A memorial created to raise awareness about anti-Semitism on one college campus in California was challenged with pro-Palestine graffiti and insignia last week.
In response to the horrific attacks on Jewish worshipers at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in October, students at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif., decided to work together to create a painted memorial acknowledging the existence of anti-Semitism on college campuses. The memorial was painted on Pomona’s Walker Wall, a “free speech wall” where students frequently paint various messages.
Rather than accuse any specific group of being responsible for perpetrating anti-Semitic acts, the project instead focused on fostering a conversation that began with admitting that anti-Semitism is a problem, and that students of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds should work to combat hate.
According to the Claremont Independent, someone (or multiple people) at Pomona College were not content with merely acknowledging the existence of anti-Semitism. They added a Palestinian flag and the words “Palestine Exists. Acknowledge it.” over one of the Jewish stars that had been accompanying the words of the awareness project: “Antisemitism Exists. Acknowledge It.”
What makes this incident even more disgusting is that the Pomona students who created the memorial made no mention of, and were not even seeking to promote their views on the Arab-Israeli conflict, which is a very heated topic. Rather, these students were seeking to provide comfort to members of their community who had been traumatized by the recent attacks on members of the Jewish faith by acknowledging that anti-Semitism is a problem, and that students of all faiths should work to combat it.
Interestingly, the Claremont College chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine rebuked the pro-Palestine message on the wall.
John Patrick (@john_pat_rick) is a graduate of Canisius College and Georgia Southern University. He interned for Red Alert Politics during the summer of 2012 and has continued to contribute regularly.
