When Zachary Pastor, 18, returned to his dorm room after class on March 30, there was a flyer on his door. Looking down the hall, he saw it on other entrances, too, an official-looking notice with the word “EVICTION” stamped across it in big, bold letters. The Florida Atlantic University freshman, who attends its Boca Raton campus, received one of the reportedly 200 fake notices distributed by Students for Justice in Palestine, which reportedly has more than 75 chapters nationwide.
Jewish University Students Receive ‘Eviction Notices’
When Zachary Pastor, 18, returned to his dorm room after class on March 30, there was a flyer on his door. Looking down the hall, he saw it on other entrances, too, an official-looking notice with the word “EVICTION” stamped across it in big, bold letters. The Florida Atlantic University freshman, who attends its Boca Raton campus, received one of the reportedly 200 fake notices distributed by Students for Justice in Palestine, which reportedly has more than 75 chapters nationwide.
As the school in Boca Raton continues its transition from primarily a commuter operation to having a more prevalent college campus feel, especially with the addition of new dorm space, there’s more student group activity than ever, said Rivka Rochel Liberow, co-director of the local Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish Student Center. She’s spent six years in the area and pegs recent developments, including rallies and demonstrations, as a new phenomenon.
The targeting of students as part of an apparent anti-Israel campaign, however, has come as a shock. According to news reports, several students who received the fake notices are Jewish, but Charles L. Brown, the university’s senior vice president for student affairs, stated on Thursday that his investigation “found no evidence that the postings were intended to target or intimidate individuals of any particular religion, national origin or faith.”
“On the whole, it’s a peaceful kind of place,” said Liberow. “But a mother called us from out of town to find out what happened. She didn’t want to call her daughter, because she didn’t want her daughter to think she was scared.”
Leaders from the Chabad House and the local Hillel met with students and community members to discuss the incident, which was flagged by the Anti-Defamation League as having “left several FAU students feeling threatened and intimidated.” The ADL on its website notes that Yale University and the University of Chicago saw similar SJP activity last year.
As for advice, Liberow tells students to go about their daily business like nothing happened.
“We don’t let these things bother us,” she said in the midst of preparations for the final days of Passover this week. “We can’t. We just have to keep on doing and doing even more and show that we’re proud and not afraid.”
Chabad House co-director Rabbi Boruch Shmuel Liberow encouraged students to stay informed and alert, adding that the university was looking into what happened.
In his statement, Brown acknowledged that the university has “received disturbing reports of threats, hostility, and intolerance from and against fellow members of our community in connection with these postings.”
“These postings did not comply with University policy governing the distribution of printed materials, and were subsequently removed,” Brown pointed it. “Just as the University does not, and will not, tolerate censorship of free expression, so will we not tolerate tactics that are intended to threaten, intimidate, harass or demean members of our community.”
Freshman Pastor, who called home straightaway when he saw the flyer on his door, said he’s concerned about having the SJP on campus, and also for the sentiments of safety he and other Jewish students have come to appreciate.
“We want a type of campus where everyone can act and feel the way they like, as long as it’s civil and doesn’t promote confrontation or make others feel bad,” he said, explaining that he doesn’t want to see student groups creating friction and nervousness. “I would like for student groups to be organizations that do good on campus.”
With Israel Day festivities just around the corner, he said he wants to make sure there aren’t any problems.
“I’m concerned we’ll need security for that event,” he said.
Milhouse
“The targeting of students as part of an apparent anti-Israel campaign, however, has come as a shock.”
But in the very same paragraph we learn that there was “no evidence that the postings were intended to target or intimidate individuals of any particular religion, national origin or faith.”
So why did Ms Schwartz write the reisha of the paragraph? This is blatant dishonesty. One she learned that there is no evidence of targeting, she had no right to refer to this non-existent “targeting of students”. And while the anti-Israel campaign is of course wrong because the whole cause is based on antisemitism in the first place, this particular tactic does not seem in any way objectionable.
What if they were campaigning against a local landlord who was evicting tenants? Would the university also object to a tactic of handing out “eviction notices” to random students in order to raise their awareness of the issue? Or what if it were Jewish students campaigning against the eviction of Jews from their homes in Chevron or Migron or wherever? What is wrong with doing this, to make students understand how the victims of these evictions must feel? The only problem with this particular campaign is that the cause is wrong; and the university obviously has no business getting into that and distinguishing between one cause and another.
Be rational
@Milhouse.
There is no contradiction between those two quotes. “Targeting of students” does not contradict non-targeting of “individuals of any particular religion, national origin or faith.”
The point was that the campaign was directed at students regardless of their ”religion, national origin or faith.”
The part that she says “come as a shock”, is that this SJP is not targeting faculty or student groups, but rather individual students.
I think you owe Ms Schwartz an apology.
this is wide spread and neglected
the issue mentioned in this article is serious, wide-spread and neglected.
the Lieberows should encourage Charles Brown to follow the example of Shimon Waronker who turned around a school in the Bronx. the school cannot confuse intimidation with free speech. the activities of SJP must be monitored and if they do not comply with school guidelines the group has to be banned and if students do not cooperate with the ban – they need to be excused. its called Zero Tolerance for Bullying. if the school waits – it will only get worse.
StandWithUs goes to campuses and tells the truth about Eretz Yisroel. unfortunately they promote communication as a way to making peace with our enemies. the incident in this article is not unique. many campuses have anti-semetic organizations disguised as pro-Palestinian. it is time Chabad produced pamphlets for campuses, similar to StandWithUs, but with the Rebbe’s point of view.
Discipline them
If there is a line between peaceful demonstrations and threatening ones, then that line has been crossed. The harassment of individuals should not be tolerated or it will accelerate. If the FAU does nothing, they should be held accountable for whatever happens next.
Negligence
This is the result of Shluchim refusing to teach about Shlaimos HaAretz.
video surveillance
In these times, I’m surprised there are not cameras in the hallway.