversity, welcoming all Jewish students regardless of their ethnicity or culture. To help spread awareness on the conflict in Israel, members of Hillel hosted a tabling session at the Arch on Oct. 13, distributing flyers to bystanders. Two Israeli flags stood on display during this event, which occurred four days after a protest was held in the same location by Students for Solidarity with Israel.
Sidnie Gothard, a member of the social programming board for Hillel, said that she and her peers are using this time to showcase pride for their heritage. Gothard believes that tension between communities has resulted in various misconceptions. Most students in Hillel do not associate the actions of Hamas with the Palestinian people, she said, and they would prefer to see Israelis and Palestinians work together in fighting Hamas.
“I think people equate being pro-Israel as being anti-Palestinian or [vice versa]… when it would probably be more beneficial for everybody to just have a conversation about it,” Gothard said at a recent Shabbat service. “Granted, that’s really hard when a lot of us are very emotionally connected to the situation.”
Hillel has also organized several other events for its members, including a public discussion with Anat Sultan-Dadon, the consul general of Israel for the Southern U.S., and a challah prayer night.
The UGA Jewish Studies program has shown its support for the cause as well, both on and offline. After the initial Hamas attack, the group posted a response on Instagram reminding students to exercise kindness and compassion during this time. “Members of our campus community are facing immense loss. We urge you to be aware and respectful of their suffering,” the statement read.
On Oct. 16, UGA Jewish Studies hosted an informational meeting with Eli Sperling, the Israel Institute teaching fellow at the UGA School of Public and International Affairs, on the history of politics and war in Gaza. The presentation focused on the geopolitical situation of American Jews and Israel, addressing the complexities of these cultural ties. In the same week, the organization announced its own experiential learning program, the Anne Frank Volunteers, with the goal of promoting educational outreach to fight antisemitism.
Pro-Palestinian Students React
Other students, however, felt that Morehead’s response left out a significant portion of the campus population, including Arab and Muslim students, faculty and staff. Moreover, the statement was criticized for failing to consider those in the Jewish community who oppose the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Students for Socialism (SFS) are two of the largest organizations at UGA in support of Palestinian liberation. SFS led the first Free Palestine protest at the Arch on Oct. 8, while SJP organized the All Out for Palestine protest four days later.
In addition, SJP hosted a Night of Remembrance vigil on Oct. 19 to mourn all the lives lost since the first Arab-Israeli conflict in 1948. The candlelight ceremony featured numerous speakers, including the Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel, the executive director of Atlanta Ministry with International Students. He led a prayer after calling for action for Palestine. Other speakers, most of whom were Palestinian students, shared their own emotional testimonies, sentiments and poems. Over 100 people attended this vigil on North Quad.
SJP member Alina Karapandzich said that the atrocities occurring overseas affect everyone. They believe that Western media outlets have dehumanized Palestinians, other Arabs and Muslims, leading to further discrimination against these groups all over the world.
“The pain of the Palestinian people lives inside each of us involved in this fight for freedom,” Karapandzich said. “Our community here in Athens and at UGA must come together, despite our differences, to act, to fight for a ceasefire in Gaza now, and to witness each other’s grief and trauma.”
The Muslim Student Association has also emphasized Palestinian struggle in multiple ways. On the same night, after SJP’s vigil, the MSA held the Night of Duaa to collectively pray for those in Palestinian territory. A few days later, the organization led a tasbeeh (prayer beads) making event for members to unload and share their feelings from the past few weeks. On Instagram, the MSA executive board released a statement to address the Muslim lives lost in both Gaza and western Afghanistan, where more than 2,000 people have been killed due to multiple earthquakes this month.
MSA, SJP and Students for International Causes have all urged their members to be bold and push back against messages like the one from Morehead. To help guide their responses, these groups began distributing a document highlighting talking points, sample emails to universities and sample emails to request support from businesses. The point of this initiative is to “let them know that we are no longer OK with being silenced.”
Many of those in the Athens Area Democratic Socialists of America feel strongly about the Israeli-Palestinian crisis as well, including steering committee member Katie Pfannkuche. Pfannkuche said that, while AADSA condemns the heinous actions of Hamas against innocent Israeli civilians, it also holds the Israeli government responsible for creating the apartheid regime leading to these attacks, and has called on Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to condemn what it terms Israeli war crimes and to cease U.S. support for Israel.
“I think tensions are high in every community in the U.S. right now,” Pfannkuche said. “We’re grappling with an onslaught of misinformation and propaganda. It is a dark moment in world history, no matter where you stand.”
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