On Oct. 7, Hamas — an Islamic, Palestinian nationalist militant group — carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel, reportedly killing over 1,200 people and taking 230 hostages.
Since the attacks, Israel has declared war on Hamas, reportedly blocking supply lines and communications and killing over 11,000 people in Gaza as of Nov. 10. The death count has not been officially updated since Nov. 10, as Ministry of Health officials say they have lost the ability to count casualties due to a “breakdown in communication between hospitals and disruption to the internet.”
Israel and Hamas reached a tentative deal Nov. 21 to release 50 women and children hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a four-day pause in fighting and the release of 150 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. As of Dec. 3, Hamas has freed 110 hostages and an estimated 130 hostages remain in Gaza, according to the Washington Post.
The News will continue to provide updates on the Northeastern community’s response to the Israel-Hamas war. This feed, alongside our in-depth coverage, will be continuously updated as the Northeastern community continues to respond to the events in the region.
Students stage eight-hour sit-in expressing solidarity with Palestinians, admonish university’s ‘complicity’ in Israel-Hamas war
Emily Spatz, deputy campus editor
12 p.m. – 8 p.m. Dec. 1
Dozens of students, chants, posters and black-and-white keffiyehs filled the Curry Student Center Dec. 1 as part of an eight-hour sit-in organized by Huskies for a Free Palestine, or HFP.
Students at the sit-in, which ran from noon to 8 p.m., expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people and called on Northeastern to publicly demand an immediate ceasefire and divest from companies that produce weapons being sent to Israel.
“We are here today for a sit-in to honor and to sit in solidarity with Palestinian people who are experiencing genocide in Gaza,” a speaker, who requested to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, said at the sit-in. “We want to sit collectively as a community at Northeastern and hold space, to say that we care and to say that we will not be silenced by the administration or opposition.”
Students affiliated with HFP, an unregistered campus group, have said they’ve felt a lack of support for Palestinian, Muslim and Arab students on campus since the war’s outbreak. A main source of dissatisfaction among HFP supporters is university leaders’ Oct. 10 statement regarding the war, which many students say failed to adequately address the role Israel has played in the oppression of Palestinians.
“I am frustrated, disappointed and appalled that our university did not offer more support for Palestinian, Arab and Muslim students, especially at times when Islamophobia is at its highest,” said one of the speakers at the rally, who asked to remain anonymous due to safety concerns.
Throughout the sit-in, tour groups and families visiting the school viewed the scene as participants chanted “Aoun, it’s time to take a stand, Gaza’s blood is on your hands” and “No more missiles, no more bombs, NEU whose side are you on?”
Some participants joined after seeing and hearing the commotion.
“Me and my friends didn’t know there was a protest going on, but we walked by and saw it and thought we’d come support,” said a student who asked to remain anonymous due to safety concerns. “I hope people see this giant list of names and it makes them really guilty and they want to try to do something about it.”
More than 120 faculty and staff members sign open letter condemning antisemitism, pro-Palestinian student protests
8:17 p.m. Nov. 30
One hundred and thirty faculty and staff, as well as hundreds of students, have signed an open letter to the Northeastern community condemning antisemitism and criticizing those who have participated in on-campus pro-Palestinian protests for allegedly promoting violence and siding with terrorists.
The letter, which was also signed by 111 students and 52 alumni as of Dec. 3, applauded university leaders’ statement released in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and prompted a declaration of war. Signatories include professors and students in every university college, and the letter was written by Konstantin Khrapko, Slava Epsteina and Kim Lewis, professors of biology in the College of Science, as well as Vladimir Torchilin, a distinguished professor in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences, according to Khrapko.
“We take pride in Northeastern University’s prompt and unequivocal stance against Hamas terrorists in the days following the attacks, as well as their more recent statements opposing any form of intolerant speech aimed at harming individuals or groups,” the letter read.
Signatories also said a student march in solidarity with Palestinians which took place Oct. 20 was one among several nationwide demonstrations that “incit[ed] violence and call[ed] for the eradication of the state of Israel.”
“These are not calls for peace, for a ceasefire, or a two-state solution,” the letter said of the protests. “There should be no place for antisemitism and support of violence on our campus. We condemn those who take the side of terrorists in this dark hour for the people of Israel.”
The open letter, which was shared with The News Nov. 30, is the first large-scale expression among faculty and staff regarding the university community’s response to the Israel-Hamas war. Faculty at other universities, including Harvard and Columbia, have signed similar letters calling out pro-Palestinian groups.
The statement pointed to two chants students used at the protest — “There is only one solution: Intifada, revolution” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” — as examples of antisemitic expressions which are supportive of violence.
“We believe … that many of the demonstrators may not have realized the violent and hateful meaning of the slogans that were chanted,” the statement read. “We hope that they will re-align their statements with their true values.”
Graduate worker union organizing committee releases solidarity statement, criticizes university’s ‘oppressive actions’
1:09 p.m. Nov. 21
The organizing committee of the Graduate Employees of Northeastern University, the recently-certified union representing Northeastern graduate student workers, released a statement Nov. 21 in solidarity with international groups facing human rights violations and calling on the university to “protect its community members’ rights to freedom of expression.”
The statement, which was sent out to members of the Graduate Employees of Northeastern University, or GENU-UAW, and posted on the union’s website, calls attention to several victims of human rights crises, including: Israeli civilians murdered by Hamas; Palestinians subject to a “campaign of genocide” by the Israeli government; Afghani refugees facing forced expulsion in Pakistan and Armenian victims of genocide by the Azerbaijani government.
