To President Cudd and the Portland State University Board of Trustees,

We write as Jewish community members, Portland taxpayers, faculty, and students at Portland State University who are committed to academic freedom, intellectual rigor, and justice. We are deeply concerned about PSU’s decision to host a leadership institute run by Brandeis University’s President’s Initiative on Antisemitism.

Let us be clear: we are deeply disturbed by antisemitism, as we are by all forms of hate and bias. Antisemitism is foundational to the Christian nationalist extremist movement and is rising, with support from the Trump Administration. This initiative from Brandeis does not represent a genuine exploration of antisemitism. Rather, it advances an approach that weaponizes the charge of antisemitism in order to curtail speech advocating for Palestinian rights. Across the country, such accusations have had serious consequences for academic and individual freedom.

Brandeis University has labeled political advocacy for Palestinian rights as antisemitic and has framed political speech and human rights advocacy as hate speech. This approach blurs the critical distinction between hatred of Jews (antisemitism) and criticism of a nation-state. When that distinction collapses, the definition of antisemitism is distorted in ways that chill political discussion while doing nothing to keep Jews safe.

Recent actions by Brandeis University illustrate this pattern. In November 2023, Brandeis revoked recognition of its Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, stating, without substantiation, that the group’s statements were interpreted as support for Hamas.[1] During the same period, administrators warned students that chanting “From the river to the sea” constituted hate speech and could result in disciplinary action.[2] They sent a clear message that advocacy for Palestinian freedom, and criticism of Israeli state policy, could be treated as antisemitism. The foreseeable result is a chilling effect on speech, marginalization of Palestinian students, and exclusion of Jewish students whose ethical commitments lead them to dissent from Israeli government policy.

Context matters. The phrase “from the river to the sea” is not inherently a call for violence against Jews. For many Palestinians and their supporters, it expresses a demand for freedom and equal rights across the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Notably, the 1977 platform of Israel’s Likud party states, “Between the Sea and the Jordan there will only be Israeli sovereignty.”[3] Applying categorical condemnation to one usage while ignoring similar historical and political language used by Israeli political actors reflects a selective standard. Universities should resist such selectivity.

Major human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and B’Tselem, have concluded that the Israeli government is committing the crime of apartheid under international law in the occupied Palestinian territories.[4][5][6] These conclusions are not slogans; they are extensive legal analyses grounded in international conventions and documented evidence.

In January 2024, the International Court of Justice found South Africa’s claim under the Genocide Convention regarding Israeli military actions in Gaza to be plausible.[7] While the Court has not issued a final ruling — a process that historically can take years — its determination that the claim merits adjudication is legally significant. Labeling discussion of such documented legal findings as antisemitic undermines human rights discourse. Moreover, false accusations of antisemitism make it more difficult to prevent and confront genuine antisemitism. As Jews, we are appalled that our identity could be weaponized to defend or shield human rights violations as serious as apartheid and genocide.

Definitions matter. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition, endorsed by Brandeis University, includes examples related to Israel that civil liberties organizations warn may conflate certain criticisms of Israeli state policy with antisemitism.[8] When protest activity, human rights reporting, or advocacy for equal rights is categorized as antisemitic, the term loses precision. Dilution does not protect Jews. It weakens our collective ability to confront actual antisemitism, particularly at a time of rising white nationalist extremism.

Jewish perspectives on Israel are diverse. Pew Research Center and Gallup polling demonstrate generational and ideological variation among American Jews regarding Israeli government policy and Palestinian statehood.[9][10] Many Jews approach these questions through enduring Jewish ethical principles: pikuach nefesh, the prioritization of preserving human life; tzedek, tzedek tirdof — “justice, justice you shall pursue”; and the teaching that all human beings are created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God. These values compel opposition to all forms of bigotry and to systems that deny equal rights or endanger civilian life.

When institutions such as Brandeis equate Jewish identity with uncritical support for the nation-state of Israel, they cause real harm. They marginalize dissenting Jews, silence Palestinian voices, and narrow the intellectual space universities are meant to protect. This harm is not theoretical. It shapes which students feel safe speaking, organizing, and participating in campus life. It has cost individuals jobs and professional opportunities and has contributed to the broader erosion of academic freedom.[11]

PSU has a responsibility to ensure that any antisemitism education initiative it hosts clearly distinguishes between antisemitism, hostility toward Jews as Jews, and protected political speech about state policy. Combating antisemitism requires precision, not expansion of the term to cover political disagreement. A rigorous, evidence-based approach would strengthen the fight against real antisemitism while preserving PSU’s commitments to free inquiry, pluralism, and justice.

