Photo: Jewish students and organizers applaud after Undergraduate Student Government in Tempe passed Resolution 12 on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019. Photo courtesy Ben Moffat, The State Press
The Undergraduate Student Government of Tempe passed Resolution 12 on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, at the Memorial Union Stage at Arizona State University in Tempe. The resolution aimed to support Jewish students at ASU; opposing student groups had criticized the resolution out of concern that it conflated anti-Semitism with criticism of the Israeli government.
The following is a statement from Hillel at ASU regarding the Resolution to Stand With Jewish Students at ASU:
Hillel at ASU would like to thank the Undergraduate Student Government of Tempe for their unanimous support of the “Resolution to Stand With Jewish Students at ASU,” which passed by acclamation Tuesday evening (Dec. 3, 2019). Jewish students are proud to be part of the diverse ASU community and appreciate the affirmation that USGT “does not support anti-Semitism and stands by the Jewish community.” Student leaders have worked tirelessly over the last several weeks to connect with senators and administrators about ongoing challenges faced by Jewish students on campus.
Most importantly, this resolution reminds the campus community that USGT “does not support any type of intimidation, hate speech, or threats directed towards anyone.” This resolution is another step towards embracing the ASU Charter of being measured not by who we exclude but by who we include and how they succeed.
Sophomore Gabriel Lewis addressed the USGT, sharing, “These past few weeks have been difficult for many Jewish students on campus. I would like to thank you for being here and listening to us. We have come to you with our concerns and we feel heard. We are grateful for this resolution, and thank you again for doing what you can so that the Jewish community feels safe here at ASU.”
We want to thank our dedicated and wonderful staff for their tremendous commitment to our students and Jewish life at ASU Hillel. We also want to thank Hillel International, the Israel on Campus Coalition, StandWithUs, Chabad at ASU and AEPi for their support during this difficult time.
Our staff and student leaders remain committed to being part of the solution as we express our connections to and support of Israel. ASU Hillel will continue to nurture an inclusive community that supports peace and honest dialogue and that works to make our campus, our community and our Jewish homeland safer and more peaceful.
In the coming weeks, we look forward to sharing further updates about all of the semester’s highlights and upcoming programming.
For more information on the Hillel Jewish Student Center at ASU, visit hillelasu.org.
