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Pro-Hamas Harvard Group Ends Encampment After University Makes Concessions
A drone view shows a pro-Hamas encampment at Harvard University where students protest in support of Palestinians, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, April 25, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Harvard University has negotiated a deal to end a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” that an anti-Zionist student group had erected at Harvard Yard and lived in for nearly three weeks, the school’s president announced on Tuesday.
The agreement was highly favorable to the students, including the processing of reinstatement petitions for those who were placed on “involuntary leave” — a measure which in effect disenrolled the students from school and banned them from campus — and a meeting with the school’s Corporation Committee on Shareholder Responsibility (CCSR) to discuss the possibility of divestment from companies linked to Israel.
“With the disruption to the educational environment caused by the encampment now abated, I will ask that the schools promptly initiate reinstatement proceedings for all individuals who have been placed on involuntary leave of absences,” interim Harvard president Alan M. Garber said in a statement. “I will also ask disciplinary boards within each school to evaluate expeditiously, according to their existing practices and precedents, the cases of those who participated in the encampment.”
He added, “There will continue to be deep disagreements and strongly felt emotions as we experience pain and distress over events in the wider world. Now, more than ever, it is crucial to do what we do at our best, creating conditions for true dialogue, modeling ways to build understanding, empathy, and trust, and pursuing constructive change anchored in the rights and responsibilities we share.”
Harvard maintains that it has not granted “amnesty” to any student placed on involuntary leave or charged with violating school rules.
On Tuesday, the group principally responsible for organizing the demonstration, Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine (HOOP), dismissed the deal as duplicitous and issued a warning to the school.
“As a precondition for decamping, administration will retract suspensions. Administration has also offered us meetings regarding disclosure and divestment with members of the Harvard Management Company,” HOOP continued. “We are under no illusions: we do not believe these meetings are divestment wins. These side-deals are intended to pacify us away from full disclosure & divestment. Rest assured, they will not … Harvard beware: the liberated zone is everywhere.”
HOOP’s “decamping” ends a battle of wills between anti-Zionist students and the administration that began after Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel. Following the tragedy, the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC) issued a statement blaming Israel for the attack and vowed to pressure the university to cut ties with the Jewish state. A slew of incidents came next: Students stormed academic buildings chanting “globalize the intifada,” a mob followed and surrounded a Jewish student, screaming “Shame! Shame! Shame!” into his ears, and the Harvard Law School student government passed a resolution that falsely accused Israel of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
High-level university officials and faculty also engaged in questionable conduct.
In December, former Harvard University president Claudine Gay told a US congressional committee that calling for a genocide of Jews living in Israel would only violate school rules “depending on the context” — an incident that ultimately prompted her resignation. In February, Harvard Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine — a spinoff of a student group allegedly linked to terrorist organizations — shared an antisemitic cartoon on social media which showed a left-hand tattooed with a Star of David, containing a dollar sign at its center, dangling a Black man and an Arab man from a noose. The group’s former leader, history professor Walter Johnson, later participated in HOOP’s encampment and encouraged the protesters to defy the university’s order to leave the area.
“There’s no room for reasoned discussion about this action!” Johnson, amplifying his voice with a megaphone, bellowed before the mass of students. “If Harvard will not disclose its investments in the occupied territories, in the Israeli military, and in Gaza it does not make sense to repeat the words ‘civil discourse and reasoned interchange.’ It does not make sense to repeat the word ‘veritas!’”
Harvard will be dealing with the fallout of the events of this academic year for the foreseeable future. It is currently being investigated by the US House Committee on Education and the Workforce and is being sued by a Jewish alumni group that accuses it of cheapening the value of a Harvard degree by hesitating to address antisemitism on campus.
According to The Harvard Crimson, lawyers representing the university filed a second motion to dismiss the suit on Monday, arguing that the plaintiffs’ claim lacks legal standing.