We recognize that discussions related to Israel and Palestine can generate discomfort. Discomfort, however, must not be confused with a lack of safety. When challenging speech is suppressed, critical thinking suffers.

We urge PSU to uphold its commitments and ensure that antisemitism education on this campus protects both Jewish safety and the integrity of academic freedom. We also request that PSU acknowledge that no group on campus is safe unless all are safe. Understanding antisemitism must be viewed as part of the collective efforts to protect the dignity and safety of all who share the campus community.

As Frederick Lawrence, former president of Brandeis University, has stated: “We have been far too loose with what we mean by threatened… Many people feel that when they hear views that they deeply disagree with, that’s threatening to them. That’s not how universities operate. You are not entitled to be intellectually safe. You are entitled to be physically safe.”[12]

Respectfully,

Jewish Voice for Peace Portland, Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights, Multnomah Friends Meeting, American Friends Service Committee, Al-Awda, Code Pink, War Resistors League, Congressional Candidate for OR-5 Zeva Rosenbaum, Portland City Council Candidate Jeremy Beausoleil Smith, Kelcie Smolin, Julia Ford, Isaiah Kaplan, Dr Eleanor Wynn, Maureen Murphy (PSU SEES Alumni 2025), Dennis Fox, Au Nguyen, Alex Wise, Adam Segal, tash shatz, Samantha Fakharzadeh, Kylie Cleveland, Judith Lienhard, Sadie McCarthy, Shari Bush, Mr Nathaniel Holder, Betsy Zucker, Mr Peter Miller, Mar Zusman, Charles Henderson, Max Meyers, Kasey Brenner, Colleta Macy, Michelle Lachance, Mog Hazard, Baxter Call, Nurse practitioner (retired) Maxine Fookson, Randolph Splitter, Ashley Matthews, Melanie Cambron, Lydia Kiesling, Daniel Sachs MD, Dale Oller, Dr. Camilo Marquez, Max White, Kim Mander, Colleen Dixon, Jennifer Kain, PSU alum Molly Katzman, PSU Alumni Katie Langer, Hillel Samlan, johanna harman, John Nettleton, Jewish PSU Alumnus Ana Bane, Ann Douglas, Jaklyn Brookman, Ellie Linsley, Mr. Rolf Friis, Judith Solomon, Maddie Loup, Bruce Poinsette, Cindy Bagby, Scott Mahood, Adir Blum, Certified Nurse-Midwife Sharlotte Irwin, John Grosvenor, Sheila Golden, Jennifer Grosvenor, Registered Nurse Lisebeth Jacobs, Laurie Mercier, JOHN MUNSON, Miriam Budner, Natalie Foster, Sheryl Hirshon, Scott Carpenter, PSU assistant professor Gisela Rodriguez, Kyle Chambers, Theo Spain, Professor Nishant Shahani, Anne Kohut, Nat Bauer, Laurie King, PhD Eleanor Wynn, Carol Landsman, Jean Johnson, Professor Emerita Helen Jaskoski, Chris Coughlin, Mary Anne Joyce, Retired university professor Dr. Susan Carkin, Stu Belkin, Vicki Simon, Julie Wolk, Professor Dave Knieter, Melisa Crosby, Ericka Kimball, Distinguished Professor Edouard Machery, Claudine Lefevre, Casey Landau, Cristy Murray, PhD Ramona Tougas, Laura Berg, PSU Alum Jamie Jones, PSU student Emmy Sterling, Harper Haverkamp, Sophomore at PSU Zahraa Taha, Associate Professor José Antonio Padín, Prof. Joel Beinin, Former WRC Director Nic Francisco, John Linder, PJ CARTER, Sarah Eggers, Celestial Sciolla, Attorney Ned Rosch, Lauren Marsh, Steve Cheseborough, School social worker Amanda Boman-Mejia, Rick Krebs, M.D., rank and file United Food and Commercial