by Alex Lloyd Gross
Hamas, the terror organization that slaughtered and raped Jewish people on October 7,2023 and started a war with Israel has been the focus of many protests. In Philadelphia, at the University Of Pennsylvania, there have been many protests in favor of Hamas and in favor of Israel.
The protests that were praising Hamas, and calling the the slaughter of Jewish people on the campus of Penn were wrong on every level. During an appearance in Washington DC, Penn President Liz Magill was asked if the call for genocide of Jewish People on the Penn Campus would violate Penn’s policy, she waffled her answer. It was a yes or no answer, but Magill began a long winded response about context and other minutiae.
Many people in the Delaware Valley were horrified at her response, and the responses given by other IVY League universities. Calling for the genocide of any people that are of any race or practice any religion is reprehensible. The language of the pro Palestine protesters makes Jewish people in and around Penn feel unsafe and unwanted.
Republican candidate Dave McCormick issued a statement and he is one of many calling for Macgill to resign or be fired. His response is below:.
“For weeks we’ve watched President Magill fail to respond appropriately as antisemitic incidents mounted on her campus.
“Yesterday, Magill was repeatedly asked if calling for the genocide of Jews violates Penn’s rules or code of conduct, and she repeatedly failed to answer affirmatively.
“This is completely unacceptable from the leader of one of America’s top universities. I today call on Penn’s board of trustees to immediately remove President Magill and replace her with a leader who understands that calling for genocide against Jews is wrong and it must be combated.
“Based on President Magill’s performance in the Congress yesterday, she lacks the depth, understanding and awareness of how antisemitism is real and how it must be fought.
“She has failed the students of Penn, its alumni and our state.
“This is a scary time for the Jewish community, and every person in a position of power must unequivocally support them and put a stop to antisemitism at every opportunity,” said McCormick.
Penn President Magill has come under a firestorm of criticism for bot her inaction and her failure to condemn antisemitism before congress. Calls are mounting for her termination. She took to Twitter ( now X) to issue a statement.
The protests at Penn and other places are not going to stop the war. It is lunacy to think that Hamas and Israel are going to see what is going on with the protests and suddenly stop fighting. The protests in favor of Palestine have a reputation of turning violent. Close to Penn, an angry mob of Palestinian supporters converged on Goldie, a restaurant simply because the owner is Jewish . Also, national craft chain store Hobby Lobby is under fire for refusal to sell Hanukkah decorations or crafts, while the store has a well stocked selection of Christmas items. Many Jewish people view this as a slap in the face and have started a national boycott of the store.
During the pandemic, Hobby Lobby tried desperately to keep it’s doors open by claiming they were selling things useful for the pandemic. In most areas, that excuse failed the stores were ordered closed.