Open Letter to University Administrators

Dear University Administrators:

As of October 24, Israeli air strikes had killed over 5,087 Palestinians in Gaza, including over 2,000 children; one million Palestinians and counting have been displaced from their homes; Israelis are still counting their dead in the wake of Hamas’s brutal attacks on civilians; and hostages held by Hamas remain unaccounted for. The Israeli military continues to indiscriminately bomb densely populated areas of Gaza and critical civilian infrastructure, including with white phosphorus. On October 17, multiple reliable sources reported the bombing of the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, killing at least 500 and as many as 1,000 Palestinians who were wounded or seeking shelter in the hospital. Israeli forces continue to blockade food, electricity, medical supplies, and aid from entering the region, exacerbating an already severe humanitarian crisis. This catastrophe, which has shocked the world, follows a year of intensifying violence and decades of apartheid and occupation against Palestinians.

We the undersigned are writing with profound concern over reports that students and faculty who have publicly criticized human rights abuses against Palestinians, engaged in anti-war activism, and/or signed on to statements in support of Palestinian human rights have been targeted by doxxing, threats, harassment, retaliation, and violence.

As professors, researchers, lecturers, and others who defend human rights and free speech, we urge university administrators to ensure members of their academic communities are protected from and supported during these attacks. 

There have been a number of troubling cases of speech suppression on campuses across the country. Though details are still emerging, these instances include a billboard truck driving around Harvard University displaying the names and faces of students allegedly affiliated with organizations that signed onto a Harvard Palestine Solidarity Group statement; an NYU law student losing a job offer after penning a statement against Israel; a viral campaign to oust Yale University Professor Zareena Grewal after she tweeted a post that called Israel “genocidal” and included “#FreePalestine”; Columbia Professor Joseph Massad also facing calls for removal and baseless accusations of “condoning and supporting terrorism” after penning an article on the recent escalation; among others.

Silence, empty platitudes, and capitulation from academic institutions serve to embolden these attacks, creating an environment in which people, particularly young people who have yet to begin their careers, have been intimidated into silence. This degrades the paramount precepts of free speech and academic freedom that universities exist to promote—during a time when principled stances against rampant human rights abuses are critical.

The campaigns against students that we have witnessed over the last several days are not new. In recent years, there have been countless attempts to harass, dox, and force retribution against students, faculty, researchers, and others who take principled positions in support of human rights and against apartheid, particularly in Israel and Palestine.

We call on you to implement all measures necessary to protect all those in your community facing harassment, doxxing, censorship, and retaliation—and to sanction those responsible. Protecting free speech and preserving robust public discourse is crucial during these trying times.

Sincerely, the undersigned

Click here to sign on to the letter.

Title and affiliation listed for identification purposes only. 

List of individual signatories is organized alphabetically by first name.

Last updated January 23, 12:30 p.m. PT.

University Network for Human Rights

Jewish Voice for Peace Academic Advisory Council

Muslim Advocates 

Abdul Rehman Khan, Center for Social Justice at Seton Hall Law School, Assistant Clinical Professor

Afsaneh Rigot, Senior Researcher

Dr. Ahlam Muhtaseb, California State University, San Bernardino, Professor 

Akeel Bilgrami, Columbia University, Sidney Morgenbesser Professor of Philosophy

Alan Meyers, Boston University, Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics 

Dr. Alexandra Juhasz, Brooklyn College CUNY, Distinguished Professor of Film

Alexander Key, Stanford University, Associate Professor

Alice Rothchild MD, Harvard University, MD

Amy Catanzano, Wake Forest University

Amy Hagopian, University of Washington (identification only), Professor Emeritus

Andrea Cassatella, Makerere Institute of Social Research, Senior Research Fellow

Andrew Ross, New York University, Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis

Anneka Lenssen, UC Berkeley, Associate Professor

Antonina Woodsum, Wesleyan University, Assistant Professor

Aradhana Sharma, Wesleyan University

Assaf Kfoury, Boston University, Professor of Computer Science

Bahia Munem, Columbia University, Lecturer

Barry Trachtenberg, Wake Forest University, Rubin Presidential Chair of Jewish History

Bassam Khawaja, Columbia Law School, Lecturer in Law

Dr. Benay Blend, Retired Professor of American History, Dr.

