#Israel

Liam MacDonald

May 6, 2021

Student Gov’t Passes Israeli Boycott Without Club Divestment Clause

Earlier today, the Associated Students of Pomona College (ASPC), Pomona College’s student governing body, passed a modified version of its previous resolution to boycott companies listed by the United Nations as active in Israeli West Bank settlements. The version of the resolution passed by ASPC today removed the hotly contested final clause that was the subject of serious debate at ASPC’s meeting last week. The current resolution governs only internal ASPC spending, not clu

Student Gov’t Tables Israeli Boycott Resolution For Further Discussion On Mandatory Club Divestment

The Claremont Independent

Apr 30, 2021

Student Gov’t Tables Israeli Boycott Resolution For Further Discussion On Mandatory Club Divestment

In a Zoom meeting held yesterday afternoon, members of the Associated Students of Pomona College (ASPC) fielded questions and concerns about the recently passed resolution “divesting all ASPC funds from companies complicit in the occupation of Palestine, and banning future use of funds towards such companies.” The senators were particularly focused on the final clause of the resolution, which specified that ASPC aims to lead the other student governments of the Claremont Cons

Pomona Senior Class President Shares And Endorses Anti-Semitic Comment On Social Media, Apologizes

The Claremont Independent

Jun 21, 2020

Pomona Senior Class President Shares And Endorses Anti-Semitic Comment On Social Media, Apologizes

In a post made on her social media account, the 2020-2021 senior class president at Pomona College shared comments that accuse Zionist Jews of “hating” brown people and criticized them for purportedly “worshipping” the Second World War and comparing the Holocaust to racism. She also shared derogatory comments towards Israeli Jews and Jews who go on Birthright trips to Israel. The post was overlayed on top of a tweet comparing Yemen’s current humanitarian crisis to the Holocau

Pitzer Students Threaten “Unrest” If No BlackRock Divestment

The Claremont Independent

Mar 8, 2020

Pitzer Students Threaten “Unrest” If No BlackRock Divestment

After the Pitzer Student Senate voted 16-1—with many abstentions—in favor of a motion to divest Pitzer College’s endowment from a BlackRock-managed fund, students threatened “unrest” if the president of the college does not meet their demands. Pitzer College president Melvin L. Oliver previously vetoed a student and faculty decision to boycott Pitzer’s study abroad program in Israel. After one student mentioned Pitzer President Melvin Oliver’s previously vetoed student motion

Scripps Invites Vocal Anti-Israel Activist As Keynote Speaker

The Claremont Independent

Feb 27, 2020

Scripps Invites Vocal Anti-Israel Activist As Keynote Speaker

Scripps College has invited Jasbir Puar, Professor and Graduate Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Rutgers University, to speak at the college on Thursday, March 12. Puar is a well-known author whose works include Terrorist Assemblages: Homonationalism in Queer Times (2007) and her most recent work, The Right to Maim: Debility, Capacity, Disability, published in 2017. Puar has accused Israelis of harvesting Palestinian organs, deliberately stunting the growth of Palest

Pomona, Pitzer Respond to Potential Anti-Semitism Lawsuit

The Claremont Independent

Feb 12, 2020

Pomona, Pitzer Respond to Potential Anti-Semitism Lawsuit

After the David Horowitz Freedom Center (“DHFC”), a conservative foundation, stated in a letter to Pomona College president Dr. Gabrielle Starr and Pitzer College president Dr. Melvin Oliver on its intent to pursue legal action against Pomona and Pitzer for the colleges’ lengthy history of “anti-Semitic activities,” Pomona and Pitzer released two short statements in response to the potential lawsuit. Out of the two colleges, only Pomona explicitly denied the accusations liste

David Horowitz Freedom Center Threatens Pomona and Pitzer with Lawsuit Over Support For Anti-Semitis

The Claremont Independent

Feb 10, 2020

David Horowitz Freedom Center Threatens Pomona and Pitzer with Lawsuit Over Support For Anti-Semitis

