‘I’ve given up’: Jewish students want more from Pitt chancellor

Jewish students at the University of Pittsburgh are calling on the administration to take a stand in support of Israel, as protests continue on and near campus.

Pitt’s main campus has been a regular source of protests since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 of last year. At one point, pro-Palestinian students had organized five protests in less than a month, as previously reported by The College Fix.

On Monday, some students joined up with the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s Pittsburgh branch to protest attacks on the Houthis in Yemen by the U.S. and Britain.

Joshua Minsky, a Jewish student and College Republican leader at Pitt, called on Chancellor Joan Gabel to condemn the protests that have been taking place on campus.

Minsky told The Fix via social media messaging that Chancellor Gabel must stop “trying to play both sides when it comes to this issue,” but instead condemn the protests that “openly support terrorist groups which advocate for the genocide of Jews.”

“I think that by not condemning protests which support terrorist groups which call for the death of all Jews, the aim of neutrality which the university is trying to take is actually them just allowing antisemitism,” Minsky said recently.

Chancellor Gabel once released a statement condemning Hamas’ invasion of Israel back in October of 2023. However, no statement regarding the multiple pro-Palestinian gatherings on campus has been released.

Pitt and Chancellor Gabel did not respond to two requests for comment sent in the past week via email that asked for comment on university plans to support Jewish students.

Minsky also spoke out against the Monday “Hands Off Yemen” rally and the antisemitism that he said came along with it.

“To say that America should not attack Houthi rebels is to embrace antisemitism and anti-western ideals,” he said. “The mission statement, as defined on official Houthi documents, of this terrorist group is to kill all Jews, destroy Israel, and destroy the United States.”

Reuters referred to the attacks, meant to retaliate against the Yemen group for attacking ships in the Red Sea, as “a dramatic regional widening of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.”

At the protest, students convened with signs opposing Israel and calling to “FREE PALESTINE.”

“STOP the genocide; END the occupation; FREE PALESTINE,” one sign read.

Another sign linked “White Supremacy” to Israel, reading “Death to White Supremacy; Capitalism = Extinction.”

https://www.thecollegefix.com/ive-given-up-jewish-students-want-more-from-pitt-chancellor/