“These crises of human rights call for solidarity from workers everywhere,” the statement read. “We join a growing number of international and local unions in collectively standing in solidarity with workers and with all people around the world in condemning the forced displacement of and violence against civilians, and all other crimes predicated on hate and a disregard for the sanctity of human life.”
The organizing committee also called upon Northeastern to protect community members’ freedom of expression and pointed to three examples of alleged “oppressive actions” carried out by Northeastern employees and police:
- On October 20th, law school administrators launched an investigation of the Student Bar Association merely for sending an e-mail on behalf of student groups to the broader community advocating for peace. Northeastern administrators have also threatened to open disciplinary proceedings against other students if they organized protests for peace.
- On October 23rd, NUPD officers Doug Comman (badge #30) and Mark Washington (badge #76) assaulted an NUSL student during a peaceful delivery of a letter to the Law School dean.
- On November 9th, a Muslim student reported being profiled by NUPD Officer Doug Comman (Badge Number 30). Officer Comman asked the student, who was wearing a Palestinian kuffiyah during this incident, to show their ID in order to enter the EXP building, where the student’s research lab is located. The EXP building is explicitly stated to be a collaborative building serving hundreds of students daily and ID scanning is not required to enter the main entrance. This incidence of profiling by an NUPD officer with a history of violence contributes to an unsafe environment on campus for students expressing their rights to free speech.
The News previously reported on the Oct. 20 email and a video of the Oct. 23 incident was widely shared on social media. The News could not verify the third allegation.
The statement described Northeastern’s initial response to the conflict as one-sided and stated the university’s Crisis Conversation Series, four professor-led panels discussing the conflict, “under-represents the Palestinian perspective in the conversation.”
“So far the administration has not responded adequately to any of these crises, and in regards to the crisis in Israel/Gaza, they continue to conspicuously ignore violence against Palestinians by attempting to silence and act against students calling for peace,” the committee wrote.
The statement called on Northeastern and union members to take several actions to adequately address the conflict, including ceasing retaliation against protestors, protecting students and employees disproportionately targeted by inflammatory language and university policies, cutting ties to those responsible for the humanitarian crises, supporting congressional calls for a ceasefire, donating to related charities and educating themselves on the histories of antisemitism and Islamophobia.
“As Northeastern employees and union members, we recognize that every human being deserves to live a life of peace and dignity, regardless of where they live and where they work,” the statement reads. “Among the core values of GENU-UAW and the UAW broadly are that all are equal, that we fight for everyone — not just ourselves.”
Per the organizing committee’s request, the statement in its entirety has been embedded below.
GENU-UAW – A Statement of Solidarity from Your Union OC – GENU-UAW_ Graduate Employees of Northeastern UniversityDozens attend pro-Palestine demonstration in Cabot Quad for day of action, demand university response
12 p.m. Nov. 16
Dozens of students and attendees gathered in Cabot Quad at noon Nov. 16 for a rally organized by Northeastern law school students’ recently-formed chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, NUSLSJP. The protest called for an Israeli ceasefire and demanded “law professionals and universities call out the genocide against Palestinians and Israel breaking international laws,” according to an Instagram post announcing the rally.
Chants from the rally echoed down Huntington Avenue and about five Northeastern University Police Department officers stood nearby as organizers protested for university divestment from military companies that provide arms to Israel. The demonstration was part of a series of mobilizations constituting a national day of action at 25 law schools across the country led by the group Law Students for a Free Palestine.
See pictures from the rally below.
Students for Justice in Palestine hold chalk-in on Centennial Common
12:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. Nov. 15
Northeastern Students for Justice in Palestine, along with the university’s law school chapter of the same organization, held a chalk-in Nov. 15 on the paths encircling Centennial Common, writing the names of thousands of Palestinians who have been killed by Israeli forces since Oct. 7.
Twenty to 50 students participated in the chalk-in, writing a total of about 2,500 names on the pavement during the six-and-a-half-hour event, said Mariam Hassan, a first-year student in Northeastern’s School of Law, or NUSL, and an organizer in both SJP chapters. Students worked from a list of over 7,000 casualties publicly identified by the Gaza Ministry of Health released in late October after President Joe Biden expressed doubt in the total death count.
“You can see the different last names and the fact that families are literally getting obliterated together,” said Sarah Abouchleih, a third-year computer science and business administration combined major and organizer with NUSJP. “It’s supposed to be a very disturbing visual.”
The list of names, which spanned 150 pages, was also posted on the window and inside of NUSL Nov. 15. The casualty count as of Nov. 13 stands at 11,100, according to the Washington Post.
Hassan helped organize participants at the chalk-in and distributed the list of names for students to work from. She said she hoped the chalk-in raised awareness for victims of the conflict through a medium that was visible to the community.
“It’s really important for us to physically honor the lives of people that have passed away,” said Mariam Hassan, a first-year student in the School of Law and organizer with SJP. “I want people to see that people stood out here for over two hours … and we’re not even going to get close to the end of the list.”
The demonstration was a collaborative effort between the recently-reactivated Northeastern Students for Justice in Palestine, or NUSJP, and the recently-formed law school chapter, NUSLSJP.
Organizers received university permission to chalk on campus, reserved Centennial for several hours and complied with the Center for University Involvement’s chalking guidelines, organizers said. But Hassan said the two SJP chapters find the university’s demonstration regulations limiting.
“It becomes impossible to do indoor things, disruptive things, and that’s what solidarity with Palestine means,” Hassan said. She said the club does not have the resources or funding to organize a larger display.
