Ministry for Diaspora Affairs | The State of Affairs at U.S. Universities

JVP - Jewish Voice for Peace

Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) describes itself as "the largest Jewish anti-Zionist progressive organization in the world." The organization prioritizes activities such as political actions, protests, and rallies against the State of Israel. It has been suggested that these activities have a negative impact on Jewish communities in the United States. Immediately following the Hamas attack on October 7, JVP expressed its support for Hamas and released a statement claiming that "the root of all this violence" is "Israeli apartheid and occupation, and the United States' partnership in oppression." On 22 May 2021, a speaker at a Free Palestine Coalition (which

includes organizations such as JVP, SJP and YDSA) rally in Philadelphia states about Hamas: "We have to be willing to do anything for Palestine, not just in words. We have to be like our brothers, our soldiers of Gaza, our soldiers of the resistance. When you start to understand those words you will start becoming less afraid of saying the H word, [Hamas] what is the H word? They are the only ones that’s fighting for Palestinians". Due to JVP's activities on campuses, Columbia University banned both JVP and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) from holding events on its campuses.

The activities of JVP and SJP chapters were prohibited from Columbia University's campuses in November 2023. However, on November 19, 2024, both organizations held an unofficial protest on campus named “Hands Off Gaza and Yemen.” SJP openly celebrated the Hamas massacre on October 7, leading to their activities being banned on campuses in several states in the U.S.. Columbia University stated that both clubs violated university policy and expressed "threatening rhetoric and intimidation."

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