Demolition Notice
Residential students at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida responded in shock, dismay, and intrigue last Friday evening as they learned that their dorms were scheduled for demolition.
The action was initiated by members of Florida Atlantic University’s Students for Justice in Palestine, who spent their Friday evening posting mock eviction notices to highlight Israel’s illegal systematic policy of civilian home demolitions routinely undertaken in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel proper.
The action was modeled after similar initiatives previously undertaken by Palestine solidarity activists at Harvard, Yale, and the University of Chicago.
The activists were escorted by a group of residential staff as some 200 mock eviction notices were distributed in elevators and on the front doors of randomly-selected dorms at FAU’s three largest residential areas.
The students were told that they had three days to collect belongings and vacate before their dorms were to be demolished.
The objective was to raise awareness for the plight of the Palestinian people, in general, and in particular, a real Palestinian grievance that is grossly ignored by mainstream media and educational circles in the United States.
As stated in the mock notices, Israel’s systematic policy of home demolitions has been documented, confirmed, and denounced by a number of human rights-oriented groups, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.
A number of students stood at the front of their doors and read the notices, then walked away. One student ran into his room, and informed his roommate that their neighbor was getting evicted. The roommate went outside and asked, “Is this for real?”
The solidarity activists stuck around to answer questions asked by interested students. One student, who was unfamiliar with the issue, engaged in conversation with the activists. Expressing utter shock at this criminal Israeli practice, she routinely said, “That’s so sad, why would they do that?” The student left the conversation feeling more informed about the plight of the Palestinian people.
The action left students and residential personnel interested and informed.
It is hoped that other Palestine solidarity activists across the country will initiate similar actions in their communities in order to heighten awareness for the plight of Palestinians and stimulate demand for a redirection of American policy vis-a-vis Israel and Palestine.
Update:
Yesterday, Florida Atlantic University’s Students for Justice in Palestine found out that our campus-based Hillel has decided to take action regarding this. They are infuriated because the Housing Department approved the flyers and the initiative in general. Here is what Hillel’s Executive Director had to say:
Dear Hillel-
We are aware that on Friday a disturbing flyer was posted on FAU dorm doors by Students for Justice in Palestine. Even more upsetting to many of you has been the fact that this flyer was approved with an official stamp of the FAU housing department. Please know that we are taking steps this very morning to get answers from the university as to why this flyer was stamped for approval. While Hillel supports free speech and champions civil discourse on campus we will not sit idly by when Israel is singled out, delegitimized and demonized. We all deserve our campuses to be warm and welcome communities for Jewish students and ALL others. Please come in today to Hillel if you are upset, disturbed and concerned. Everyone is welcome. Kol Tuv – ( all good) Scott
Good on ya, UFAU Students for Justice in Palestine!
Frankly, I’m shocked that you were officially escorted by a group of residential staff (vs their trying to run you out of the place.)
Love to know more about that.
Neat. And good for Housing Authority if they really gave permission for this blatantly political action on campus. GOSH! Politics and education on campus.
Is the guy from Hillel implying Israel doesn’t demolish Palestinian homes?
And why should a group called ‘Students for Justice in Palestine’ work on every other issue except Israel-Palestine? They are a Palestinian solidarity group. That’s the point.
More proof that it’s not the nature of the criticism – it’s ANY criticism.
So they got upset that people were put in the shoes (to a small extent) of a Palestinian. Oh no!
It’s like the Zionists groups censoring the Palestinian children’s art exhibit or that Canadian Zionist group TRYING to but failing, to censor a book about a Palestinian girl.
Or angry Zionist students protesting Edward Said being mentioning in a standardized test for their school.
It’s all censorship and framed as ‘fighting the delegitimization of Israel’.
In fact, these Zionists groups are the ones singling Israel out. They single Israel out because to them, Israel cannot be criticized (for all practical purposes, criticism is not ‘we live in a tough neighborhood’ or ‘we aren’t a perfect country’ – LOL).
Cultists.
“While Hillel supports free speech and champions civil discourse on campus we will not sit idly by when Israel is singled out, delegitimized and demonized. ”
http://www.haaretz.com/misc/article-print-page/israel-s-high-court-is-halting-the-momentum-of-the-zionist-enterprise-1.421383?trailingPath=2.169%2C2.223%2C
“The Land of Israel, S.Y. Agnon wrote, is bought with suffering. And all those for whom the Land of Israel is dear and who accept the suffering with love, will have the privilege of seeing it built, he said. And may it come to pass that you, too, my children and grandchildren in Migron, as well as your friends who accept the suffering with sacrifice and love, will have the privilege of seeing it, soon and in our days, in its full splendor and glory.
The goys don’t like home demolitions. It is all part of g-d’s plan. Or else a mitzvah.
I was thinking about doing the very same thing for Zio friends I know, even to the point of setting up a phone number for them to call to petition their case.