Since Oct. 7, 2023 when Hamas invaded Israel, student organizations on college campuses across the country have hosted a variety of events to bring awareness to the conflict in the Middle East.
Around 41,000 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis have died since the latest Israel-Palestine conflict began last October, with about 96,000 Palestinians injured. More than 1.9 million Palestinians and 58,000 Israelis have been displaced. Israel’s bombardment continues as they target Hezbollah in Lebanon. An estimated 2,000 civilians have died in the strikes in Lebanon, with 1.2 million displaced, according to the Associated Press.
Activism on college campuses across America has centered around this conflict for a year. Here are the many demonstrations Temple has seen in that time.
OCTOBER
- 7th – Beginning of the conflict
- Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, attacked Israel and killed an estimated 1,400 Israeli citizens and took more than 220 Israeli hostages. The attack began multiple Israeli airstrikes into Palestinian territories.
- 13th – Englert statement on conflict
- President Richard Englert released a statement regarding attacks on Israel. “Recent revelations have shed more light on the harrowing experiences endured by those in distress,” Englert wrote in a statement. “While we know that the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza is complex and has a deep history, there is never any excuse for the despicable acts of terroristic violence that we have witnessed.”
- 25th – Temple SJP organizes solidarity walkout protest
- Temple Students for Justice in Palestine members organized a walkout to protest Israel’s retaliation against Palestinian citizens in Gaza. Hundreds of students walked out of class and gathered at the Bell Tower in solidarity with Palestine.
NOVEMBER
- 7th – Temple SJP held Interfaith vigil honoring Palestinian lives
- Roughly 50 students and Palestinian supporters met up at Beury Beach to honor those killed in the Israel-Hamas war. The vigil was jointly held by Temple SJP and the Philly Palestine Coalition. Members from Jewish Voices for Peace were also present.
“The Palestinians are human beings,” said Pastor Jay Bergen of the Germantown Mennonite church. “Muslims are human beings. Arabs are human beings. We have run out of language to say this, and so sometimes we just have to gather in silence.”
- 16th – Englert statement on hate, Owls for Israel hold vigil for hostages
- Dozens of students and community members gathered for a Bell Tower vigil which included balloons and missing posters for each Israeli hostage. Speakers at the event asked the community to be strong and stand against hate and “prove to the world that ‘never again’ is now.”
In an email statement addressed to Temple Students, President Richard Englert stated that Temple condemns antisemitism and Islamophobia. Englert included a link to Temple’s Israel-Gaza crisis page which provides resources for students.
- 18th – Temple SJP marches down Broad Street
Temple SJP met at the Bell Tower before marching down North Broad Street. The group continued marching to join a larger rally gathered in Center City.
DECEMBER
- No events or news reported by The Temple News.
JANUARY
- 16th – Department of Education investigation into Temple opens
- The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into the alleged harassment of Jewish students. Temple is still being investigated for violating Title VI and failing to protect Jewish students from discrimination.
- 30th – Temple SJP sit-in at student center
- Temple SJP organized a sit-in at the Howard Gittis Student Center lobby. The aim of the sit-in was to bring awareness to the on-going crisis.
FEBRUARY
- 9th – Temple SJP faces counter protestors
- SJP wrote on Instagram that student activists had met twice with administration since Oct. 7. They demanded acknowledgment of the Palestinian genocide and protection of students on campus. They reported being doxxed, getting their tires slashed, being followed and stalked. The incidents also included one professor following students wearing a hijab and calling them “terrorists” and “terrorist supporters”, according to the Instagram post.
- 21st – Temple SJP die-in for Rafah at library
- SJP organized a “die-in for Rafah” where a few dozen students gathered outside of Charles Library and laid in silence for an hour. The demonstration aimed to show support for Rafah, a city in Palestine which was under attack by Israel.
MARCH
- No campus incidents or demonstrations occurred.
APRIL
- 25th – Temple SJP March from campus to City Hall, beginning of UPenn College Green takeover
- Temple SJP took part in organizing a march to advocate for the liberation of Palestine. Temple students, faculty and community members marched from Main Campus to City Hall. Hundreds of participants gathered for this event. This occurred amid an increase of pro-Palestine demonstrations and student groups across the country urging their institutions to divest from companies that supported Israel.