Workers local 555 Glenn Kirkindall, Mel Ginsberg, Alaina Haynes, Natalie Clifford, physician and Jewish congregation lay leader Harriet Cooke, Mrs. Mary Trolan, Mark Trolan, Omar Wiilhawd, Ken Rosenberg, Chiara Rothenberg, Dr. Stephen Auerbach, Pamela Vasquez, Paul Reid, Lauren Enciso, Student at PSU Allen Myers, Professional Mental Health Therapist Naomi Berg, Anesa Burkic, Raumene Rahatzad, Levi Katz, Carole McIntosh, Nesa Levy, Amanda Durnez, Gerson Robboy, Amanda Sloane, Gordon Stainforth, Rachel Goodman, Dr. Laura Orgel, Debbie Johnson, Juliette Dunn, Matthew Nelkin, Regan Crowley, Sandy Miller, Kathleen Juergens, Jacquelyn Moon, Andrea Leoncavallo, suzanne malitz, Gina Norman, Doctor of theology Joshua Kennedy, MSW Talcott Broadhead, Camilo Marquez, Kyla Zaret, June Grey,Madeleine Wilson, Kiki Aardsma Kosokoff, Tyson Stanger, Eleanor Gordon, PSU alum Judy Arielle Fiestal, Dee Poujade, Jamie Meyers, Ann Turner, PhD Lois Bronfman, Johanna Brenner, Emma Lugo, Linda Arndt, Oregon Community Peace Fund, Kima Garrison, Karmel Ungerleider-Abrams, Kirsten Allen, J Bannester, Sally Joughin, Lisa Stoney, Harry Kershner, PCC instructor (retired) and former PSU history grad student Marc Rose, Riley Bosca, Pennelloppe Allee, Sarah Schaeffer, None Sepideh Rabii, Mariah Rivera, William Singer, Marley Sherwood, Phil Goldsmith, Michael Dressman, Mark Woodlief, Sue Lewis, Greg Allen, Jamie Cirillo, Dr. Kris Alman, Max White, Maya Edelstein, Travis Sergi, Layla Assem, Instructor Marlene Eid, Toby Lyons, Larke Schuldberg, Mona Mayfield, Elizabeth Sauer, Dr. Teresa McFarland, David Newman, Curriculum Editor, Rethinking Schools Bill Bigelow, Holly Hoffnung, Hailey De Marre, PSU Alum & Centennial School Board Director David Linn, Carrie Stanziola, Dr. Rick Staggenborg, Annie Robb,John Gunn, reza antoszewska, Jillian Goldstein, Paola Santiago Del Castillo, Alexander Farmer, Linda SantAngelo, Djodi Deutsch, Julia Lager-Mesulam, Sheridan Horning, Laura Nitti, Melissa Darby, Betsy Tighe, Jan Zuckerman, Carole Bryan, Jodi Kansagor, Kris DeMaria, Jessica Griepenburg, Nancy Hedrick, Monica Parmley-Frutiger, Jaymee Martin, Dr. Ethan Scarl, Ned Rosch, William Resnick, Theodora Tsongas, PhD, Mary Sykora, Professor Gina Greco, Frann Michel, Alexa Zeryck, Former PSU student & former PSU adjunct instructor Sandy Polishuk, Gaetano DeLeonibus, Timothy Hardin, Olivia Buscho, Jodi Zeisel, PSU Alumnus Kip Sallak, Janan Stoll, Dr. Eugene Robbins, Denise Morris, Susan Crowley, Dr. Andrew Braun, Jenny Wilde, Simeen Anjum, John Nettleton, Harry Kershner, PSU Student Rebecca Stine, Tai Ledah, Max Ruiz DeZarate, Elizabeth Withers, Mary Trolan, MSW Candidate Shaili Parekh, Sophie Guthrie, Zicra Lukin, Anne Trudeau, Patricia Kullberg, Skylar Cruz, Asher Wallis, Mel Liu, David Wieland, Jake Birkel, Dr. Eleanor Wynn, Robin Stump, Lena White, PSU Alumni Jenka Soderberg, Itsyk Silver, Hannah Lee, Juliette Dunn, Kami Gould, annie capestany, Trey Winslow Spears, Hannah Zaiv, Hazel Robin, Adriel Rozenblum, Ms. Diana Greene, Anne Levin, PSU faculty Dr. Aaron Roussell, Professor Jennifer Ruth, Vasiliki Touhouliotis, College staff Taylor Feldman, Daniel Guevara, Xochitl Hernandez, Gabriel Benevento, PSU Student Sophie Minnick, Kyra Hamann, Diego Garibay, Kate Whitfield, Teaching Assistant Professor Angela Zagarella,