On Friday, April 4, 2025, at approximately 4 p.m., members of the activist group identifying as the “Jewish Bund” gathered on the Great Lawn outside the Shapiro Campus Center to stage a protest in solidarity with Palestinian liberation.
The demonstration began with familiar chants of “What do we want? Liberation! When do we want it? Now!” as protesters marched from the Great Lawn toward the Bernstein-Marcus Administration Center. They then descended the main staircase and congregated on the traffic island near the University’s main entrance, across from the security booth.
A crowd of students and faculty formed around the protest, where a series of call-and-response chants continued alongside several brief speeches. One speaker read a statement on behalf of an Arab student who remained anonymous.
Roughly 30 minutes into the demonstration, a brief disruption occurred when protesters attempted to suspend a banner from the Squire Bridge above Loop Road near Gosman. Brandeis University police officers arrived promptly, removed the rope securing the sign and restored traffic flow. No arrests were made, and the protesters returned to join the main group shortly after.
A small group of counter-protesters stood nearby, next to faculty and administration officials, intermittently responding with chants such as “Bring them home” and “There are 59 hostages still being held in Gaza.” In response, protesters with the Jewish Bund chanted, “All Zionists are racist.” Throughout the protest, observers and agitators engaged with the protesters, including a notable incident where a car slowed down next to the protesters, screaming “You should be ashamed of yourself!” before being directed away by the Student Support Team.
The protest continued with a march across campus, echoing chants in support of Palestinian liberation and against Zionism.
Protesters, who were holding wooden shields painted with revolutionary book covers such as Frantz Fanon, Walter Rodney, Assatta Shakur and a plethora of other revolutionary thinkers, were peaceful and compliant, even during an incident when a counter-protester followed the group on their loop road march, screaming at the attendees, before being moved by the student support team. After the march, students gathered on the grass to sing, pray, read poetry and express their views. Multiple attendees were overheard discussing how this is the first time they felt like they were safe as Jewish students at Brandeis.
As the demonstration appeared to wind down, participants moved from the traffic island onto the street, forming a semi-circle near the entrance. A tense moment followed when several protesters attempted to ignite both an American and Israeli flag. University police intervened quickly and prevented the flags from being set on fire. Faculty observers and campus safety personnel remained nearby throughout the event, and the protest ultimately concluded without arrests.