- 30th – Temple Hillel hosts passover seder for hostages
- Temple’s Hillel members hosted a seder, a Jewish service and ceremonial dinner hosted the first one to two nights of Passover. The seder displayed 133 empty seats in representation of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas. Students arranged posters which included the names, ages and pictures of the hostages with the line “Bring him/her home now” written over top.
“We believe that behind every poster here, behind every picture, is a person with a whole life behind them and whole personality. They are all people at the end of the day and should have the seder table to celebrate with their loved ones, ” said an anonymous organizer and junior accounting and MIS major.
MAY
- 6th – 1st AEPI incident. “Free Palestine” was spray painted on the roof. No leads in investigation found so far, according to Vice President of Public Safety Jennifer Griffin.
- 10th – Penn encampment dismantled, misdemeanor charges against demonstrators.
- After a 16 day long pro-Palestinian encampment at Penn, student protesters from multiple colleges, including Temple, were arrested for misdemeanor charges. Philadelphia Police arrested roughly 30 protesters and dismantled the encampment. Protesters were given a 2 minute warning by police to exit the campus or they would risk arrest.
- 19th – Follow-up Penn encampment and misdemeanor charges
- After the first encampment was dismantled, students attempted to occupy Fisher-Bennett Hall at the University of Pennsylvania. At least one Temple student was arrested for participating in the second attempted encampment.
- 24th – 2nd AEPI vandalism incident – multiple unknown individuals trespassed onto the roof and attempted to open the roof hatch. TUPD issued two arrest warrants in connection to this incident.
JUNE
JULY
- 27th – 3rd AEPI incident.
- The third AEPI incident involving anti-semitic acts occurred. A large group of people went to the rooftop of the Jewish fraternity and banged on the access door. The incident included the same two individuals from the second AEPi vandalism case. Temple condemned the incidents on Aug. 2 and announced the arrest warrant for two individuals connected to the incident on Aug. 12. Temple Public Safety, Student Affairs, Philadelphia DA Office, the FBI and the Anti-Defamation League are all involved in the case.
AUGUST
- 15th – ACLU representing students for UPenn encampment
- Attorney Solomon F. Worlds begins representing the three students who are facing disciplinary action for their participation at the Penn encampment.
- 29th – SJP protest at Charles and Hillel – Temple condemns event
- A protest, named “dis-orientation rally”, originated at the Charles Library and moved to the Hillel at the Rosen Center. Englert condemned the protest, writing “We are deeply saddened and concerned by these events.Targeting a group of individuals because of their Jewish identity is not acceptable and intimidation and harassment tactics like those seen today will not be tolerated.”
- Temple updates on-campus demonstration guidelines in lieu of protests
- Temple included a copy of the Student Code of Conduct and guidelines for demonstrations in a welcome email to students. The email did not specify policy changes, nor was it listed in the revisions. The guidelines were changed by the university in August 2024.
“As we routinely do during the summer, university personnel spent time reviewing our existing policies, regulations and guidelines with an eye towards streamlining and clarifying them,” a university spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Temple News.
SEPTEMBER
- 7th – 4th AEPI incident, a AEPi brother got into an altercation with an individual
- 26th – Students detained at engineering career fair protests.
- A group of individuals were detained and arrested after a protest that disrupted the College of Engineering career fair. The protesters specifically targeted Lockheed Martin and Ghost Robotics.
- 27th – Temple places SJP on interim suspension.
- Temple placed SJP on interim suspension following the career fair protest. Temple said that SJP violated the on-campus demonstration guidelines.
“Failure to abide by university policies and these guidelines has consequences for student organizations as well as individual students,” said a university spokesperson. “As a result of recent conduct, Temple has placed [SJP] on interim suspension in accordance with the Student Conduct Code during the pendency of the conduct process.”
OCTOBER
- 1st – Temple SJP confirms suspension
- SJP posted the official letter from Dean of Students, Rachael Stark on Instagram, confirming their suspension.
- 2nd – CAIR announces legal action against Temple and PPD for their treatment of Muslim students on campus and in custody.
- 7th : Multiple events take place around Philadelphia for the anniversary of the Hamas attack a year ago.
- Temple SJP joined the four other universities in Philadelphia SJP Alliance at Drexel Square Park to commemorate a year of resistance. Temple Law Students for Justice in Palestine opened a space in Klein Hall alongside Muslim Law Students Association to honor those killed by the Israeli Occupation Forces. Temple Hillel planned a week’s worth of events, including a memorial, a roundtable for discussions, a yoga and a cooking event in honor of the hostages.
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