News Staff Ananya Kulkarni contributed to this report.
List of Palestinian casualties posted in window and inside of NU School of Law
1:00 p.m. Nov. 15, 10:30 a.m. Nov, 16.
The names of thousands of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces appeared plastered in a window and on a bulletin board inside of the Northeastern University School of Law, or NUSL, Nov. 15.
The lists spanned more than 150 pieces of paper and included the genders, names and ages of over 7,000 people killed in Israel’s response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The Gaza Health Ministry’s fatality count reports more than 11,100 deaths. In Gaza, with a population of 2.2 million, the death count equates to roughly one in 200 people, the Washington Post reported.
The papers appeared the same day as a campus chalk-in jointly organized by Northeastern’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, or SJP, and law school students’ recently-formed SJP chapter. Organizers with SJP confirmed the events were related and meant to highlight the scale of the casualties.
“The whole purpose of our actions is just to show a visual of how large the number is,” said Mariam Hassan, first year in the School of Law and organizer with NUSL’s SJP chapter.
Posters on the bulletin inside the law school building were later taken down, according to an NUSLSJP Instagram post depicting an empty bulletin board labeled with a timestamp of 10:30 a.m. Nov, 16. Posters in the window of the law school were also removed as of Nov. 27, The News confirmed.
“Our display of the martyr’s names was to show more than just the number of Palestinians that have been murdered by Israel, it was also meant to give those people a name,” Mariam Hassan, an organizer with NUSLSJP, wrote in a statement to The News. “The posters of the kidnapped Israelis [were] not taken by the University. Students were even recorded and exposed for attempting to take them down. Why then, is it okay to take down the names of 11,000 martyrs and shut down our effort of peacefully honoring them?”
Several students in NUSL have been vocal in their expressions of solidarity with Palestinians. Activists have spoken at protests and delivered an open letter to the deans of the law school demanding the school rectify what they called “one-sided discourse” about the war that resulted in a “staggering amount of hate speech towards both Muslim and Arab students.”
Jewish student groups organize on-campus shuk, raising over $3,000 for first responders in Israel
11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Nov. 10
Northeastern’s Jewish student groups sat behind booths in Centennial Common Nov. 10, offering passersby the opportunity to engage with Jewish culture, send letters to Israeli soldiers, buy baked goods and discuss current events in an on-campus shuk — Hebrew for market — organized to raise money for first responders in Israel.
A collaboration between several Jewish-majority student groups including, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Zeta Beta Tau, Huskies for Israel, StandWithUs Campus, Hillel Northeastern, Chabad Northeastern and the Israel American Council, students said the shuk raised over $3,000 for Magen David Adom, Israel’s representative organization to the International Red Cross, according to its website.
The shuk also included booths where students could have their portraits drawn, make candles, throw pie at a fraternity brother and buy merchandise from the student organizations. “Hundreds” of students engaged with the activities, said Naomi Anbar, a second-year theatre and psychology combined major and member of Hillel.
“We had other students who weren’t Jewish, who just happened to be walking by, that stopped to take a look,” Anbar said. “They joined in on the dancing. They joined in on the whole festivities.”
Jewish students at universities across Boston have reported feeling targeted amid rising tensions on college campuses. Sasha Giniger, a third-year political science and international affairs combined major and member of Chabad Northeastern’s board, said Northeastern is no exception.
“A lot of people in our community have felt very unsafe and very alone recently,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of instances of students being yelled at on campus. We have a lot of students who do not feel safe.”
The shuk, Giniger said, was organized to give Jewish students a space where they could express their Jewish identity.
“Part of it was just to make our students on campus, make our Jewish community, feel safe [and] come together,” she added. The shuk served as “a reminder that it’s always important to be open and proud about your Jewishness.”
Liat Weiss, a second-year international business major and member of the Huskies for Israel executive board, said that this optimism in times of crisis is common in Jewish culture.
“It’s so intrinsic to Judaism to be able to celebrate and stay happy even when we’re being persecuted and executed,” they said. “We’re going to mourn and we’re going to grieve. But with that comes being there for each other, supporting each other and raising our spirits.”
Demonstrators block Centennial Common during Huskies for a Free Palestine die-in protest
12:30 p.m. Nov. 9
About 100 students blocked off a walkway through Centennial Common on a dreary, misty and cold afternoon Thursday during a die-in demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Huskies for a Free Palestine, a campus group that is unaffiliated with the university, organized the die-in, in which students sat or laid on the ground to represent people who have been killed in Gaza. The gathering opened with speeches from activists who admonished the Israeli government for its relentless attacks on Gaza.
“When people use social media, it’s just really easy to see numbers and not think of the actual human bodies lying on the ground,” said Darcy Flaherty, a third-year sociology major. “It’s just kind of a visual reminder of like, these are human lives.”
After speeches and rallying cries, die-in participants dispersed through Centennial Common, one of the busiest thoroughfares on campus. Some sprawled out on the brick ground under the cold mist while others sat under umbrellas, listening to organizers read poetry through a megaphone and encouraging passersby on their way to class to join the protest.
The demonstration was originally scheduled for Oct. 31 but was abruptly delayed due to what Huskies for a Free Palestine said was a fear of retaliation from the university. The rescheduled date fell on a day where temperatures dropped into the low 40s — several students huddled for warmth as they sat in the rain.
“It’s cold, but what are Gazans doing? They don’t have water, they don’t have food — I don’t think being out in the rain is so hard to do when you’re speaking out for human rights,” said Aysha Chaudhry, a Northeastern student who attended the protest.
