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UNC Has Become a Beacon for Jew Hatred; No One Seems to Care
Students sit on the steps of Wilson Library on the campus of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US, Sept. 20, 2018. Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Drake
On November 24, a group of 50 students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) — the majority of whom are Jewish — sent a letter to a US senator, saying that “Jewish students at UNC do not feel safe.”
The letter states:
After October 7th, the day of the [Hamas] terror attack, anti-Jewish rhetoric hit an all-time high. A Jewish student with an Israeli flag on his back had drinks thrown at him in our dining hall. Members of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) threatened several peaceful protesters with violence, and some brandished pocket knives and threatened our members.
A Professor [who is Israeli] was pushed down a flight of stairs by these protesters who proceeded to pour drinks on him. Jewish students across campus are being harassed by student “reporters” so they can continue to publish antisemitic-driven narratives. Posters for SJP and other affiliated organizations across campus depict terrorists flying into Israel and the Hamas missiles aimed at Israel.
A signatory of this letter told me that on October 12, at SJP’s pro-Hamas Day of Resistance Rally at UNC, Jewish students who were silently counter-protesting were approached by two masked activists who allegedly said, “Let’s fight” and allegedly brandished knives.
Before the rally, SJP publicly “recommended” anti-Israel protestors wear “face coverings” to this outdoor event, even though UNC policy states that masks may not be worn to “conceal identity.”
In early December, I was at a local breakfast establishment near campus, and was chatting with a woman who was in town to tour UNC. She told me that her tour guide said UNC’s campus had become unsafe due to SJP rallies.
On Nov. 28, I attended and reported on the event “No Peace Without Justice: A Round-Table Talk about Social Justice in Palestine,” hosted by numerous departments at UNC.
One of the speakers, Dr. Rania Masri, said: “Oct. 7 for many of us from the region was a beautiful day.”
Masri spoke with pride and admiration for Hamas and their paragliders, saying she is not “the least bit apologetic of the violence of the oppressed or the occupied.”
Several panelists openly agreed with her. None challenged Masri, or appeared concerned about her calls to eliminate Israel. Masri went on to say, “Let us demand the eradication of Zionism. Let us have that be our goal.”
The absence of a question and answer period meant that nothing could be challenged by audience members.
On December 10, Masri posted a video on Facebook that glorified Hamas and called Hamas “our heroes.” How could UNC subject Jewish students — or any students — to such a vile and hateful person?
Not only did UNC host this antisemitic event, but plenty of free pizza was provided.
One event sponsor — UNC’s Student Life & Leadership — has even kept the event flier posted on their Instagram and Facebook accounts.
A week before leaving UNC to take a position at another university, UNC’s Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz responded via email to concerned community members without even mentioning the word antisemitism. His weak response profoundly disappointed the Jewish community.
On December 9, UNC faculty published a petition letter titled “UNC Faculty stand against antisemitism, insist on respectful engagement with challenging topics.” It gained over 100 faculty signatures in just its first day.
The letter reviews evidence first reported in The Algemeiner and then states: “Sponsorship by academic units and the failure to disavow the [November 28] event after the fact implicitly sanctions antisemitic speech that harms people and is wholly at odds with the values of our campus community and institution.”
Jessica Smith, Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government, told me:
The purpose of our letter was twofold. First, to ask our colleagues to join us in condemning antisemitic hate speech that occurred at a UNC-sponsored event, calling October 7th a “beautiful day.” And second, to join us in calling for balanced and respectful dialogue on controversial issues … Free speech and academic freedom provide the right to speak. They do not, however, provide a shield from criticism for antisemitic hate speech.
In 2019, UNC hosted a conference that featured an antisemitic rap performance, which led to UNC entering into a Resolution Agreement with the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR), requiring UNC “to ensure that students enrolled in the university are not subjected to a hostile environment.”
On December 7, 2023, a Title VI complaint was filed with OCR. It concludes that Jewish students at UNC should not be “marinated in blatant antisemitism.”
“The fact that the Resolution Agreement executed in 2019 has been violated in 2023 indicates very clearly that stronger remedies are called for today,” it says. “The OCR should impose such remedies as soon as it is able to do so.”
For years, UNC has tolerated and fostered a campus climate that is hostile towards Jewish and pro-Israel students. When will UNC finally act to end this hostility so that Jewish students are afforded — like all other students — a safe and productive campus environment?
Peter Reitzes writes about issues related to antisemitism and Israel.
