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Should Jewish Students Stop Attending Sarah Lawrence College?

The Sarah Lawrence campus. Photo: Wiki Commons.

The Sarah Lawrence campus. Photo: Wiki Commons.

Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) — my alma mater — has an antisemitism problem that is driving Jewish students from campus and persuading others from attending.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists invaded southern Israel and perpetrated the biggest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

On Oct. 9, 2023, the SLC campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) celebrated the rapes, massacre, and hostage-taking of Israelis when it announced an “Hour of Solidarity with Palestine” event. The event flyer featured a Hamas bulldozer breaking into Israel through the security barrier.

As The Algemeiner reported, “Briana Martin — SLC director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) — called on students to ignore Jewish suffering by attending” the event. According to the report, Martin was SJP’s advisor and “club’s advocate and liaison.”

I am a member of an independent Sarah Lawrence alumni social media group that has almost 3,500 members. When the topic of Israel is raised, graduates frequently engage in hateful, antisemitic, and intolerant commentary — which partially explains the college’s tolerance and even encouragement of antisemitism on its campus.

Let’s take a look at what graduates of the college are saying.

In late 2024, a Sarah Lawrence graduate posted concerns about what she called a “despicable” banner hung at Sarah Lawrence which read, “ZIONISM WILL FALL. REVOLUTION UNTIL VICTORY. FREE PALESTINE.”

Many Sarah Lawrence graduates chimed in to support the hateful banner with comments such as “Get over yourself” and “This is EXACTLY the Sarah Lawrence I went to.” One graduate explained, “I learned about the foundation of zionism as a colonial ideology At slc! [sic].”

Some graduates joined the conversation to agree that antisemitism is currently a huge issue at the college. One responded, “The SLC I knew did not make other students feel unsafe … The SLC administration continues to be asleep at the wheel with both blindfolds and earplugs.”

Another graduate wrote, “Many Jewish students do not feel safe to be known or visible as Jewish on the campus.” This graduate explained she has a child attending Sarah Lawrence and also communicates with other parents of SLC students.

Another graduate added, “I know of many Jewish parents who have now crossed Sarah Lawrence off of their schools to visit list.”

In another thread on this alumni group, a graduate shared, “A Jewish senior [in high school] I know was accepted to SLC. But he has chosen to attend elsewhere because they heard from other Jewish students at SLC that they don’t feel safe and they don’t feel the admin[istration] takes their concerns seriously.”

As I recently reported, at the anti-Israel encampment on its campus last year, Sarah Lawrence students planted a large banner promoting Samidoun, which was designated by the US government under President Biden as a “sham charity that serves as an international fundraiser for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization.”

In a 2024 zine written by “Anonymous Sarah Lawrence Students,” the authors state that they answered Hamas’ call for “escalation” by occupying a building on campus.

Sarah Lawrence students have masked up to conceal their identities and dressed up like Hamas — the very terrorists dedicated to killing Jews across the globe — to occupy the main administration building on campus in a failed attempt to have the college divest from Israel.

Ask yourself, would Sarah Lawrence or any college or university allow students to dress up like the Ku Klux Klan and conceal their identities while they occupy buildings, disrupt campus life, and terrorize the community? I surely doubt it.

In a column published this month, Sarah Lawrence professor Samuel J. Abrams discussed a student who is Jewish and a Zionist and afraid to return to campus. I shared Abrams’ column with the social media alumni group. A graduate responded, “imagine the kind of coward you’d have to be to be afraid to go to school.”

Such a total lack of empathy from a fellow Sarah Lawrence graduate helps explain why Jewish students don’t want to attend SLC, and why Jewish parents are looking elsewhere.

In the same thread, another graduate of the college responded: “i’m not a zionist but nevertheless … when i was at SLC someone graffitied a swastika onto my dorm and i had fake eviction notices slipped under my door, just because i celebrated jewish holidays. people threatened me because i went to hillel. it’s tough out there even for jews who 1000% support Palestine [sic].”