The die-in was among several demonstrations held at universities across Boston Thursday, including Berklee College of Music, Boston University, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Hundreds also flocked to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in downtown Boston to protest Vice President Kamala Harris, who visited the city for a campaign event.
Northeastern Students for Justice in Palestine announces return alongside creation of law school chapter
8:40 p.m. Nov. 8
Northeastern’s formally recognized Northeastern Students for Justice in Palestine, or SJP, chapter announced Nov. 8 that they would be returning from years of inactivity to organize on-campus actions in solidarity with Palestinians. The same day, Northeastern law students announced the establishment of The Students for Justice in Palestine Chapter at the Northeastern School of Law.
For weeks, Huskies for a Free Palestine, an unofficial student group formed days after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, has organized memorials, walk-outs and die-ins in solidarity with Palestinians. Outside of boosting Huskies for a Free Palestine’s events on social media, Northeastern SJP has not played a formal role in organizing demonstrations, deviating from years of leading the pro-Palestine movement on campus.
Northeastern SJP announced its return amid nationwide calls for university leaders to investigate SJP chapters at universities across the country. The national organization oversees over 200 SJP chapters on college campuses according to its website.
“SJP is coming back to Northeastern stronger and better than ever,” the NUSJP account wrote in an Instagram post. The organization’s return, along with the announced establishment of a Northeastern School of Law SJP chapter, comes after years of controversy and recent admonishment of chapters at several universities across the United States.
In 2014, Northeastern temporarily suspended Northeastern SJP for dispersing fake eviction notices in dorm buildings, and in 2020, the organization faced widespread criticism for a controversial Instagram post which some students said glorified terrorism. The chapter has not hosted an event on campus since May 2021, according to Northeastern’s student organization database, but the Nov. 8 post indicated they would soon resume organizing.
“Northeastern SJP has a long standing history of being unfairly targeted by Northeastern leadership,” Northeastern SJP wrote in the Instagram post. “After being previously shut down in 2014 following an unjust ruling against practices that have never been penalized with other organizations on campus, the SJP recognizes the importance of mobilizing the Palestine cause on campus.”
The Students for Justice in Palestine Chapter at the Northeastern School of Law, of NUSLSJP, announced its establishment, along with a mission statement Nov. 8.
“Northeastern Law Students for Justice in Palestine advocates for the total liberation of the Palestine people,” NUSLSJP wrote in their mission statement posted on Instagram. “We work to support Palestinian self-determination in its totality, including advocating for an end to all settlements, the blockade and siege on Gaza, the apartheid system, the imprisonment, and the incessant genocide of its people.”
The chapter is not officially recognized by the university.
As tensions remain high on college campuses, SJP chapters have faced continued backlash, and at some universities, suspensions. Brandeis University announced that they would no longer recognize the school’s SJP chapter Nov. 8, Columbia University suspended its chapter and the Anti-Defamation League sent an open letter Oct. 25 requesting 200 universities, including Northeastern, suspend their respective SJP chapters.
Northeastern SJP, in collaboration with Rutgers University’s SJP chapter and NUSLSJP, organized a community teach-in on Gaza scheduled for Nov. 14.
College of Social Science and Humanities announces “Crisis Conversation Series” to discuss war in Israel and Gaza
Nov. 8 – 30
On Nov. 2, Northeastern’s College of Social Sciences and Humanities announced a slate of moderated discussions delving into the ongoing war in Israel and Gaza, dubbed a “Crisis Conversation Series,” with a stated goal of providing context, fostering learning, and promoting dialogue surrounding the conflict.
“As the war in Israel and Gaza escalates, universities have an important opportunity to serve as venues for dialogue and debate. Indeed, this is central to our educational mission,” David Madigan, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, wrote in an email to the Northeastern community promoting the series. “Through these discussions, we aim to unite our community and fortify the bonds that connect us all.”
Hosted by the Center for International Affairs and World Cultures, the series includes five scheduled conversations with faculty scholars from various academic fields.
“President Aoun often says that Northeastern should not merely be a microcosm of society, but a model for society,” Madigan wrote. “I hope that this series—and all of our academic endeavors in this realm—can serve to elevate our discourse and allow us to expand our understanding of the world.”
The conversations, as well as speakers, dates and locations, can be found below.
“Issues of International Law and Human Rights in Israel and Palestine,” A conversation with Zinaida Miller, moderated by Gretchen Heefner.
Nov. 8, 4:15 p.m., East Village 17th floor
“Jewish History, Jewish Responses,” A conversation with Simon Rabinovitch and Lori Lefkovitz, moderated by Mai’a Cross.
Nov. 16, 5:15 p.m., Curry Student Center Ballroom
“Gaza in Historical Context,” A conversation with Ilham Khuri-Makdisi, moderated by Denis Sullivan.
Nov. 30, 4:15 p.m., Curry Student Center Ballroom
“Understanding Israel’s Diverse Society and Populations and the Current War,” A conversation with Rima Farah, moderator TBD.
Date, Time, Place TBD
Students construct memorial altar on Centennial Common to mourn Palestinian deaths
3 p.m. – 8 p.m. Nov. 2
Several students laid out cards, flowers and candles at a memorial altar in Centennial Common Nov. 2, mourning the thousands of Palestinians who have been killed by Israeli forces throughout Israel’s response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
Huskies for a Free Palestine, or HFP, organized the altar in remembrance of “all who have been lost in the global struggle against oppression” and in the spirit of Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Students contributed artwork and cards to the memorial throughout the afternoon and early evening.
