Jewish students at Northeastern University in Boston encountered an anti-Israel demonstration taking place in their campus center as they tried to enter the building to attend a Shabbat dinner.
The dinner, planned months in advance by the campus’s Chabad, was set to host 85 students Friday on the university’s Curry Student Center’s third floor. On the mezzanine below, dozens of anti-Israel students gathered for an eight-hour-long “sit-in” protest, organized by a group not officially recognized by the university.
Many Jewish students did not know there was an anti-Israel protest, and after being forced to walk through it to get to their Shabbat meal, some entered the room nearly in tears.
Anti-Israel students call to ‘globalize the intifada’ during protest at Northeastern University
“They were just shocked to the level of coming into the room almost crying,” said Northeastern’s Chabad rabbi, Mendy Posner. “We’re inside here doing Shabbos and then downstairs, there’s a sign calling to globalize intifada.”
The protesters hung several banners from railings in the atrium including one calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, one demanding their university to boycott Israel and one calling to “globalize the intifada.”
“We all know what the two intifadas were and what they resulted in,” Posner added. “When you say ‘globalize the intifada’ you mean that it’s not enough that Jews are being killed in Israel, it’s time to take it worldwide.”
The protest was organized by Huskies for Palestine, and its location was announced just days before the Shabbat meal.
“Recognize that an occupied people have a moral and legal right to pursue liberation and resist their oppressors by any means necessary,” the group wrote in an Instagram post announcing the event which included their list of demands.
Huskies for Palestine posted a list of demands for Northeastern University when advertising their anti-Israel protest. (Credit: Instagram)
While students were praying before dinner, their songs were able to overpower the noise of the demonstration below, according to Zach Barrie, a second-year student.
“It was beautiful to see the entire community come together and even though people against us were loud, our singing and happiness drowned them out,” he said. “We will not stop being proud Jews.”
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Tali Peretz, a fifth-year student, said she felt the protest was intentionally targeting Jewish students and their religious practices.
“I was met with hostile students chanting anti-Semitic phrases like ‘from the river to the sea’ and ‘intifada revolution,’’ she said. “As a Jewish, Israeli-American, I felt personally targeted by this disruptive protest.”
“This disruption left me profoundly disappointed in NEU,” said Peretz, who is finishing her last semester. “After years of celebrating Shabbat, I never imagined my last one would leave me with such an unsettling experience.”
In between evening prayers and the Shabbat meal, a few Jewish students displayed an Israeli flag from the third floor and sang Am Yisrael Chai, a song that translates to, “the people of Israel live.”
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Mark Antar who brought the flag and runs NEU’s pro-Israel student group, Huskies for Israel said many Jewish students believe the protesters chanted louder as they passed by the group to get to the Chabad event.
Anti-Israel students protested inside Northeastern University’s student center on Friday night. They hung a banned calling to “globalize the intifada.” (Courtesy)
“The protesters were loud and relentless, violating university policies by illegally hanging posters and causing many noise disturbances over the 8 hours they gathered,” he said. “Northeastern must do a better job at enforcing their own rules.”
Northeastern University did not respond to a request for comment.
Overall on campus, Posner said since October 7, Jewish students have been more engaged and active in the community than ever.
“From a Jewish student perspective everyone was sort of mobilized,” he said. “There’s a large group of Jewish students who are very passionate about standing up for Jews and standing up for Israel and they’ve been pushing out events.”
According to Posner, so many Jewish students are discovering their Jewish community because they feel unsafe on campus and around many of the people they ordinarily interacted with before October 7.
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“I think like most Jews right now, Jewish students feel a lack of security and safety and are in a lot of pain,” he said. “They don’t feel safe on campus so they are spending a lot of time at Chabad.”
Posner said he has heard several stories from students about actively dealing with anti-Semitism on campus.
“Some of these students are living with roommates who are anti-Israel and argue with them,” he said. “So they go to sleep at night knowing that your roommate wouldn’t have blinked if they would’ve been in Israel and died during one of the Hamas attacks.”