Recently, students at SLC have encouraged fellow students to boycott Abrams’ classes. Abrams explained that the boycott is because he supports “Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself” and because he is a “Zionist Jew.” Just last week, Abrams published a column detailing how the social media alumni group has allowed antisemitism directed at him.

In August, a graduate posted to the alumni group, “I asked the current Dean of Students what SLC was doing to make Jewish students feel safe. The answer was ‘nothing.’”

I emailed Dave Stanfield, the Dean of Students, about this. He responded:

While I do not comment on private conversations with students or on social media posts, I can say that the College remains committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all students, including our Jewish community. In my role, I regularly engage with students to understand their concerns and ensure their voices are reflected in our policies and programs.

This month, I reported in The Algemeiner that a graduate of Sarah Lawrence recently commented in the alumni group, “May no Zionist, be they Christian, Jewish, or atheist (because all of these exist) be safe from harassment just as white men who espouse white supremacy should not be safe from harassment either.”

Not a single graduate among the almost 3,500 who belong to this alumni group spoke up against this hateful, antisemitic comment.

This month, I also posted my first column detailing antisemitism at Sarah Lawrence on the alumni social media group. My fellow graduates regularly post our work and interests in the group, which is one of the reasons the alumni group exists. My post was initially published and then it was declined or removed. Apparently, Sarah Lawrence graduates do not like reading about their own intolerance and antisemitism.

Before my post was declined, a fellow graduate responded, “Peter Reitzes thank you for this brave post. It echoes my impression exactly and I will add that although I have given to SLC’s annual fund every year since 1983 I will no longer provide financial support to the college.”

Another graduate responded, “I wouldn’t send my dog there.”

Recently, several Sarah Lawrence graduates have denigrated the politically progressive Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in the alumni group by calling it a terrorist organization. The ADL is one of the leading organizations in the world fighting hatred and antisemitism.

Emmaia Gelman — Sarah Lawrence professor and Director of the Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism — has as her current Instagram profile picture a photo that reads “GO TO HELL ADL.” In 2024, Gelman shared a photo on Instagram that included the messages “NO ADL” and “SHAME ON GLAAD.” GLAAD is the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

In August, Sarah Lawrence professor Suzanne Gardinier posted on X, “That sick uniformed glee in civilian suffering I used to call Nazi—watching a whole generation learn to call it Israeli.” According to the US Department of State, one example of antisemitism is “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”

It may come as a huge shock to parents spending more than $66,000 a year in tuition to send their children to Sarah Lawrence that professors would espouse such views.

Some of my fellow graduates even rely upon gaslighting or trolling arguments in attempts to deny or diminish antisemitism. In one such absurd exchange, a graduate actually stated that it is a “weak argument” for Zionists to complain of antisemitism because Palestinians are Semites too.

In another such exchange, a graduate put forth the view that it is antisemitic if you do not ask if Sarah Lawrence has “any investments in Israel that we need to divest from?” To make such a noxious view even worse, it was made by a graduate who identified herself as an instructor or professor at a nearby university.

In his most recent column, published last week, Abrams concludes: “Those numerous alumni who have engaged in anti-Semitic behavior serve as a stark reminder that SLC has not instilled the critical thinking skills necessary to foster a truly open and tolerant society.”

In early 2025, the US Department of Education opened a Title VI antisemitism investigation in response to a complaint filed by Hillel accusing the college of fostering a hostile environment towards Jewish students.

Jewish families and our allies need to stop sending our children to Sarah Lawrence. The college has chosen its side. Now it is time for Jewish families to move on from Sarah Lawrence.

Peter Reitzes writes about issues related to antisemitism and Israel.