Beth Stephens, Rutgers Law School, Distinguished Professor 

Bill Mullen, Purdue University, Professor Emeritus of American Studies

Bishnupriya Ghosh, UC Santa Barbara, Professor 

Blanca Missé, San Francisco State University, Associate Professor of French

Bram Wispelwey, Harvard Medical School

Brenda Hillman, Saint Mary’s College of California, Professor Emerita of English

Brent Armendinger, Pitzer College, Professor of English and World Literature

Brian K Barber, University of Tennessee, Professor Emeritus

Bruce Robbins, Columbia University, Old Dominion Foundation Professor in the Humanities

Caleb Luna, Feminist Studies, UCSB, Assistant Professor

Can Aciksoz, UCLA, Associate Professor

Carol Anne Spreen, New York University, Professor 

Carole H Browner, UCLA, Professor

Caroline Hahn, Rapoport Center, Texas Law, Senior Program Coordinator

Carribean Fragoza, California Institute of the Arts, Faculty, School of Critical Studies

Cathy Park Hong, UC Berkeley, Professor

Charmaine Chua, UC Santa Barbara, Assistant Professor

Christine Hong, Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, UC Santa Cruz, Professor

Cinder Cooper Barnes, Montgomery College, Professor of English 

Claire Nyles Suer, Wake Forest University, Library Specialist

Colin Dayan, Vanderbilt, Professor

Cori Hayden, UC Berkeley, Professor of Anthropology

Cynthia Franklin, University of Hawai'i, Prof. of English

Cynthia Franklin, University of Hawai'i, Professor of English

Cyra Akila Choudhury, FIU College of Law, Professor of Law 

Daniel Segal, Pitzer College, Jean M. Pitzer Professor Emeritus

Danya Reda, University of Massachusetts School of Law, Assistant Professor

David H. Slavin PhD, UALE (labor educators), UU Congregation of Atlanta UUCA, Retired Instructor

David Klein, California State University Northridge, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics

David Palumbo-Liu, Stanford University, Louise Hewlett Nixon Professor

David Wittenberg, University of Iowa, Professor of English & Cinematic Arts

Deborah M. Weissman, UNC School of Law, Reef C. Ivey Ii Distinguished Professor of Law

Deborah Paredez, Columbia University School of the Arts Writing Program, Associate Professor 

Deena R. Hurwitz, Human Rights Lawyer

Dennis Kortheuer, California State University, Long Beach emeritus, Dr.

Devra Anne Weber, History, UC Riverside, Professor Emerita

Dianne Post, Attorney

Diego H. Alcalá Laboy, Delaware Law School, Assistant Professor of Law

Dina Al-Kassim, University of British Columbia, Professor 

Don Goldstein, Allegheny College, Emeritus Professor of Economics

Dwight Reynolds, UC Santa Barbara

Edward Telles, University of California Irvine, Professor

Eileen Boris, University of California Santa Barbara, Hull Professor of Feminist Studies

Ejim Dike, Human Rights advocate, 

Elæ Moss, Pratt Institute, Bennington College, Adjunct Professor, Humanities and Media Studies/Architecture Humanities, Public Action Fellow

Elisabeth Weber, University of California, Professor 

Elliott Colla, Georgetown University, Associate Professor

Elyse Crystall, UNC Chapel Hill, Professor of English and Comparative Literature

Emily Lim Rogers, Duke University, Assistant Professor

Faisal Asad, Stanford University

Frank Deale, CUNY Law School, Professor of Law 

Frederick Neuhouser, Barnard College, Professor of Philosophy

Gary Fields, University of California, San Diego, Professor

George Bajalia, Wesleyan University, Assistant Professor of Anthropology

Gray Tuttle, Columbia University , Professor of Modern Tibetan Studies

Guy Emerson Mount, Wake Forest University, Assistant Professor

Hallie Jay Pope, Seton Hall Law School, Director, NJ Legal Design Lab

Hamid Dabashi, Columbia University, Professor 

Hannah Chazin, Columbia University, Assistant Professor

Harmony O'Rourke, Pitzer College, Professor of History

Heather Ferguson, Claremont McKenna College, Associate Professor of History 

Hiba Hafiz, Boston College Law School, Associate Professor of Law

Howard Winant, University of California, Santa Barbara, Distinguished Professor Emeritus

Ira Dworkin, Texas A&M University

James (Jim) Cavallaro, Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs, Visiting Professor 

Jaya Ramji-Nogales, Temple Law School, Professor of Law

Jeffrey Allman Gritzner, The University of Montana-Missoula, Professor Emeritus

Jeffrey Sacks, University of California, Riverside, Associate Professor

Jeffrey Skoller, UC Berkeley, Professor Emeritus

Jen/Eleana Hofer, Otis College of Art & Design, Faculty

Jen McCormack, PhD, Scholar, Research Administration

Jennifer Derr, University of California, Santa Cruz, Associate Professor

Jenny Veninga, St. Edward's University, Associate Professor

Jess Peake, UCLA School of Law, Director, International and Comparative Law Program, Assistant Director, the Promise Institute for Human Rights