On Feb. 3, Pitzer College and Pomona College became one of the first targets for enforcement of President Trump’s latest executive order taking name at discrimination on the basis of Jewish identity, specifically on college campuses. The David Horowitz Freedom Center (“DHFC”), a conservative foundation, addressed a letter to the presidents of the two colleges (Drs. Melvin Oliver and Gabrielle Starr, respectively), indicating its intent to pursue, through proper authorities, l

The Claremont Independent

Jan 30, 2020

Pomona Pays for Angela Davis Lecture, Fails to Properly Inform Students About “Anti-Semitic” Crimina

Pomona College, a member of the Claremont Colleges consortium, has paid for University of California, Santa Cruz Professor Emerita Angela Davis to come to campus. An internationally recognized, controversial activist, Davis has spoken on many issues ranging from feminism to racial justice. “Professor Angela Davis is an internationally-known scholar and an icon in the movement to combat oppression in the U.S. and abroad. For more than a half century, her work as a writer, tea

Pitzer College, David Horowitz Trade Blows Over Posters

The Claremont Independent

Dec 9, 2019

Pitzer College, David Horowitz Trade Blows Over Posters

On Dec. 2, 2019 at Pitzer College in Claremont, California, flyers of the latest publication of the David Horowitz Freedom Center (DHFC) claiming Pitzer College as one of the unsafest colleges for Jews in the United States were posted throughout campus. The DHFC based its claims off numerous instances of the Pitzer College student body’s endorsement of anti-Israel organizations and their ideals. In response, Pitzer College President Melvin L. Oliver, who has a track record of

College-Invited Speaker Ties Jewish Student Journalist to “White Nationalists,” Calls NYT “Pro

The Claremont Independent

Nov 14, 2019

College-Invited Speaker Ties Jewish Student Journalist to “White Nationalists,” Calls NYT “Pro

During a question & answer session at Pomona College following a film screening of Gaza Fights For Freedom, a pro-Palestinian documentary, film director Abby Martin accused a Jewish student journalist with the Claremont Independent, who asked a question about Hamas’s activities against Israeli civilians, of being associated with “white nationalists” and insisted that the New York Times was “pro-Israeli Propaganda.” When Independent staff writer Jordan Esrig asked a question a

Pitzer, Scripps, Pomona, SJP Fund Talk By Anti-Semitic Conpiracist

The Claremont Independent

Nov 11, 2019

Pitzer, Scripps, Pomona, SJP Fund Talk By Anti-Semitic Conpiracist

On Thursday, Nov. 14, the pro-Palestinian Claremont Colleges student group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) will host a screening of the film Gaza Fights for Freedom. SJP will host the event at Pomona College’s Rose Hill Theatre; the event will consist of a screening of the film followed by a discussion with director Abby Martin and journalist Mike Prysner. Pomona, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges—three of the five colleges in the Claremont Colleges Consortium—are funding

The Claremont Independent

Nov 1, 2019

The ‘Woke’ Jew’s Chutzpah

Opinions expressed in this article may not necessarily reflect those of the Editorial Board. In a recent opinion article titled My Jewish values make me critical of the Trump-Israeli coalition, Georgia Tuckerman argues that, rather than be a “mechanical supporter” of the Jewish state, her Jewish values oblige her to condemn Israel. Regardless of her accuracy regarding Israel’s policies, she has the chutzpah—the audacity—to use Judaism as a means of attacking Israel. Tuckerman

Pitzer Student Gov’t No Longer Posting Meeting Minutes

The Claremont Independent

Oct 11, 2019

Pitzer Student Gov’t No Longer Posting Meeting Minutes

Pitzer College’s student senate has discontinued posting meeting minutes on its website for the Fall 2019 semester, which are intended to inform students about the proceedings during student senate meetings. The Google Drive folder under which meeting minutes consists of an empty file labelled “2018-2019 Meeting Minutes,” referring to the previous academic year, thus has not been updated by the senate. This move by the California liberal arts college’s student senate could be

Pitzer President Defends “Free Exchange of Ideas” in Israel at University of Haifa