“We mourn the children lost in this genocide and hope for their peace in another life,” HFP wrote in an Instagram post thanking students for contributing to the memorial. “We mourn the reporters who in spite of losing their families in this genocide continue to be the link between Gaza and the rest of the world. We mourn the dead and will continue to fight for the living.”
The Israeli military has reportedly killed over 9,000 Palestinians as of Nov. 4 in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, which reportedly killed over 1,400 people and where the Palestinian militant group took over 200 hostages.
Jewish organizations set up “empty Shabbat table” to highlight Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas
11 a.m. Oct. 27
A spread of unoccupied tables adorned with blue and white balloons sat in the Cabot Quad for three hours Oct. 27, with posters of hostages taken from Israel by Hamas taped to 160 chairs.
Deemed the “Empty Shabbat Table,” the display was intended to be a reminder of the more than 200 hostages Hamas kidnapped from Israel during their Oct. 7 invasion. The memorial, which mirrored installations across the country, was organized by a coalition of campus Jewish and student organizations including Northeastern Hillel, Huskies for Israel, Chabad at Northeastern University, Zeta Beta Tau, Alpha Epsilon Pi, the Israeli American Council and Stand With Us.
“Our brains have a hard time visualizing statistics, so just seeing it all in front of me it really hit just how many people are still hostage,” said Inbar Ofer, a fifth-year computer science and behavioral neuroscience combined major and member of Northeastern Hillel. “Only 160 [chairs] fit on the quad, and so we were short by 70 chairs and it still felt massive to me.”
The tables were prepared for a typical Shabbat dinner, filled with plates, cups and silverware along with traditional Shabbat victuals — bottles of grape juice and covered loaves of challah.
“It’s so important to be with community right now and to partake in things like this for all those lives, for all those kidnapped, for all our friends and families,” said Shira Ashkenazi, a third-year international affairs major who was born and raised near Tel Aviv, Israel. “We just want them to return safely home.”
News staff Zoe MacDiarmid contributed to this report.
Anti-Defamation League, Brandeis Center for Human Rights send letter calling on hundreds of university presidents to investigate pro-Palestinian campus groups
1:50 p.m. Oct. 25
ADL-LDB-Letter-re-SJP-10-25-23
President Joseph E. Aoun was among 200 university presidents to receive a letter Oct. 25 from Jewish rights groups demanding the investigation of campus chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine, or SJP.
Authored by the Anti-Defamation League, or ADL, and the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, the letter urges universities to investigate their respective SJP chapters for potential violations of federal terrorism laws, namely attempting to materially support a foreign terrorist organization.
“Some SJP chapters have issued pro-Hamas messaging and/or promoted violent anti-Israel messaging channels,” the letter reads. “SJP chapters are not advocating for Palestinian rights; they are celebrating terrorism.”
The letter claims the student group uses “propaganda often laced with inflammatory and combative rhetoric” that attacks Jewish students for their identities.
While Northeastern does have a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, the two most recent demonstrations in solidarity with Palestine have been organized by Huskies for a Free Palestine, which is not listed as an official organization with the university.
Presidents at neighboring universities including Tufts University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University, Boston College and the University of Massachusetts Boston also received the letter, the Brandeis Center confirmed.
“If universities do not check the activities of their SJP chapters, they may be violating their Jewish students’ legal rights to be free of harassment and discrimination on campus,” the letter says.
The ADL and Brandeis Center previously sent a letter to more than 500 university presidents Oct. 12, instructing them to protect Israeli and Jewish students’ safety during SJP’s National Day of Resistance and Hamas’ call for worldwide day of protest.
Students walk out of classes to protest suppression of pro-Palestinian sentiments on campus, call for ceasefire in Gaza
12 p.m. Oct 23
More than 100 students left class and gathered in Richardson Plaza at noon Oct. 23 to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and admonish the university for allegedly promoting “one sided discourse” resulting in “a staggering amount of hate speech towards both Muslim and Arab students,” according to a letter drafted by Huskies for a Free Palestine and delivered to the deans of Northeastern School of Law.
“We’re here because we’ve been hurting since 1948, not since October 7,” said a Northeastern School of Law, or NUSL, student who spoke to students gathered for the walkout in front of a banner reading “CEASEFIRE, STOP THE OCCUPATION.” The speaker wished to remain anonymous due to privacy concerns. “We’re here because our university president and our institution as a whole has refused to acknowledge the brutal militant occupation that Palestinians have endured for 75 years, not for a week.”
The two NUSL student speakers at the walkout, organized by Huskies for a Free Palestine, focused on campus discourse related to the Israel-Hamas war within NUSL. They pointed to the law school’s response to a statement in solidarity with Palestinians sent to the law school’s in a mass email by Chair of NUSL’s Student Bar Association Michael Allen, which deans of the law school later said “should not have been sent out” and is being investigated as a possible “procedural violation.”
[The school is] “okay with pro-Israel stances, but the second that pro Palestine is brought up? All of a sudden that’s too political for us to talk about,” one speaker said. “We’re tired of the double standards that our university continues to exhibit on a daily basis.”
After circulating a printed letter addressed to the deans of NUSL among attendees demanding the deans’ “re-commitment to NUSL’s mission in fostering a safe, inclusive, and respectful learning environment,” the group marched to the deans’ office to deliver the letter.
“Each of these demands … move the needle on taking an anti-apartheid stance,” another speaker said.
