The terrorist attack on Israel’s territory by Hamas was an attack which went well beyond the immediate attack. It was an attack on the entire Jewish community and its sense of identity, and, admittedly, yet another action against the Jewish community in a long series of attacks throughout history.
The deliberate targeting of civilian populations, including hostage taking, has to be condemned. It can never be acceptable. Any such aggression is an attack against humankind and against civilization.
We feel the pain and anxiety of the members of our university community who suffer since the horrific attacks. We hear your voices which are filled with anger but also fear, filled with despair that things might never mend.
Things are not necessarily easy on campus, these days. Emotions are running high and conversations, difficult.
Nevertheless, I want to make this clear: our university is a place where no form of discrimination can be tolerated. There is no place for hateful speech, either. The respect for persons – all persons – is a sacred principle. We might disagree about ideas, but in all cases, we must agree to respect each other.
Any act of hate speech or of violence will be treated with the utmost seriousness and with the full force of our policies and procedures.
We will come together stronger as a community and only as a community.
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