US Universities Urged to Protect Oct. 7 Remembrance Events

Ahead of the third anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attacks, the Israeli American Council (IAC) has sent letters to over 100 US university presidents. The organization is demanding assurances for student safety during upcoming remembrance ceremonies, which begin tomorrow, due to planned protest rallies. The IAC's SHIELD center distributed the appeals to Ivy League universities and other major academic institutions.

The letters urge campus administrations to prepare in advance, enforce policies against harassment and disruption, and ensure that memorial events can proceed safely. The IAC stated the initiative is not political but aims to protect students' rights and allow them to honor the day with dignity. This action follows reports that anti-Israel groups intend to hold provocative protests on October 7th, sometimes near planned commemoration sites.

Shagit Sade Attia, the IAC's Director of Academic Initiatives, explained that in the past two years, such protests have sometimes become threatening and harassing towards Jewish and Israeli students, including messages that have incited violence. The demand is supported by a recent report from the US Commission on Civil Rights, which unanimously concluded that campus antisemitism severely infringes on civil rights, documenting harassment, threats, and exclusion impacting Jewish students' educational experiences.

Consequently, the letters call for direct dialogue with students and for academic programs discussing the war to present diverse perspectives. In parallel with the demands to administrations, the IAC has released a special guide encouraging students to organize their own remembrance events. The organization, representing over 150,000 Israeli-Americans, is leading commemoration gatherings this week across communities, featuring ceremonies, joint singing, testimonies, and film screenings.