CU Board of Trustees Responds to Anti-Semitic Slogans at Home During Anti-Israel Protest

Denver police monitor a group of pro-Palestinian protesters before the Denver Pride Parade on Sunday, June 23, 2024. (Photo by Zachary Spindler Craig/The Denver Post)

Having sniper-trained police in our neighborhood to protect us and our homes is something we never expected to see when we were elected to the University of Colorado Board of Trustees (an unpaid elected position).

But that’s exactly what happened to both of us when a group of anti-Israel protesters descended on both our homes this month. We are extremely grateful to the police who protected us and our families, and we remain grateful to the many community members of all faiths and backgrounds who supported us during the protests at our homes.

Inflicting our families and neighbors in protest in their own homes is unacceptable, and we hope all leaders – Democrats, Republicans and independents – can join in condemning it, as our colleagues on the CU Board of Trustees did in a 9-0 vote.

The activists leading these protests say the Board of Regents has not listened to or responded to them. They have been protesting on our campus since October and have made their demands known to multiple groups. They have attended CU Board of Regents meetings and spoken in public sessions. They have emailed us:

We have listened to them, as we would with any group or individual. There is a difference between not listening and not agreeing. On May 16, 2024, the Board released a statement that read in part, “No Board has proposed policy changes in response to requests.”

We know very well that as elected officials, you do not demand anything in a democracy. You state your case and hope people will agree with it. We sincerely hope that we can all acknowledge that the suffering happening in the world right now is unbearable. It is complex and unjust. The violence and suffering inflicted on babies, children, the elderly, and other innocent civilians is the worst act of humanity.

Criticism of Israel and Hamas is acceptable and protected speech, and as a board of trustees we encourage deep, complex discussions about difficult topics because that is the role of an American university.

But the decades-old Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement that these protesters are part of aims to dismantle the Jewish state and end the right of Jewish self-determination, and does not encourage people-to-people contact, opportunities for dialogue or engagement with those who hold opposing views.

What we will not tolerate is the deliberate creation of an unsafe environment for students, staff, faculty or any other members of our community, including Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslims, Christians and Arabs, and atheists.

At Denver Pride last week and in front of our home, people transformed racist phrases like “from the river to the sea,” which has been used to call for the extermination of Jews from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. This is unacceptable.

In front of our house, they shouted “Worldwide Intifada” and “Resist by any means necessary” — both racist calls to kill and expel all Jews around the world, particularly deplorable in front of the Spiegels, an American Jewish family descended from Holocaust survivors.

Much of the commentary and slogans used by protesters oversimplifies the ancient history of a land that has no comparison to the United States, South Africa or other countries. The binary narratives told serve to spread disinformation, incite hatred and perpetuate dangerous anti-Semitic tropes.

Finally, it is also unacceptable that protesters are openly expressing support for internationally recognized terrorist organisations such as Hamas and Hezbollah in conjunction with their anti-Israel protests.