Jesse W. Torgerson, Wesleyan University, Associate Professor of Letters

Jigna Desai, University of California, Santa Barbara, Professor

Jih-Fei Cheng, Scripps College, Associate Professor and Chair of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

JM Kirby, MADRE, Advocacy Director

John Keene, Rutgers University-Newark, Distinguished Professor, English & Africana Studies

John Womack Jr., Harvard University, Professor of History, Emeritus

Jonathan Gingerich, Rutgers University, Associate Professor of Law

Jordan Lord, Colorado College, Assistant Professor

Joseph Albernaz, Department of English and Comparative Literature (Columbia), Assistant Professor

Joseph Berra, Promise Institute for Human Rights UCLA School of Law, Human Rights in the Americas Director

Joseph Russo, Wesleyan University, Visiting Assistant Professor, Anthropology 

Joseph Weiss, Wesleyan University, Associate Professor of Anthropology

Josh Petersen, PhD Candidate, University of Michigan; JD Student, Stanford Law School

Joshua Schreier, Vassar College, Professor

Joyce Aruri

Ju Hui Judy Han, UCLA, Assistant Professor

Judith Butler, UC Berkeley, Distinguished Professor in the Graduate School

Judith Chomsky

Judith Norman, Trinity University, Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy

Justin Wilck, Alumni

Kaeley McMahan, Wake Forest University

Kamala Visweswaran, Rice University, Professor of Anthropology

Karen Tongson, University of Southern California, Professor of Gender & Sexuality Studies, English, and American Studies & Ethnicity 

Kate Skolnick, NYU School of Law, Acting Assistant Professor of Lawyering

Kathryn Casa, School for International Training, Communications Officer

Kaven Thaeir Konda, Johns Hopkins University, Department of Biology , Ph.D. Candidate

Kehaulani Kauanui, Wesleyan University, Professor

Keith P. Feldman, UC Berkeley, Associate Professor

Kelsey Jost-Creegan, Columbia Law School, Lecturer in Law

Khaled Abou El Fadl, UCLA, Professor

Khalil Barhoum, Stanford University 

Kimberly S. Drake, Scripps College, Professor

Kristina Gupta, Wake Forest University, Associate Professor

Laila Parsons, McGill University, Professor

Lama Abu Odeh, Georgetown Law Center, Professor

Lara Deeb, Scripps College, Professor of Anthropology

Lara Sheehi, George Washington University

Laura A. Harris, Pitzer College, Professor Africana Studies and English and World Literatures

Laura Goldblatt, University of Virginia

Laura Mullen, Wake Forest University, Kenan Chair in the Humanities

Laury Oaks, UCSB

Lawrence Davidson, West Chester University, Professor Emeritus

Lila Davachi, Columbia University, Professor

Lindsay M. Harris, University of San Francisco School of Law, Professor of Law 

Linval DePass, Jewish Voice for Peace South Bay Chapter, Executive Director, NonClinical Safety and Principal Scientist, Durect Corporation

Lisa Brooks, Amherst College, Professor

Lisa Duggan, NYU, Professor, Social and Cultural Analysis

Lisa Hajjar, University of California Santa Barbara, Professor of Sociology 

Lisa Rofel, University of California, Santa Cruz, Professor Emerita

Loubna Qutami, Department of Asian American Studies, UCL, Assistant Professor

Mahmood Mamdani, USA, Columbia University, Professor 

Malini Johar Schueller, University of Florida, Professor

Manzar Foroohar, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, History Professor Emerita 

Mark LeVine, UC Irvine, Professor

Martha Schoolman, Florida International University, Associate Professor of English

Maryam Jamshidi, Colorado Law School, Associate Professor

Max Weiss, Princeton University, Associate Professor of History

Dr. Michael Bradburn-Ruster, JVP, UC Berkeley, Reed College, Prescott College, Dr.