The post UNC Has Become a Beacon for Jew Hatred; No One Seems to Care first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel to Send Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Ceasefire Talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
Israel has decided to send a delegation to Qatar for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, an Israeli official said, reviving hopes of a breakthrough in negotiations to end the almost 21-month war.
Palestinian group Hamas said on Friday it had responded to a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal in a “positive spirit,” a few days after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalize” a 60-day truce.
The Israeli negotiation delegation will fly to Qatar on Sunday, the Israeli official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters.
But in a sign of the potential challenges still facing the two sides, a Palestinian official from a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remained over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing in southern Israel to Egypt and clarity over a timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is due to meet Trump in Washington on Monday, has yet to comment on Trump’s announcement, and in their public statements Hamas and Israel remain far apart.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a position the terrorist group, which is thought to be holding 20 living hostages, has so far refused to discuss.
Israeli media said on Friday that Israel had received and was reviewing Hamas’ response to the ceasefire proposal.
The post Israel to Send Delegation to Qatar for Gaza Ceasefire Talks first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Tucker Carlson Says to Air Interview with President of Iran
Tucker Carlson speaks on July 18, 2024 during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo: Jasper Colt-USA TODAY via Reuters Connect
US conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson said in an online post on Saturday that he had conducted an interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which would air in the next day or two.
Carlson said the interview was conducted remotely through a translator, and would be published as soon as it was edited, which “should be in a day or two.”
Carlson said he had stuck to simple questions in the interview, such as, “What is your goal? Do you seek war with the United States? Do you seek war with Israel?”
“There are all kinds of questions that I didn’t ask the president of Iran, particularly questions to which I knew I could get an not get an honest answer, such as, ‘was your nuclear program totally disabled by the bombing campaign by the US government a week and a half ago?’” he said.
Carlson also said he had made a third request in the past several months to interview Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will be visiting Washington next week for talks with US President Donald Trump.
Trump said on Friday he would discuss Iran with Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.
Trump said he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently by recent US strikes that followed Israel’s attacks on the country last month, although Iran could restart it at a different location.
Trump also said Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium. He said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program, adding that Iran did want to meet with him.
Pezeshkian said last month Iran does not intend to develop nuclear weapons but will pursue its right to nuclear energy and research.
The post Tucker Carlson Says to Air Interview with President of Iran first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages
Demonstrators hold signs and pictures of hostages, as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas protest demanding the release of all hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Itai Ron
i24 News – As Israeli leaders weigh the contours of a possible partial ceasefire deal with Hamas, the families of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza issued an impassioned public statement this weekend, condemning any agreement that would return only some of the abductees.
In a powerful message released Saturday, the Families Forum for the Return of Hostages denounced what they call the “beating system” and “cruel selection process,” which, they say, has left families trapped in unbearable uncertainty for 638 days—not knowing whether to hope for reunion or prepare for mourning.
The group warned that a phased or selective deal—rumored to be under discussion—would deepen their suffering and perpetuate injustice. Among the 50 hostages, 22 are believed to be alive, and 28 are presumed dead.
“Every family deserves answers and closure,” the Forum said. “Whether it is a return to embrace or a grave to mourn over—each is sacred.”
They accused the Israeli government of allowing political considerations to prevent a full agreement that could have brought all hostages—living and fallen—home long ago. “It is forbidden to conform to the dictates of Schindler-style lists,” the statement read, invoking a painful historical parallel.
“All of the abductees could have returned for rehabilitation or burial months ago, had the government chosen to act with courage.”
The call for a comprehensive deal comes just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for high-stakes talks in Washington and as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Doha within the next 24 hours, according to regional media reports.
Hamas, for its part, issued a statement Friday confirming its readiness to begin immediate negotiations on the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release framework.
The Forum emphasized that every day in captivity poses a mortal risk to the living hostages, and for the deceased, a danger of being lost forever. “The horror of selection does not spare any of us,” the statement said. “Enough with the separation and categories that deepen the pain of the families.”
In a planned public address near Begin Gate in Tel Aviv, families are gathering Saturday evening to demand that the Israeli government accept a full-release deal—what they describe as the only “moral and Zionist” path forward.
“We will return. We will avenge,” the Forum concluded. “This is the time to complete the mission.”
As of now, the Israeli government has not formally responded to Hamas’s latest statement.
The post Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages first appeared on Algemeiner.com.