The post Should Jewish Students Stop Attending Sarah Lawrence College? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Hamas Says No Interim Hostage Deal Possible Without Work Toward Permanent Ceasefire

Explosions send smoke into the air in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, July 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen

The spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing said on Friday that while the Palestinian terrorist group favors reaching an interim truce in the Gaza war, if such an agreement is not reached in current negotiations it could revert to insisting on a full package deal to end the conflict.

Hamas has previously offered to release all the hostages held in Gaza and conclude a permanent ceasefire agreement, and Israel has refused, Abu Ubaida added in a televised speech.

Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have hosted more than 10 days of talks on a US-backed proposal for a 60-day truce in the war.

Israeli officials were not immediately available for comment on the eve of the Jewish Sabbath.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on a call he had with Pope Leo on Friday that Israel‘s efforts to secure a hostage release deal and 60-day ceasefire “have so far not been reciprocated by Hamas.”

As part of the potential deal, 10 hostages held in Gaza would be returned along with the bodies of 18 others, spread out over 60 days. In exchange, Israel would release a number of detained Palestinians.

“If the enemy remains obstinate and evades this round as it has done every time before, we cannot guarantee a return to partial deals or the proposal of the 10 captives,” said Abu Ubaida.

Disputes remain over maps of Israeli army withdrawals, aid delivery mechanisms into Gaza, and guarantees that any eventual truce would lead to ending the war, said two Hamas officials who spoke to Reuters on Friday.

The officials said the talks have not reached a breakthrough on the issues under discussion.

Hamas says any agreement must lead to ending the war, while Netanyahu says the war will only end once Hamas is disarmed and its leaders expelled from Gaza.

Almost 1,650 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed as a result of the conflict, including 1,200 killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel, according to Israeli tallies. Over 250 hostages were kidnapped during Hamas’s Oct. 7 onslaught.

Israel responded with an ongoing military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in neighboring Gaza.

The post Hamas Says No Interim Hostage Deal Possible Without Work Toward Permanent Ceasefire first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Iran Marks 31st Anniversary of AMIA Bombing by Slamming Argentina’s ‘Baseless’ Accusations, Blaming Israel

People hold images of the victims of the 1994 bombing attack on the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) community center, marking the 30th anniversary of the attack, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 18, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Irina Dambrauskas

Iran on Friday marked the 31st anniversary of the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) Jewish community center in Buenos Aires by slamming Argentina for what it called “baseless” accusations over Tehran’s alleged role in the terrorist attack and accusing Israel of politicizing the atrocity to influence the investigation and judicial process.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the anniversary of Argentina’s deadliest terrorist attack, which killed 85 people and wounded more than 300.

“While completely rejecting the accusations against Iranian citizens, the Islamic Republic of Iran condemns attempts by certain Argentine factions to pressure the judiciary into issuing baseless charges and politically motivated rulings,” the statement read.

“Reaffirming that the charges against its citizens are unfounded, the Islamic Republic of Iran insists on restoring their reputation and calls for an end to this staged legal proceeding,” it continued.

Last month, a federal judge in Argentina ordered the trial in absentia of 10 Iranian and Lebanese nationals suspected of orchestrating the attack in Buenos Aires.

The ten suspects set to stand trial include former Iranian and Lebanese ministers and diplomats, all of whom are subject to international arrest warrants issued by Argentina for their alleged roles in the terrorist attack.

In its statement on Friday, Iran also accused Israel of influencing the investigation to advance a political campaign against the Islamist regime in Tehran, claiming the case has been used to serve Israeli interests and hinder efforts to uncover the truth.

“From the outset, elements and entities linked to the Zionist regime [Israel] exploited this suspicious explosion, pushing the investigation down a false and misleading path, among whose consequences was to disrupt the long‑standing relations between the people of Iran and Argentina,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.

“Clear, undeniable evidence now shows the Zionist regime and its affiliates exerting influence on the Argentine judiciary to frame Iranian nationals,” the statement continued.

