The Israeli peace and justice group Standing Together is jumping into action on its campus organizing now that the academic year has belatedly started. They sent out this message about it:
Happy New Year! The start of 2024 marks the opening of the academic year in universities and colleges in Israel - finally!
The
academic year was supposed to begin in October but was delayed until
this week due to the high number of students who were drafted into the
reserves. For many people in Israel, university is the first place that
Jews and Palestinians meet each other. This means that the campus is a
great opportunity to build new partnerships with one another, and it can
also be a hotbed for racism and discrimination against Palestinian
students. Since the war broke out, there have been several cases of
racism, discrimination, and violence on campus against Palestinian
students. Despite the academic year being postponed, Standing Together’s
student chapters have been working hard to organize and mobilize
students across fourteen academic institutions towards solidarity and
partnership on campus in the wake of increased hostility.
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Our
mission over the past few years is to grow progressive politics on
campus, mobilizing students around a range of social justice issues. So
far we have seen a lot of growth, and this coming year we plan to expand
our reach even further. In addition to campaigns for improving student
dorm conditions, access to public transportation, and participation in
student unions, next week the Tel Aviv University student chapter will
be the first to organize a sit-in demonstration against racism and
discrimination on campus. Student chapters across the country have also
been hanging signs around campus promoting Arab-Jewish solidarity.
These
are incredibly difficult times for everyone, and our ability to foster
solidarity in shared spaces is crucial in order to advance peace,
equality, and social justice in Israel.
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