Second rally organized by Huskies for a Free Palestine draws hundreds of students, community members
5:30 p.m. Oct. 20
Hundreds of students rallied in Centennial Common the evening of Oct. 20 in solidarity with Palestinian people as violence continues to rage in Israel and Gaza. It was the second gathering in the past week organized by Huskies for a Free Palestine. After listening to speeches, protestors proceeded to march through campus, moving down Huntington Avenue and circling back to the Common through Snell Library Quad.
“We are standing here together witnessing a catastrophic unfolding of history as we mourn people on the ground in Gaza who are being mercilessly bombarded and killed in what we can deem as nothing but genocide,” said one of three speakers at the rally, who each remained anonymous and wore masks due to privacy concerns stemming from recent doxxing of students at Harvard University.
Since the attack, tensions on college campuses across Boston have intensified. Many students said they feel unable to safely speak out in support of Palestine without being labeled as anti semitic. Even when they do, speakers at the rally stressed, they feel unheard by the university, which one speaker accused of silencing pro-Palestinian sentiments and “promot[ing] academic dialogue only when they feel like it.”
“Zionism and Judaism are not the same thing,” one speaker said. “Zionism believes in the formation of a land for Jews at the expense of Palestinians, whereas Judaism is a religion. That is why today we see Jews who oppose Israel’s stance on Zionism.”
Huskies for a Free Palestine issued several demands for the administration, detailed in a post on the group’s Instagram page. They called for increased protection of the voices of Palestinian, Arab and Muslim students on campus, as well as a formal statement of support for Palestinian people from the university.
View this post on Instagram
Yafa Suleiman, a local Palestinian who heard about the rally on Instagram, said she has family living in the West Bank and came to the march to speak up for human rights on behalf of those who are scared or not in a position to advocate.
“[My family is] safe, but to me, I’m Palestinian, and everyone in Palestine is my family,” Suleiman told The News. “As a Palestinian it’s very stressful. I am very proud to be a Palestinian, but at the same time, it’s very hard to be one.”
Northeastern School of Law leadership say SBA Chair statement was a possible “procedural violation”
1 p.m. Oct. 20
Important Message Regarding Law School Email Protocol
A mass email statement in solidarity with Palestine from Chair of Northeastern School of Law’s Student Bar Association Michael Allen “should not have been sent out,” according to an Oct. 20 email from three of the law school’s top officials.
The email addressed a statement Allen sent from a Student Bar Association email account to the entire School of Law Oct. 14. In the statement, Allen expressed support for Palestinian people and condemned President Joseph E. Aoun’s “irresponsible and unjust framing” of Hamas’ attack on Israel in an Oct. 10 statement.
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In Friday’s email, three deans — Hemanth Gundavaram, associate dean for academic affairs; Brian Carlisle, dean of students and assistant dean for academic affairs; and Greg Houghton, associate dean for administration and finance — said they had been contacted by students concerned about the statement and are currently looking into the incident.
“This email should not have been sent out using the official SBA email account because it did not have the endorsement of the SBA,” the email read. “We are conducting a thorough review of the incident, including future protocols and training regarding the appropriate use of university systems.”
The deans wrote that they were concerned with the “procedural violation” of improper use of a student listserv.
Earlier in the week, two students and numerous unnamed co-signatories sent an open letter to Aoun and Dean of Northeastern School of Law James Hackney condemning Allen’s letter and called on the university to do the same. The authors, Northeastern students Inbar Ofer and Naomi Anbar, said the statement Allen sent out was “littered with inaccuracies and straight-up falsehoods.”
Dozens of posters appear around campus with photos of Israeli kidnapping victims as part of global ‘KIDNAPPED’ campaign
Posters depicting missing people in Israel kidnapped by Hamas appeared on buildings and structures across campus Oct. 17, bringing a national awareness campaign launched last week to Northeastern’s campus.
Posters appeared outside of Snell Library on academic buildings surrounding Centennial Common, near Krentzman Quadrangle and on the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex bridge. Several students were seen scanning the posters’ QR code and reading hostages’ names.
The posters are part of a global campaign, #KidnappedfromIsrael, to raise awareness for the people kidnapped by Hamas. They show the faces, names, ages and country of origin of people in Israel taken hostage Oct. 7 by the Islamic, Palestinian militant group.
The News could not verify who had put up the posters on campus.
In the last week, the posters appeared across the country and abroad as part of the “humanitarian project” created by two Israeli artists based in New York City, Dede Bandaid, 36, and Nitan Mintz, 32. The duo, along with two designers, made the design publicly available roughly one week ago and can be printed in 12 languages, the New York Times reported.
Because there is no verified public list of kidnapping victims, Mintz and Bandaid gathered names and photos of the abducted from direct outreach to families and friends, according to the New York Times.
“On October 7th, nearly 200 innocent civilians were abducted from Israel into the Gaza Strip. Their whereabouts remain unknown,” the posters read. “More than 3,000 women, men, and children, ranging in age from 3 months to 85 years old, were wounded, murdered, beaten, raped, and brutally separated from loved ones by Hamas.”
The posters request passersby help spread awareness of the campaign.
“Take a photo of this poster and share it. Please help bring them home alive,” the posters read on the bottom, above a QR code that directs to the campaign’s “KIDNAPPED” website.
News staff Zoe MacDiarmid contributed to this report.
