The University of Pittsburgh is developing a working group on antisemitism following a fall semester that saw tension increase over the Israel-Hamas War and the assaults of three Jewish students on or near campus.
Commissioned by Chancellor Joan Gabel and Provost Joe McCarthy, the working group will analyze and help address antisemitism on campus and in the greater Pittsburgh region.
The ultimate goal is to make Pitt “better for everyone” by tackling issues faced by Jewish students, faculty and staff, said Jennifer Murtazashvili, a political science professor who will co-chair the group.
“I really want Pitt to be an example,” said Ms. Murtazashvili, who is Jewish. “I want us to be a role model for other universities.”
Students, faculty and staff will be members of the group. It is likely that someone from the university police department as well as a few external stakeholders also will join it, Pitt spokesman Jared Stonesifer confirmed.
Pitt is “committed to real action to ensure our community is safe,” Mr. Stonesifer said.
“In addition to ongoing efforts on campus around a deepened understanding of antisemitism, we are profoundly concerned that Pitt students recently endured antisemitic experiences from actors unaffiliated with the university,” Mr. Stonesifer said in a statement.
“The Working Group on Antisemitism will, therefore, engage proactively within the university and also the broader Pittsburgh community to analyze and help address antisemitism, demonstrating the university’s steadfast commitment to combating antisemitism broadly and fostering an environment where all community members feel safe, valued and respected.”
The group will convene early next year, Ms. Murtazashvili said.
Earlier in the fall, some faculty senators had pushed for an ad hoc senate committee to study antisemitism, but that led to disagreement and debate among faculty leaders and other Pitt community members, the University Times reported.
Pitt’s introduction of the working group follows a tumultuous year at campuses nationwide as tension and division continue over the Israel-Hamas War.
The deaths of thousands of Palestinians have struck a chord with college students.
Many students at Pitt, Carnegie Mellon University and Duquesne University say they sympathize more with the Palestinians than the Israelis in the conflict, a fall survey found.
As of early December, more than 44,000 Palestinians and 1,700 Israelis had died in the war, which began Oct. 7, 2023, when the militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing hundreds of civilians and taking others hostage.
At Pitt and other schools, students have expressed their concerns through protests, encampments and activism. Most student-led protests in Oakland have remained peaceful, but two resulted in arrests, defacement of the Cathedral of Learning or clashes with police.
And this semester, three people wearing Jewish clothing or jewelry were assaulted on or around Pitt’s campus.
During the first week of fall classes, two Jewish students were assaulted outside the Cathedral of Learning. They were wearing yarmulkes, the traditional cap worn by Jewish men, while the alleged attacker, 52-year-old Jarrett Buba, was wearing a keffiyeh, a checkered scarf that has come to represent Palestinian solidarity.
The same man also is charged with assaulting a Point Park student-athlete and throwing a bottle at two people associated with CMU.
Less than a month later, eight men approached a student wearing a Star of David necklace not far from Pitt’s campus. The men “hurled insults about Israel,” police said. An argument ensued, and it ended with at least three of the men punching and kicking the student, according to authorities.
Such incidents have put Pittsburgh-area Jewish students on high alert. Over the past year, there has been a surge in reports of antisemitic assault, harassment, vandalism and speech on campuses across the country, according to AMCHA Initiative, a nonprofit that combats antisemitism at colleges.
Jason Kunzman, president and CEO of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, praised the creation of the working group.
“Forming this working group is another clear demonstration of the university's commitment to combat identity-based hate of any kind and the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh looks forward to actively participating in the process as we work together in creating a stronger and more inclusive future for all,” Mr. Kunzman said in a statement.
To Ms. Murtazashvili, it’s obvious that universities “have not been well-equipped to deal with these issues.”
She said she hopes to help the Pitt community “build bridges.” In fall 2023, she and linguistics professor Abdesalam Soudi, who is Muslim, organized and moderated two “United in Compassion” events on campus that centered around what compassion looks like locally and nationally during tumultuous times.
“I think we’ve seen a lot of [antisemitism] across the country and around the world since Oct. 7, and it’s obvious that universities have not been well-equipped to deal with these issues,” Ms. Murtazashvili said. “These are very serious issues, and I don't think they're going away anytime soon. What can we as a university do to make things better?”
First Published: December 13, 2024, 11:30 p.m.
Updated: December 14, 2024, 7:49 p.m.