The Claremont Independent

May 28, 2019

Pitzer President Defends “Free Exchange of Ideas” in Israel at University of Haifa

Earlier today, Pitzer College’s president Melvin L. Oliver spoke to the University of Haifa’s 47th annual Board of Governors meeting, emphasizing his opposition to academic boycotts of Israel. Oliver’s appearance in front of the Board of Governors comes after the Pitzer College Council—a student and faculty governing body—voted to suspend the college’s study abroad program in Israel with the University of Haifa; Oliver vetoed the vote, prompting unsuccessful calls for his res

Student Senate Deliberates Pitzer President’s Resignation for Supporting Israel Study Abroad

The Claremont Independent

Mar 28, 2019

Student Senate Deliberates Pitzer President’s Resignation for Supporting Israel Study Abroad

Two weeks ago, Pitzer College’s President Melvin L. Oliver decided to keep the college’s only study abroad program in Israel—organized through the University of Haifa—against the faculty and student senate’s recommendation; the Student Senate is now drafting a resolution calling for Oliver’s resignation. The resolution, if passed, would enact “no confidence in the President of the College,” and will “call for his [Oliver’s] immediate resignation or removal from office.” The d

“Zionist Violence,” “Israel’s Colonial Project,” “White Supremacist”—SJP Launches “Palestine Freedom

The Claremont Independent

Mar 28, 2019

“Zionist Violence,” “Israel’s Colonial Project,” “White Supremacist”—SJP Launches “Palestine Freedom

After Pitzer College’s President Melvin L. Oliver decided to keep the college’s only study abroad program in Israel against the faculty and student senate’s recommendation, the Claremont chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) launched a two week-long “Palestine Freedom Week” denouncing Oliver’s decision and Israel’s “Zionist violence,” and praising organizations such as the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Black Panther Party. Claremont Students f

Students, SJP Protest Pitzer President Decision to Keep Israel Study Abroad

The Claremont Independent

Mar 14, 2019

Students, SJP Protest Pitzer President Decision to Keep Israel Study Abroad

Shortly after the Pitzer College student-faculty vote to suspend the College’s study abroad program with Israel’s University of Haifa, Pitzer’s President released a statement indicating that he will “not implement this recommendation.” Insisting that his decision did not involve “taking a position” on the issue, President Oliver highlighted his belief that approving such a vote would “only harm [Pitzer] College” as well as put “at risk [its] long-term best interests,” referri

Pitzer Bans Student Publication from Attending Israel Vote

The Claremont Independent

Mar 13, 2019

Pitzer Bans Student Publication from Attending Israel Vote

Pitzer College informed the Claremont Independent today that tomorrow it would no longer be allowed to attend a Pitzer College Council—a governing body composed of faculty and students that usually decides college policy—vote on whether to suspend Pitzer’s only study abroad program in Israel with the University of Haifa as student media. Despite being a registered student club at the Claremont Colleges Consortium, which Pitzer is a member institution of, and the first publica

Why Pitzer Shouldn’t Suspend Its Israel Study Abroad Program

The Claremont Independent

Mar 12, 2019

Why Pitzer Shouldn’t Suspend Its Israel Study Abroad Program

Last semester, Pitzer College’s faculty voted in favor of suspending the college’s study abroad program in Israel with the University of Haifa. Even Pitzer College’s president Melvin L. Oliver condemned the move, stating that a potential “[suspension] would be paltry support for Palestinian rights and a major blow to Pitzer College’s mission.” With the Pitzer College Council—a governance board of students and faculty that usually decides official college policy—holding a Marc

The Pitzer/Haifa Resolution: A Suspension of Opportunity

The Claremont Independent

Mar 10, 2019

The Pitzer/Haifa Resolution: A Suspension of Opportunity

By Shir Bar Nes Higher education offers higher opportunities than just academic studies. It offers the chance to grow past personal, political, and cultural boundaries. Most importantly, college and university give one the chance to meet new people, understand each other’s differences, and embrace diversity. My name is Shir Bar Nes, and I’m a student of political science at Haifa University. The chance I was given to grow was through a friendship, one that enriched my life. I