Doctoral candidate responds to students’ demand he be investigated for Israel-Hamas tweets
10:45 a.m. Oct. 17
Two days after the release of a petition calling on the university to investigate Yoni Michanie for his pro-Israel comments on X, the fourth-year political science doctoral candidate and international relations lecturer responded to his critics in a Newseek op-ed, calling the petition’s claims “nonsense.”
In the op-ed, Michanie says the petition — which has 1,800 signatures as of Thursday afternoon — is “singling [him] out in a malicious yet futile attempt to intimidate and silence [him].” He reflects on Hamas’ “crimes against humanity” on Israeli civilians, writing about how the attacks “fueled a wave of antisemitism around the world.”
Michanie denounces “anti-Israel” groups on college campuses, which he says are “cloaking their antisemitism with universal progressive rhetoric” by not denouncing Hamas.
“What nuance is there in condemning those who speak out against Hamas’ pogrom? That is exactly what these ‘anonymous’ students failed to address in their petition,” Michanie writes.
He defends his tweets, which the petition says target Palestinian and Muslim students on campus by calling them “Nazis,” as solely meant to condemn “a terrorist organization that seeks to ethnically cleanse my people.”
“None of my advocacy since October 7 references Northeastern’s campus, administration, or student body,” Michanie writes. “Supporters of this petition egregiously omitted my continued calls for the preservation of civilian life where possible while simultaneously supporting Israel’s inherent and absolute right to self-defense under international law.”
Two Northeastern students, numerous co-signatories respond to Student Bar Association statement, demand denunciation letter from Aoun
12 p.m. Oct. 16
Statement on NUSL 'Solidarity for Palestine' Email
In an Oct. 16 letter addressed to President Joseph E. Aoun and Dean of Northeastern School of Law James Hackney, two Northeastern students called on officials to denounce an Oct. 14 statement from Michael Allen, chair of Northeastern Law’s Student Bar Association, titled “Solidarity for Palestine.”
The letter, which authors Inbar Ofer and Naomi Anbar wrote, was “co-signed by a numerous and growing number of individuals and students” and said Allen’s letter was “littered with inaccuracies and straight-up falsehoods.” The statement then addresses what Ofer, a fourth-year computer science and behavioral neuroscience combined major according to Linkedin, and Anbar, a second-year theater and psychology combined major according to Linkedin, called “distortions of fact” in Allen’s letter.
They assert that, contrary to Allen’s claim of Israeli settler-colonialism, Jews meet all the criteria for indigeneity, and that “Indigenous peoples cannot be settler-colonialists in their own indigenous lands.” Ofer and Anbar argue that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. They also dispute the claim that Israel’s government practices apartheid and admonish the chair of the Student Bar Association for not laying blame for Palestinian deaths on Hamas.
“The fact that the Northeastern University law students rushed to justify the massacre of more than 1300 innocent Jewish civilians, including babies, young boys and girls, and Holocaust survivors, can only be explained by either anti-Semitism or ignorance,” they wrote. The letter demands an immediate response from the university and added that “by leaving this letter unaddressed, Northeastern University is giving it a stamp of approval.”
The university did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Students petition Northeastern to revise statement on Israel-Palestine conflict, investigate doctoral candidate who engaged in ‘hate speech’
10:15 p.m. Oct. 15
Over 1,100 people have signed a petition as of 10 p.m. Oct. 16 urging Northeastern to revise its statement on the war in Israel and Gaza, which the petition says has “produced a threatening and dangerous climate for Palestinian and Muslim students across our own campus.”
Northeastern’s statement, published Oct. 10, condemned Hamas’ attack on Israel and stated the university mourned “all the innocent lives that have been lost.”
The petition said the statement was one-sided and favored Zionist beliefs, causing Palestinian and Muslim students to feel unsafe on campus.
“We urge you to reconsider your position and take a more balanced and compassionate approach to the situation, acknowledging the tragic loss felt on both sides,” the petition, authored by “Students at Northeastern University,” reads. “This one-sided approach has incited hatred on this campus. Students have been called terrorists, and women with the Islamic religious scarf (Hijab) on have been followed, with pictures taken of them and threatening notes left on cars.”
The petition also requests the university investigate Yoni Michanie, a Northeastern doctoral candidate in political science, for several incendiary comments he posted on X, formerly Twitter, in the days following Hamas’ attacks and Israel’s declaration of war.
Michanie, who has over 27,000 followers on X, posted dozens of tweets in response to the conflict in Israel and Gaza. The petition specifically points out three of Michanie’s tweets, stating they “are not only insensitive but completely unacceptable, as a representative of Northeastern” and calls on the university to “thoroughly investigate this matter, considering the harm that his actions have caused.”
“Your Ph.D. Political Science student, Yoni Michanie, who teaches international relations courses, is engaging in hate speech on both public social media accounts and in his classes,” the petition reads. “Michanie is targeting Palestinian students, Muslim students, and other members of the community on campus, calling them Nazis, terrorists, and inciting dangerous conflict on campus.”
We don’t make Nazis comfortable on campuses at the expense of those they victimize.
Stop making Islamists comfortable on campus while they call for more Jewish babies to be decapitated and burned — it isn’t that hard to do.
— Yoni Michanie (@YoniMichanie) October 13, 2023
In an Oct. 13 tweet, Michanie compared Islamists and supporters of Palestine to Nazis. Hours later, he tweeted in response to a pro-Palestine demonstration on campus that “Hamas’ invasion forced anti-Israel groups on campus to do all that was left for them to do: try and normalize the slaughtering of Jews. I suspect their radicalization will bring about much more violence towards Jews on campuses.”