In April, lead prosecutor Sebastián Basso — who took over the case after the 2015 murder of his predecessor, Alberto Nisman — requested that federal Judge Daniel Rafecas issue national and international arrest warrants for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over his alleged involvement in the attack.

Since 2006, Argentine authorities have sought the arrest of eight Iranians — including former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who died in 2017 — yet more than three decades after the deadly bombing, all suspects remain still at large.

In a post on X, the Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations (DAIA), the country’s Jewish umbrella organization, released a statement commemorating the 31st anniversary of the bombing.

“It was a brutal attack on Argentina, its democracy, and its rule of law,” the group said. “At DAIA, we continue to demand truth and justice — because impunity is painful, and memory is a commitment to both the present and the future.”

Despite Argentina’s longstanding belief that Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah terrorist group carried out the devastating attack at Iran’s request, the 1994 bombing has never been claimed or officially solved.

Meanwhile, Tehran has consistently denied any involvement and refused to arrest or extradite any suspects.

To this day, the decades-long investigation into the terrorist attack has been plagued by allegations of witness tampering, evidence manipulation, cover-ups, and annulled trials.

In 2006, former prosecutor Nisman formally charged Iran for orchestrating the attack and Hezbollah for carrying it out.

Nine years later, he accused former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner — currently under house arrest on corruption charges — of attempting to cover up the crime and block efforts to extradite the suspects behind the AMIA atrocity in return for Iranian oil.

Nisman was killed later that year, and to this day, both his case and murder remain unresolved and under ongoing investigation.

The alleged cover-up was reportedly formalized through the memorandum of understanding signed in 2013 between Kirchner’s government and Iranian authorities, with the stated goal of cooperating to investigate the AMIA bombing.

The post Iran Marks 31st Anniversary of AMIA Bombing by Slamming Argentina’s ‘Baseless’ Accusations, Blaming Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Jordan Reveals Muslim Brotherhood Operating Vast Illegal Funding Network Tied to Gaza Donations, Political Campaigns

Murad Adailah, the head of Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood, attends an interview with Reuters in Amman, Jordan, Sept. 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak

The Muslim Brotherhood, one of the Arab world’s oldest and most influential Islamist movements, has been implicated in a wide-ranging network of illegal financial activities in Jordan and abroad, according to a new investigative report.

Investigations conducted by Jordanian authorities — along with evidence gathered from seized materials — revealed that the Muslim Brotherhood raised tens of millions of Jordanian dinars through various illegal activities, the Jordan news agency (Petra) reported this week.

With operations intensifying over the past eight years, the report showed that the group’s complex financial network was funded through various sources, including illegal donations, profits from investments in Jordan and abroad, and monthly fees paid by members inside and outside the country.

The report also indicated that the Muslim Brotherhood has taken advantage of the war in Gaza to raise donations illegally.

Out of all donations meant for Gaza, the group provided no information on where the funds came from, how much was collected, or how they were distributed, and failed to work with any international or relief organizations to manage the transfers properly.

Rather, the investigations revealed that the Islamist network used illicit financial mechanisms to transfer funds abroad.

According to Jordanian authorities, the group gathered more than JD 30 million (around $42 million) over recent years.

With funds transferred to several Arab, regional, and foreign countries, part of the money was allegedly used to finance domestic political campaigns in 2024, as well as illegal activities and cells.

In April, Jordan outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s most vocal opposition group, and confiscated its assets after members of the Islamist movement were found to be linked to a sabotage plot.

The movement’s political arm in Jordan, the Islamic Action Front, became the largest political grouping in parliament after elections last September, although most seats are still held by supporters of the government.

Opponents of the group, which is banned in most Arab countries, label it a terrorist organization. However, the movement claims it renounced violence decades ago and now promotes its Islamist agenda through peaceful means.

The post Jordan Reveals Muslim Brotherhood Operating Vast Illegal Funding Network Tied to Gaza Donations, Political Campaigns first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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