Hat tip Philadelphia Jewish Exponent
Liz Magill
Remember in December 2023 when the president of the University of Pennsylvania, Liz Magill, was forced to resign in the face of her disastrous testimony before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce? The reason she was called to testify in the first place was due to the recent disruptions and complaints of anti-Semitism at UPenn following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Previously, in November 2023, the Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights launched an investigation into complaints of anti-Semitism on the campus.
It appears that UPenn has failed to learn its lesson In the spring of 2024, like many other campuses across the nation, UPenn was plagued by a pro-Hamas campus encampment. On May 10, 2024, Philadelphia police had to come onto the campus and take 33 “campers” away.
-WHYY/PBS
Most recently, on March 31, 2025, the University of Pennsylvania Hillel chapter hosted a talk by survivors of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Notwithstanding the solemn nature of that event, about 75 pro-Hamas protesters were outside with their bullhorns protesting the event. (Philadelphia Jewish Exponent)
Here is how the UPenn campus paper, the Daily Pennsylvanian (DP), reported it. In addition, DP has posted a short video here. Notice in the video that someone is holding a banner stating that “Amerika (sic) is the head of the snake”.In the former posting, I have picked out a couple of interesting paragraphs that speak volumes about the nature of these protests:
“A few individuals in the protest formed upside down triangles — a symbol used by Hamas to indicate military targets — with their hands and directed them at the fraternity.”
“I’m happy because it shows where their true commitments stand: not to their students, but with Jewish fascism,” the individual said. “Let them hang an Israeli flag on top of College Hall … let them fly the flag of the oppressor.” (Emphasis mine)
As for the first paragraph, it appears that for these protesters, a Jewish Hillel site is a Hamas military target in their eyes. As to the second, note the use of the word Jewish, not Israeli, not Zionist, but Jewish. As to the Israeli flag, pro-Israel rallies in the US routinely feature Israeli flags and US flags side by side. On the other hand, pro-Palestinian flags feature only Palestinian flags, occasionally with flags from Arab nations. Rarely, if ever, will you see a US flag at a pro-Palestinian event.
Here is more from Pennsylvania Post, an independent newspaper at the university..
Whatever one thinks of the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the war that ensued after the above horrendous attack against innocents, it should be remembered that campus Hillel sites are places for Jewish students to gather in religious fellowship and are there for the purpose of making Jewish life on campus more comfortable. In recent years, I have been critical of various Hillel chapters for their seeming unwillingness to stand up and fight back against pro-Palestinian aggression on various campuses. It should be noted that there are differences between one University Hillel chapter and another. In recent years, Hillel at the national level has wrestled with the question of whether to admit members who have divergent views on Israel.
All that aside, it strikes me as beyond obnoxious for people to take their anti-Israel protests to a Hillel site, especially an event involving the October 7 survivors. I say let the mourners mourn. But this is par for the course for pro-Palestinian (pro-Hamas) protesters. Across the nation, they routinely disrupt Jewish events on campuses. Anyone who dares speak in support of Israel can expect to be disrupted by these brown shirts. It’s just what they do.
It must be noted that these pro-Hamas people are not shocked, saddened, or embarrassed by October 7 and the sheer butchery that occurred that day. They celebrate it. The statement below says it all.
“The speaker went on to describe October 7 as a moment of “revolutionary fire” that represented Gazan resistance and that there were people at Hillel “who are claiming to be victims of October 7”. The speaker noted that the State of Israel “will come to an end” and that Zionism cannot be grappled with, discussed, or negotiated with. The speech ended with the following assertions: “Long live the intifada! Long live the Palestinian resistance! And long live Al-Aqsa Flood!” The “Al-Aqsa Flood” is the term given to the October 7 attack by Hamas.”
-Pennsylvania Post
Source:
http://garyfouse.blogspot.com/2025/04/university-of-pennsylvania-problems.html
