We the undersigned want to express our unwavering support of all members of the Vassar community who speak up against the violence occurring in Palestine/Israel.
Our scholarly and pedagogical practices are guided by a commitment to challenge the intertwined systems of patriarchy, racism and colonialism (of which antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian sentiment are a part). This commitment informs our condemnation of the recent and ongoing violence, which includes a long history of land appropriation, occupation, displacement, apartheid and blockade.
The killing of civilians, the siege of Gaza, the deprivation of electricity, food and water, the multiple attacks on ambulances and health care facilities, and the forced displacement of about 1.4 million people within Gaza are all violations of international law recognized as such by the United Nations, Amnesty International and Oxfam International. From Oct. 7 until now, as we write, 1,400 Israelis have been killed in the Hamas attacks and more than 5,791* Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the UNRWA. Furthermore, there have been increasing arrests and killings in the West Bank. In light of this, we call for an immediate ceasefire and an end to U.S. support for the war in Gaza: The ongoing killings are only planting the seeds for more violence.
As reported by Al Jazeera, Israel’s Defense Minister has characterized the people of Gaza as “human animals,” and its Minister of Energy and Infrastructure has said on X that “they will not receive a drop of water or a single battery until they leave the world.” This dehumanizing and exterminatory rhetoric is being openly supported, and often celebrated, by the U.S. government, and much of the media in this country. This support includes routine conflations between criticism of Israel’s actions and antisemitism, which cannot but hurt all involved.
As scholars and educators, we vehemently oppose any efforts to censure critical discussions of the current war—no matter how difficult these conversations may be. Joining our colleagues at Birzeit University, we too call upon our academic communities to “fulfill their intellectual and academic duty of seeking truth, maintaining a critical distance from state-sponsored propaganda, and to hold the perpetrators of genocide and those complicit with them accountable.”
*Between the time of writing and publication, the death toll has risen to over 8,000.
All members of the Vassar community are invited to sign or view an updated list of signatures here.
Joshua Schreier, Professor of History and Jewish Studies
Michael Reyes Salas, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies
Eva Woods Peiró, Professor of Hispanic Studies
Hiram Perez, Associate Professor of English
Sam Okoth Opondo, Associate Professor of Political Science and Africana Studies
Diane Harriford, Professor of Sociology
Joseph Nevins, Professor of Geography
Giovanna Borradori, Professor of Philosophy and Media Studies
Maria Hantzopoulos, Professor of Education
Claire Sagan, Assistant Professor of Political Science
Ismail Rashid, Professor of History
Kirsten Wesselhoeft, Assistant Professor of Religion
Erin McCloskey, Professor of Education
Taneisha Means, Assistant Professor of Political Science
Katherine Hite, Professor of Political Science
Catherine Tan, Assistant Professor of Sociology
John Andrews, Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology, AMST, MEDS, WFQS
David Tavárez, Professor of Anthropology
Candice Lowe Swift, Associate Professor of Anthropology
Connie Ndonye, SILP Language Tutor
Jasmine Syedullah, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies
Mita Choudhury, Professor of History
Vinay Swamy, Professor of French and Francophone Studies
Allison Puglisi, Assistant Professor of History
Paulina Bren, Adjunct Professor of Multidisciplinary Studies
Marcela Romero, Visiting Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies and LALS
Tim Koechlin, Director of International Studies
Gabrielle Cody, Professor of Drama, Emerita
John Elrick, Visiting Assistant Professor of Geography
China Sajadian, Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Tom Ellman, Associate Professor of Computer Science
Candy Martinez, Assistant Professor of Latin American and Latinx Studies
Shona Tucker, Mary Riepma Ross Chair in Drama
Ed Buie II, Assistant Professor of Astrophysics
Deon Knights, Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences and Environmental Studies
Payton Small, Assistant Professor of Psychological Science
Amy Chin, Assistant Professor of American Studies and Asian Studies
Kimberly Williams Brown, Assistant Professor of Education
Pinar Batur, Professor of Sociology
Daniel Mendiola, Assistant Professor of History
Emily Antenucci, Visiting Assistant Professor of Italian
Curtis Dozier, Assistant Professor of Greek and Roman Studies
Kate Susman, Professor of Biology
Gordon Hall, Assistant Professor of Art
Peipei Qiu, Professor of Chinese and Japanese
Kirsten Menking, Professor of Earth Science
Molly Nesbit, Professor of Art
Peter Gil-Sheridan, Assistant Professor of Drama
Tracy O’Neill, Assistant Professor of English
Ryan Chapman, Adjunct Instructor of English
Sole Anatrone, Assistant Professor of Italian Studies
What do these professors have to say about the statement by Hamas official spokesman Gazi Hamad in video widely distributed online?
“We must teach Israel a lesson,” he says, “and we will do this again and again. The Al Aqsa Flood”—the name Hamas gave its Oct. 7 operation to slaughter defenseless Israelis—“is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth,”
So the official policy of Hamas is to repeat their rape, murder, torture and kidnapping of civilians over and over again.
But Vassar faculty call for a ceasefire. Without any reference to freeing the babies and toddlers being held by Hamas or bringing accountability to the perpetrators.
