SJP Demands Emerson Steer Away from Zionism

If you walked by the Ansin Building at 6 p.m. on Feb. 21, you would have had no idea that the Boylston Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) had put up stickers, wheat-pasted signs, and posted demands on the walls just an hour earlier.

Following emails sent to the president’s office and senior administrators detailing their new demands, the group picketed outside the Ansin Building for an hour to make their sentiments visible not just to the administration but to the wider Emerson community. Instead of engaging in dialogue with the students, however, the college simply hastened to remove all evidence of their demands.

During the protest, one administrator showed up and attempted to dissuade students from posting materials. Directly after the protestors left, the college quickly removed all materials pasted on the building. Almost a year into negotiations between the administration and SJP, the college continues to silence these students’ voices. We talked with three members of the group, who asked to remain anonymous. 

A demand to promote Palestinian arts and culture on campus tops their list, which also proposes annual fellowships for Palestinian students, artists, and scholars; at least one permanent faculty position for an artist or scholar of Palestinian descent; and a general call to promote Palestinian history and culture in the college.

The demands reflect a need for our community to look at Palestinian people and Palestinian history through Palestinian eyes. “One of the problems we have in the college is the alignment with Zionist rhetoric, which is degrading to Palestinians,” explains one student. “Much of what is said about Palestine and Palestinians is filtered through that rhetoric.”

The students from SJP are also asking the college to adopt a specific definition of antisemitism. They want to avoid conflating antisemitism and anti-Zionism—or lumping together Judaism and Zionism—while providing a clear framework to address antisemitism and racial injustice. As stated on their handout, they “demand this institution utilize the document ‘Understanding Antisemitism’ created by the organization Jews for Racial and Economic Justice as framework for policies at Emerson College.” JREJ is a progressive New York–based Jewish organization that could “partner with the college in different projects and initiatives,” notes another student.

Other items on the students’ list echo demands heard on campus last year. SJP is asking the college to issue a statement calling for an arms embargo against Israel, as well as “an end to the internationally illegal settlements in the West Bank” and “an end to the occupation of Palestine.” Their renewed call to disclose and divest now includes specific references to donor relationships, investments, and financial transparency.

Directly addressing the college’s authoritarian policies and the atmosphere of mistrust that has prevailed on campus since the beginning of the fall semester, SJP is asking that the “draconian post-encampment demonstration policies” be repealed. They also want a seat at the table when the task at hand involves examining student conduct. “There is a lack of transparency in many disciplinary processes and no guidelines or clarity on how much discipline will be imposed,” assert the students. “OEO [Office of Equal Opportunity] is targeting specific people. That’s a misappropriation of their role.”