The next day he tweeted that humanitarian aid should be withheld from Gaza until Hamas releases all Israeli hostages.
“As a direct result of Yoni Michanie’s comments, we fear for our safety and emotional well-being, not only in this individual’s classes but also on campus as a whole,” the petition read.
Michanie has since responded to the petition on X, stating he “will not apologize for denouncing the slaughter, rape, and beheading of Israeli civilians.”
Northeastern Law School Student Bar Association Chair releases statement in solidarity with Palestine
10 a.m. Oct. 14
Fwd_ Solidarity for Palestine (1)The morning of Oct. 14, Michael Allen, Chair of Northeastern’s Law School’s Student Bar Association, or NUSL SBA, sent an email to members of the organization “expressing solidarity with Palestine” and condemning President Joseph E. Aoun’s “irresponsible and unjust framing” of Hamas’ attack on Israel as unprovoked in his Oct. 10 statement.
“As a top public interest law school in the nation, it is important to me that we maintain a track record of standing in support of oppressed, marginalized, and colonized people — even when it is difficult — and I would be remiss to not give space for some of the context and history surrounding Palestine,” Allen wrote in the email obtained by The News.
Allen attached a letter written by an anonymous coalition of students and student organizations at NUSL that expressed support for Palestine and referred to its history of occupation by Israeli forces. Allen redacted the names of the student organization signatories, citing “the ongoing backlash against students throughout the United States articulating solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
Solidarity for Palestine
“Palestinians have been subjected to the longest ongoing military occupation in history and constant land theft. Nevertheless, their right to resist this oppression is enshrined in international law,” the coalition’s letter read. “We mourn the Israeli lives lost this weekend — and we mourn the lives of Palestinians who have been killed at disproportionately higher rates since the establishment of Israel.”
Northeastern students hold demonstration in support of Palestine
5:30 p.m. Oct. 13
Dozens of Northeastern community members gathered on Krentzman Quad the evening of Oct. 13 in a demonstration in solidarity with Palestine. Students held up the Palestinian flag and signs reading “Free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea” while sitting in mourning and in protest of the university’s and Western nations’ response to the war, which some students called hypocritical. During the gathering, which was advertised as a silent demonstration, several students stood up to speak in support of Palestine, urging attendees to use the privilege of holding a protest to be vocal in their show of solidarity. Eventually, the hush quiet gave way to chants and cheers in support of Palestine.
Many students said they feared they would face retaliation if they were to speak up in support of Palestine. An Instagram post announcing the rally told attendees not to identify themselves and to wear masks. After a conservative group drove a truck through Harvard Square Oct. 11 doxing members of student organizations which publicly supported Palestine, demonstrators that spoke with The News said they felt unsafe at the university.
Anonymous Palestinian students and allies who spoke with The News said they felt “unseen and unheard” by the university after the administration’s statement did not address victims in Gaza.
Northeastern School of Journalism and School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs host panel on Israel and Gaza
6 p.m. Oct. 11
The Northeastern School of Journalism and School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs hosted an open classroom panel Oct. 11 discussing the ongoing war in Israel and Gaza. Veteran journalists and Northeastern professors discussed media coverage of the war, and students had the opportunity to ask the experts questions.
The panel discussed how the media often uses inflammatory language that exacerbates hot-button issues and, in this case, further divides supporters of Palestine and supporters of Israel.
“Over-inflammatory hyperbolic language is unnecessary,” said Jill Abramson, former editor of the New York Times and current journalism professor at Northeastern during the panel. “It’s counterproductive in the most extreme way. … Words should be chosen carefully.”
Northeastern students gather in solidarity with Israel
7 p.m. Oct. 10
Hundreds of Northeastern community members gathered on Cabot Quad in solidarity with Israel the evening of Oct. 10 after Hamas’ attacks on the country.
Many wore blue and white, some men wore kippot and others donned the Israeli flag in support of the country. Jewish student organization leaders and rabbis spoke in support of Israel and mourned the thousands of deaths caused by the attack — many of which included family members and friends of speakers and community members.
“My country will never be the same,” Liron Raphael, an Israel fellow at Northeastern, said in her speech at the gathering. “There will be an Israel before Oct. 7 and an Israel after Oct. 7.”
Northeastern releases a statement condemning Hamas’ attacks
12:30 p.m. Oct. 10
United Against Hatred - Outlook
President Joseph E. Aoun and Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs David Madigan released a statement Oct. 10 condemning Hamas’ attacks on Israel and stating the university mourns “all the innocent lives that have been lost.”
The statement was spread across various platforms, including Instagram, where over 800 people have commented as of 11:30 p.m. Oct. 15. Some thanked Northeastern for condemning the attacks, while others admonished the university because of what they deemed was a failure to address the role Israel has played in the oppression of Palestinians.
Three Northeastern students evacuated from Israel
Oct. 9
Three Northeastern students who were in Israel during Hamas’ attack were safely evacuated from the country, Northeastern Global News, or NGN, reported Oct. 10. Two students, Jesse Ruigomez and Keren Doherty, were in Tel Aviv on co-op. Joshua Einhorn, an N.U.in student studying in Greece was visiting family and friends in Jerusalem for the Jewish holiday Simchat Torah.
Northeastern’s global security team and Masa, an agency that facilitates study abroad programs, helped the three students evacuate the country, according to several reports. Ruigomez and Doherty were both transported to Ben Gurion Airport, where they flew to Madrid, Spain, and Lisbon, Portugal, respectively. Einhorn, NGN reported, returned safely to Athens Oct. 8.