“Harvard’s reputation is tanking due to the coddling of antisemitism,” Robert Tolchin, a lawyer for the alumni group told the paper. “Yet Harvard’s response to the lawsuit is pettifoggery over whether Harvard owes any obligation to its graduates to maintain Harvard’s reputation … Harvard’s position is shocking, and every Harvard student and alumnus should be shocked.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
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UK Memorial to Oct. 7 Victims Vandalized Again Amid Surge in Antisemitism
A memorial in Brighton, southeastern England, honoring the victims of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel, has been vandalized. Photo: Screenshot
A Jewish memorial in Brighton, southeastern England, dedicated to the victims of the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has been vandalized once again — one of more than 40 attacks on the site since it was first established.
On Wednesday afternoon, the memorial — which is located in Palmeira Square, in the coastal city of Brighton and Hove — was found badly defaced, with pages displaying victims’ photographs ripped from a folder and strewn across the pavement.
Members of the local Jewish community, who created and maintain the memorial, believe the vandalism occurred in broad daylight between 1 pm and 3.30 pm. They are now urging anyone with information to come forward.
Sussex County Police have confirmed that an investigation into the incident is currently underway.
“They threw the images of murdered children around like they were nothing. Evil unhinged,” Heidi Bachram, one of the volunteers who helps run the memorial, told the Jewish Chronicle. “There have been over 40 attacks on the site including vandalism, theft, and graffiti. The abuse has been relentless.”
“The memorial is not a political place. We simply mourn the murdered. We tell their stories,” Bachram continued. “It’s shocking that grief for innocents is met with such violence. The hate won’t stop us, and every night, a different victim’s story will be told [at the memorial]. We will never let them be forgotten.”
A psychopath has utterly DESTROYED our 7/10 memorial in Brighton AGAIN. Over forty times it has been attacked. The last pro-Pal who did it on camera got away with it, so I’m not surprised. I guess the release of a hostage upset the NASTY bullies. Our dead should not be a target. pic.twitter.com/lg2aNe4H0M
— Heidi Bachram
(@HeidiBachram) May 14, 2025
In less than a day, more than £1,500 has been raised and contributed to the ongoing GoFundMe campaign set up by the local Jewish community to help maintain the site and fund the development of a permanent memorial.
Following the Oct. 7 onslaught, Brighton’s Jewish community has held a daily vigil beside the memorial, honoring one of the approximately 1,200 victims or 251 hostages each evening.
After Sussex Police were called and attendees reconstructed the memorial, the community held Wednesday’s vigil honoring 88-year-old Chana Kritzman, who was critically injured by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 during her evacuation from Kibbutz Be’eri and died two weeks later in hospital.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews, the leading representative body of the UK’s Jewish communities, strongly condemned the latest vandalism, saying they were “appalled and heartbroken” by the incident.
“We stand in solidarity with the Brighton & Hove Jewish community who have been unwavering in their commitment to hold a public service every single day dedicated to a different victim of the massacre,” the group said in a statement.
“We urge the authorities to investigate this incident fully and to bring the perpetrators to justice,” the board continued.
We are appalled and heartbroken by the news that the memorial in Brighton to the victims of the October 7 Hamas attacks has been vandalised. pic.twitter.com/Rgz7kOGfCL
— Board of Deputies of British Jews (@BoardofDeputies) May 16, 2025
The United Kingdom has experienced a surge in antisemitic crimes following the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s attack on Israel, amid the ensuing war in Gaza.
In February, the Community Security Trust (CST), a nonprofit charity that advises Britain’s Jewish community on security matters, released data showing the UK experienced its second worst year for antisemitism in 2024, despite recording an 18 percent drop in antisemitic incidents from the previous year’s all-time high.
According to CST, there have been 3,528 antisemitic incidents reported in 2024, a decrease from the 4,296 incidents recorded in 2023. In previous years, the numbers were significantly lower, with 1,662 incidents in 2022 and 2,261 hate crimes in 2021. These incidents include 201 physical assaults, 157 cases of damage to Jewish property, and 250 direct threats.
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New York City Mayor, Police Commissioner Detail Increased Security Measures for Israel Day Parade
Thousands of participants and spectators gather along Fifth Avenue to express support for Israel during the 59th Annual Israel Day Parade in New York City, on June 2, 2024. Photo: Melissa Bender via Reuters Connect
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch held a briefing on Friday morning to detail their “comprehensive security plan” to ensure the safety of New Yorkers at the Israel Day Parade on Sunday.