Perhaps a paper written by the Sociology Department can provide a solution?
There is truly no shame.
As a Veteran, a Vassar graduate, and a person of Jewish faith, I find this letter not merely offensive, but also extremely biased in its selection of sources and conclusions.
First, thank you for your service to our nation. Second, thank you for speaking out as a Jewish person. I am not Jewish; I am Roman Catholic. I admire and respect your faith and your courage. Third, I agree with every word that you wrote. With the deepest respect, Robert Renaud, Vassar ’76.
As a Veteran, a Vassar graduate, and a person of Jewish faith, I find this letter by Vassar faculty to be timely and helpful.
The Faculty have clearly challenged the intertwined systems of patriarchy, racism and colonialism (of which antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian sentiment are a part).
Noah Gilad
Israel’s defense minister said that the terrorists were “human animals.” The terrorists. Not ordinary Gazan civilians. After what happened on October 7, comparing Hamas terrorists to animals was relatively kind, although perhaps insulting to actual animals.
Feckless, with deeply flawed facts.
Thank you to the faculty willing to step up to shed light on the horrible conditions and the lack of acknowledgement from administration.
Based on this letter, it seems that challenging “the intertwined systems of patriarchy, racism and colonialism” requires ignoring those facts that don’t fit one’s narrative. There is a passing reference to 1400 Israelis killed, to be compared of course to the number of Palestinians killed — but no acknowledgement whatsoever of the vile and barbaric acts of Hamas terrorism that ignited this war, which included rape, torture, beheadings, parading of bodies and murder of entire families cowering defenselessly in their homes. (Because why give the quoted remarks of Israel’s defense minister any context?) There is no mention, much less condemnation, of the taking of more than 200 hostages, most of whom are still being held. (Much better to fling accusations of “apartheid”, “appropriation”, etc. and condemn that) And of course, no acknowledgement of the complex history of the region, the Jewish people’s historical connection to the land, Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, and its repeated efforts to make a lasting peace through land concessions. (Because, as this narrative implies, Jews as compared to Arabs or any other people don’t deserve a nation-state).
Like those on the streets who are ripping down posters of those hostages, these faculty would like to erase history – even as it unfolds before our eyes. Shame on them.
The faculty letter claims that according to Al Jazeera “Israel’s Defense Minister has characterized the people of Gaza as ‘human animals'”. In fact, the link does not show Al Jazeera reporting that. It shows a video where the defense minister says they “are fighting human animals” – referring to Hamas, not the people of Gaza. If there is any doubt about who he is referring to, see the longer clip linked below where he says
“You saw what we are fighting against.
We are fighting against human animals.
This is the ISIS of Gaza.
This is what we are fighting against.”
The “ISIS of Gaza” is what he says they are fighting against, and that is what he refers to as human animals. This only makes sense as a reference to Hamas and not the people of Gaza in general.
See the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3x02rCeusCI
I assume this was an honest mistake on the part of the faculty and respectfully request a correction.
Since when do professors spout their personal opinions publicly, particularly regarding such sensitive, controversial and provocative issues? Their job is to encourage students to think critically and draw their own conclusions. Furthermore what Freshman ( or perhaps any other Students) would stand up to a powerful Professor with whom they morally/ethically/ or personally disagree? And, unless the Professors are all scholars of the middle east and the history of the Israeli/Arab conflict, why do we want to hear what they think in the first place? They should be encouraging their students to read, listen, ask good questions, think and discuss. Put differently, personal and thus potentially explosive topics requires restraint on the part of the professor/facilitator, unless he or she is self involved, impulse ridden, and/or deliberately attempting to influence the opinions of young minds. This is not my Vassar.
As a Vassar alumnus, I am embarrassed by this faculty letter. Preliminarily, it is worth noting that following the Hamas massacre involving the intentional rape, beheading, and murder of women and children, this group of “scholars” said nothing. Disturbingly, the letter barely mentions Hamas, let alone condemns it! It makes no difference to them that Israel is a thriving democracy, with a substantial Arab population that is also part of the elected government, and that women and LGBT persons participate openly and freely in the society.
The faculty-signatories purport to be guided by their “scholarly practices.” Yet, their source material is Al Jazeera, UNWRA, and Amnesty International, longtime purveyors of antisemitism. Nowhere is there any historical discussion of how we actually got here, whether going back 3,000 years or just to 1948 and 1967.
Tellingly, these faculty have not spoken out against the oppression that routinely occurs in places, such as China, Iran, the Arab world, generally, or Africa because, they fear, that might be construed as anti-Asian, Islamophobic, or racist. Their ire is focused only on Israel. That is antisemitism, plain and simple.
All Vassar alumni should be outraged by this letter, cease any financial support for Vassar, and send their children elsewhere.
I am a member of the Class of 1969, and I believe the letter is simply a reminder of what higher education
should be: to nurture amongst students the capacity of independent thinking and freedom of discussion about all human affairs. They condemn all the violence that has ocurred and is occuring in Palestine/Israel, demand that criticism of Israel not be mistaken for antisemitism, and demand accountability for the crimes against humanity that are taking place.
I believe they have fulfilled their moral obligation of speaking up.