28-05-2025
Letter: There's no need for debate about antisemitic protests
'Definition debate' (Reading Eagle, May 15) in essence disputed accusations of antisemitism in the anti-Israel protests at American universities. Among the chants at those protests is the phrase 'globalize the intifada.' This is commonly heard at these events (which are not quite as peaceful as the article portrayed), and last week we saw what 'globalize the intifada' really means when a man calling out 'free Palestine' shot and killed two Israeli embassy workers in cold blood. One of them was a 25-year-old Jewish American citizen.
The article implied that the protests are peaceful. At Columbia University and UCLA (among many other schools), Jewish students were harassed and prevented from accessing parts of the campus. In many cases the protests and encampments were in violation of campus rules. Buildings were illegally occupied. Calling these protests peaceful reminds me of the reporting on 'mostly peaceful protests' in 2020 with burning buildings in the background.
I don't believe most of the protesters are Jew haters, but many of the organizers most definitely are. Organizations such as CU Apartheid Divest at Columbia and Students for Justice in Palestine nationwide promote Hamas talking points, and many protesters wear Hamas symbols.
I found the article to be profoundly disingenuous.
Philip Pomerantz
Wyomissing
