By Ryan Johnson, Assistant News Editor
• March 23, 2024
About 25 Ithaca College students huddled in the cold by the Dillingham Fountains holding pro-Palestine signs and donning keffiyehs, a traditional headdress worn by men in the Middle East, at 8:45 a.m....
The Tompkins County Human Rights Commission shared a resolution Dec. 18, 2023, calling for the community to promote peace by advocating for a federal ceasefire and supporting local Jewish and Muslim community members. At Ithaca College, this call for peace is happening just as fervently among students.
This was undoubtedly a targeted and antisemitic attack and it brings up a crucial conversation; international conflict does not present an excuse to act or speak in a bigoted way and it certainly is not an excuse to threaten violence against people based on their views or perceived affiliation with one side of the conflict or another.
Since the Israel-Hamas war began Oct. 7 — the fifth war in the Israel-Arab and Israel-Palestine conflict — antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism have seen dramatic increases around the world. The shooting threat directed at Cornell’s Jewish community is one incident where communities have been targeted.
On Nov. 9, Cornell University’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine organized a protest and die-in to stand in solidarity with Palestine amid the Israel-Hamas war that began Oct. 7. Students as well as locals attended the die-in and protest, which began outside Klarman Hall and proceeded inside where participants lied on the floor.
There are countless examples of activists who’ve had their professional and personal lives destroyed for speaking out against the discriminatory practices of the Israeli state.