Bund criticizes President Levine’s response to the protest and broader freedom of speech at Brandeis.
Earlier this month, Interim President Arthur Levine issued a response via email, to the demonstration held on April 4 by the Brandeis Jewish Bund, “While we encourage debate over difficult topics at Brandeis, we can never permit threatening, harassing, hateful or antisemitic speech on our campus.” President Levine accused the Bund of bringing “… masked […]
Brandeis Bund holds another ‘coffin walk’
On March 12, at noon, members of the Jewish Brandeis Bund gathered at the top of the Rabb steps with a wooden coffin. Much like they did at their previous funeral procession, members of the Bund walked from the top of the Rabb steps down to the Shapiro Campus Center (SCC). Some attendees held signs […]
Brandeis Bund holds Shabbat event, vigil/funeral procession and study-in
The Jewish Bund at Brandeis, an organization focused on “[c]ampus action and building radical space at Brandeis,” recently held a series of events, including a Shabbat gathering on Jan. 31, a funeral procession for the lives lost in Palestine combined with a vigil for those same losses on Feb. 5 and a study-in hosted in […]
Arthur Levine: “We were put here for DEI before it was DEI”
On Wednesday, Feb. 12, Interim President Arthur Levine held a Staff Town Hall meeting to address concerns about the sweeping changes he recently proposed for Brandeis. At the start of the semester, Levine introduced a series of ambitious reforms aimed at reshaping the university, while also committing to incorporating feedback from the community into the […]
President Levine proposes sweeping reforms
Following the resignation of former President Ron Liebowitz in the fall, Interim President Arthur Levine stepped into leadership at Brandeis University on Nov. 1 2024, and began his first full semester in the role with ambitious plans for the university’s future. Levine, a 1970 Brandeis alumnus with a B.A. in biology, has brought a renewed […]
Mezuzah stolen from Jewish student
A Brandeis University student discovered on Nov. 21 that their mezuzah, along with their name label, had been removed from their door. Their room label was ripped apart and found near the men’s bathroom down the hall, while the mezuzah case was discarded in the bathroom trash. This troubling incident came shortly after someone stole […]
Jewish Brandeis Bund holds vigil for Palestine
On Monday, Oct. 21, The Jewish Brandeis Bund held a vigil to honor lost Palestinian lives. The Bund, a recently formed Jewish-led group of anti-Zionist students, came together in the Shapiro Campus Center (SCC) slightly before the scheduled start time of 7:00 to set up folding tables, hang posters, and pass out masks among attendees. […]
President Ron Liebowitz announces resignation
On the morning of Sept. 25, 2024, Ronald D. Liebowitz formally announced his resignation as the President of Brandeis University, a post he had held since 2015. The resignation, reported on by national media outlets such as the New York Times and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, comes after a year dogged by controversy surrounding campus […]
Speaker event discusses academic freedom, Palestinian journalism and antisemitism
On Thursday, April 11, a keynote speaker event took place in Heller-Brown, delving into two pressing topics: the “weaponization of antisemitism” featuring Dr. Maura Finkelstein and “the war on Palestinian journalism” led by Amahl Bishara. The event commenced around 3:30 p.m. with illuminating introductions from the keynote speakers, providing insights into their backgrounds and setting […]
Administration publishes report on 11/10 protest and university response
On April 9, Stew Uretsky, Executive Vice President for Administration and Finance and Carol Fierke, Provost, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs sent out an email to the Brandeis community, announcing that “independent investigators from the law firm of Hirsch Roberts Weinstein” had finished a report on the events of Nov. 10, 2023. On that […]
Students hold vigil for lost Palestinian lives
On March 6, more than 200 Brandeis community members gathered in the Shapiro Campus Center (SCC) to hold a vigil to mourn “30,543 martyrs in Gaza.” A group of attendees gathered at 7 p.m. and one of the vigil’s organizers began the event with a request that nobody record the vigil. Notably, although there were […]
Recent Brandeis faculty meeting centers on ‘healing process’ after November’s protest
On Friday, Jan. 19, The Hoot attended Brandeis’ most recent faculty meeting. This meeting centered around several amendments that are being considered by the faculty, as well as the healing process that is to follow the Nov. 10 protest, among other topics. The meeting was attended by approximately 20 faculty members in person, and over […]
President Liebowitz writes to Brandeis community about free speech
On Jan. 17, Brandeis University President Ron Liebowitz sent an email to Brandeis students, faculty and staff titled “Free Expression in the Academy.” The email began by acknowledging that Brandeis is “not the only campus struggling to find the best way to have respectful discourse and to share knowledge and learning from various perspectives,” adding […]
Brandeis admin cancels classes on Dec. 5 for ‘teach-in’
On Nov. 22, as Brandeis’ Thanksgiving holiday break began, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Carol Fierke, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Jeffrey Shoulson, Vice President of the Rabb School of Continuing Education Carmen Aguilar, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Wendy Cadge, Dean of the Brandeis […]
Protest about the derecognition of Brandeis SJP ends in arrests, violence
On Friday, Nov. 10, Brandeis students held a protest surrounding the recent derecognition of Brandeis’ chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). Brandeis Revolutionary Students Organization (RSO), advertised the event on their Instagram account, saying in a post that the rally was being held “in support of Palestinian people and their struggle for peace, […]
Brandeis responds to recent events in Israel
Since what has been called a “deadly attack against Israel by the Hamas militant group” per Reuters this past weekend, Brandeis students, faculty and staff have come together to support each other. As of the time of writing, the events have left over 1,000 Israelis and at least 830 Palestinians dead, according to Reuters and […]
An Interview with Ghaith Al-Omari and David Makovsky
During their recent visit to Brandeis’ campus, The Brandeis Hoot spoke with the Washington Institute’s Ghaith Al-Omari and David Makovsky. The pair spoke about their backgrounds, the importance of communication and the potential for a two-state solution in the Palestine-Israeli conflict. In the interview, Makovsky does note that himself and Al-Omari are not from […]
Student Union responds to recent protests in Instagram post
In the wake of recent protests surrounding the Palestine-Israel conflict, the Student Union released an Instagram post “in light of recent events.” The Student Union added that they “appreciate and hear all student feedback, and as such, felt it necessary to make the following statement.” First, the post says that, “in light of recent events, […]
Perspectives from Brandeis community members following Palestine-Israel protest
Following the pro-Palestine protest held by Brandeis Students for Justice in Palestine and subsequent pro-Israel counter-protest, The Brandeis Hoot spoke with various members of the Brandeis community. The Hoot conducted an online interview with Brandeis Student Union President Peyton Gillespie ’25, another online interview with Brandeis Hillel President Eitan Marks ’24 and one more online […]
