October 30, 2023

Dear President Dewan,

As you are no doubt well aware, on October 7, 2023, the terrorist organization Hamas invaded Israel from the Gaza strip and committed heinous and inexcusable acts of murder, torture, and kidnapping of Israeli civilians including elderly, children, and infants. In the weeks since these attacks, there has been a frightening, significant increase in antisemitic activity in the United States and worldwide. Alarmingly, many of us have personally witnessed social media posts that include content clearly attempting to justify the terroristic killing of Jewish people and perpetuating antisemitic tropes put forth by fellow Upstate students and colleagues.

Leaders of numerous educational institutions have publicly condemned the actions of Hamas and their supporters, not only on the basis of anti-Semitism and targeted religious violence, but also simply to make a statement in support of human rights and values. We, members of the Upstate community, are embarrassed, saddened, disappointed, and frankly angered that the leaders at our institution are not among them.

We are particularly upset by the recent suffering of Jews and Israelis. Additionally, we grieve the pain and suffering of all innocent people in the region as the terrible situation in the Middle East unfolds. We understand that some of our colleagues here at Upstate may hold differing opinions related to the history and politics of the Middle East. However, the intentional targeting and killing of innocent civilians is the very definition of terrorism. Any attempt to justify these actions on the part of a physician, nurse, student, or other member of an academic medical institution is simply inexcusable and unacceptable. The silence from Upstate leadership strikes us and many of our colleagues as implicit acceptance of such justification.

We, signed below, urge you to join the ranks of the presidents of numerous SUNY Institutions and our very own SUNY Chancellor* in making a clear, public statement against the actions of Hamas. In doing so, you will remind our community that Upstate Medical University is both an institution that upholds the values of basic human rights, and an institution in which all students, faculty, and staff can feel safe, respected, and valued.

*https://universitiesunitedagainstterrorism.org/