Michael Drexler, Bucknell University, Professor of English

Michael Harris, Columbia University, Professor

Michaelle Browers, Wake Forest University, Professor

Mikael Wolfe, Stanford University, Associate Professor of History

Mir Yarfitz, Wake Forest University, Associate Professor of History

Muriam Haleh Davis, UCSC, Associate Professor of History

Nadah Feteih, Berkman Klein Center, Harvard Law School, Fellow

Nadejda Marques, Wesleyan University (visiting Spring 2024)

Nancy Gallagher, UCSB, Professor Emerita

Natasha Chokhani, NYU Law, Acting Assistant Professor of Lawyering

Neferti Tadiar, Barnard College, Professor of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality

Nick Estes, University of Minnesota, Assistant Professor of American Indian Studies

Nidhi Mahajan, University of California - Santa cruz, Assistant Professor

Paige West, Barnard College and Columbia University, Claire Tow Professor of Anthropology 

Partha Chatterjee, Columbia University, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and MESAAS 

Patricia Dailey, Columbia University, Associate Professor

Philip Metres, John Carroll University, Professor

Piya Chatterjee, Scripps College, Professor 

Premilla Nadasen, Barnard College, Professor of History

Rami G Khouri, American University of Beirut, Distinguished Fellow; Anthony Shadid Archives Project Director

Rashid Khalidi, Columbia University, Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies

Rebecca L. Stein, Duke University, Professor

Richard Drake, University of Montana, Lucile Speer Research Professor of Politics and History

Richard Grusin, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Distinguished Professor Emeritus

Robert Warrior, University of Kansas 

Robert Wisnovsky, McGill University, Professor

Roberto Lovato, Author, Journalist, Professor of English

Roberto Saba, Wesleyan University, Assistant Professor of American Studies

Robin D. G. Kelley, UCLA, Professor of History

Romeo Guzman, Claremont Graduate University, Assistant Professor, History Department

Rosalind Petchesky, Hunter College & the Graduate Center, CUNY, Distinguished Professor Emerita

Rosinka Chaudhuri, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta, Professor

Ruhan Nagra, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, Associate Professor of Law 

S. Shankar, University of Hawai`i, Professor

Sam Asher, Imperial College London, Associate Professor of Economics

Sam Cohen, Oberlin College

Samera Esmeir, UC Berkeley, Associate Professor

Sana Malik, Meerkat Media, Owner/Filmmaker

Sandra Babcock, Cornell Law School, Clinical Professor

Sang Kil, San Jose State University, Professor

Sara Borjas, California State University, East Bay, Assistant Professor

Sara Roy, CMES, Harvard University, Associate

Sarah Combellick-Bidney, Augsburg University, Associate Professor

Sarah Kessler, University of Southern California, Assistant Professor of English

Sarah Raynor, Wake Forest University, Professor

Sasha Plotnikova, Cal Poly Pomona, Lecturer

Sharif Elmusa, The American University in Cairo, Associate Professor, Emeritus

Sharika Thiranagama, Stanford University, Associate Professor of Anthropology 

Sherally Munshi, Georgetown University Law Center, Professor of Law

Sherene H. Razack, UCLA, Distinguished Professor

Shirin Sinnar, Stanford Law School, Professor of Law

Stephen Sheehi, William & Mary, Sultan Qaboos Professor of Middle East Studies

Stephen Zunes, University of San Francisco, Professor of Politics

Stephanie Koscak, Wake Forest University, Associate Professor of History

Steve Botticelli, NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, Adjunct Clinical Professor

Suad Joseph, UC Davis, Distinguished Research Professor

Susan Harlan, Wake Forest University, Professor

Tamar Hayrikyan, Wesleyan University, Visiting Instructor

Tamara Afifi, University of California Santa Barbara , Professor 

Teneille Brown, University of Utah (views my own), Professor of Law

Terri Ginsberg, City University of New York

Thomas Becker, Wesleyan University, Visiting Professor

Thomas E. Kadri, University of Georgia School of Law, Assistant Professor of Law

Usha Iyer, Stanford University

Vasuki Nesiah, The Gallatin School, NYU, Professor of Practice

Veena Dubal, UC Irvine Law, Professor of Law

Vida Samiian, CSU Fresno, Professor and Dean Emerita

Vida Samiian, California State University, Fresno, Professor and Dean Emerita

Vladyslav Lanovoy, Université Laval, Assistant Professor of Public International Law

Wael Hallaq, Columbia University, Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities 

Wayne Proudfoot, Columbia University, Professor of Religion, Emeritus

William I. Robinson, University of California at Santa Barbara, Distinguished Professor of Sociology 

Yahya Sseremba, Makerere University, Dr.

Yvette Raquel Vasquez, UC Irvine , PhD Candidate, Anthropology 

Zainab Bahrani, Columbia University, Edith Porada Professor Art History and Archaeology

Zeynep Korkman, UCLA, Associate Professor 

Zinaida Miller, Northeastern University, Professor of Law and International Affairs