The theme of this year’s parade is “Hatikvah,” which means “the hope” and is also the title of Israel’s national anthem. Several former hostages — abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attack in Israel — will march in the parade on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, including Andrey Kozlov, Ilana Gritzewsky, Aviva and Keith Siegel, Eliya Cohen, and Doron Steinbrecher. The hostages are marching to raise awareness for the 58 people still held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The logo of this year’s parade is a multicolored tree that has a yellow ribbon on its trunk, in solidarity with the hostages.
Almost daily, there have been anti-Israel protests in New York City, including on college campuses, and the city is facing an unprecedented uptick in antisemitism, according to the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
“We will not tolerate any attempts to disrupt this event or engage those who come to celebrate,” Trish started the security briefing on Friday morning by saying. She then detailed measures that will be taken by the NYPD at the parade on Sunday, which include requiring spectators to enter the viewing area through designated screening entry points. No backpacks, chairs, large bags, and other items will be allowed.
Tisch added that, while currently the NYPD is not aware of any specific or credible threats related to the parade, nevertheless there will be a “robust and visible police presence” at the event, including uniformed police officers as well as bomb squads and both counterterrorism and surveillance teams. NYPD helicopters and drones will also be in the area and intelligence teams will be moderating social media for potential threats.
“The NYPD will be out there to make sure Sunday is safe, joyful, and everything that it’s meant to be,” Tisch concluded.
“We want to ensure we have a safe acknowledgement of Israel’s Independence Day on Sunday,” Adams added. “We look forward to the flags and beauty of this celebration.”
Adams announced earlier this week the establishment of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, the first office of its kind to open in a major city in the US. The new mayoral office will aim to tackle “all forms of antisemitism.”
“There is no place for antisemitism and hate in the state of New York. Plain and simple,” Adams said at Friday’s security briefing. “Those who spread hate want to divide us, but we must remain united. A hateful few will not dictate how the rest of us live.”
Adams is scheduled to march in the parade on Sunday. New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James are also scheduled to attend. The parade is organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York with support from the UJA-Federation of New York.
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Israel’s Yuval Raphael Advances to Grand Final of 2025 Eurovision Song Contest
Yuval Raphael from Israel with the title “New Day Will Rise” on stage at the second semi-final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest in the Arena St. Jakobshalle. Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa via Reuters Connect
Israel’s Yuval Raphael advanced to the grand final of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest after a stunning performance of her song “New Day Will Rise” in the second semi-finals on Thursday night in Basel, Switzerland.
The 24-year-old, who is a survivor of the Oct. 7, 2023, Nova music festival massacre, performed an emotional ballad in English, French, and Hebrew that was written by singer and songwriter Keren Peles. The results of the semi-finals are based solely on public vote.
Ten acts from the second semi-final advanced to the grand final, including performers from Armenia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Malta. Raphael will compete in Saturday’s grand final against those acts and the qualifiers from Tuesday’s semi-final. They include performers from Albania, Iceland, Estonia, Portugal, Poland, Sweden, Ukraine, Norway, San Marino, and the Netherlands. Also competing in the grand final is the Eurovision “Big Five” — Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Italy – and Switzerland, which was last year’s winner.
Unlike in the semi-finals, the results of the grand final are based on a combination of the televote and the jury vote, in which professional juries from all 37 participating countries vote for their favorites. Last year, a Eurovision jury member from Norway admitted that he refused to give points to Israel’s representative, Eden Golan, because of his personal resentment toward Israel’s military actions in the Gaza war.
There have been a number of public calls, including from national broadcasters and former Eurovision contestants, to have Israel banned from this year’s competition because of the country’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip targeting the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
During a dress rehearsal for the semi-final on Thursday afternoon, audience members booed at Raphael, whistled, and waved oversized Palestinian flags. Under rules of the competition, all flags are allowed but there are limitations on the size. The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, which is organizing this year’s Eurovision events, said in a released statement that the audience members with the oversized flags were escorted out of the St Jakobshalle arena by security personnel.
The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest grand final will take place on Saturday night in Basel’s St Jackobshalle arena. The detailed results of the second semi-final will be revealed after the grand final.
The post Israel’s Yuval Raphael Advances to Grand Final of 2025 Eurovision Song Contest first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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