On September 22-24, 2023 The University of Pennsylvania will be hosting the “Palestine Writes Literature Festival,” featuring some of the most hostile and prolific antisemites on its campus - many of whom have direct connections to designated terrorist groups. This groupthink “conference,” serves the sole mission of vilification against the world’s one and only Jewish state, and promotion of dangerous and radical rhetoric.
The event, hosted by the radical anti-Israel group Palestine Writes, states its purpose as bringing "Palestinian cultural workers from all parts of Historic Palestine and our exiled Diaspora together with peers from other marginalized groups in the United States.’ Why then do so many of the speakers at the event hold merit with terror groups or have a track record of supporting violence against Israeli and Jewish civilians as part of their activism? Why would an Ivy-League school with the caliber of University of Pennsylvania allow its own academic departments (Penn Arts and Sciences, Cinema and Media studies, Near Eastern Languages, and Civilizations and Middle East Center) to officially sponsor such an event?
University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Community Standards and Accountability Center (CSA) holds a mission, “to promote accountability, integrity, healing, and community building within the Penn community. CSA works to resolve violations of the Code of Academic Integrity and the Code of Student Conduct, as well as to coordinate university response to address incidents of bias and harm within our community. Partnering with students, staff, and faculty, CSA seeks to proactively support community standards, prevent harm, improve communication, and interrupt escalatory conflict across the university.” The Penn community, students, and faculty should be alarmed that speakers at this conference not only go against all areas of CSA’s mission, but also openly promote antisemitism, terrorism, the destruction of the State of Israel - denying the Jewish people's right to self-determination, and are being welcomed at the Penn campus.
STUDENTS SUPPORTING ISRAEL National condemns the Palestine Writes Literature Festival to the strongest degree for its antisemitic, xenophobic, and extremist guest speakers who have shown their truest colors in actions they've taken, comments they have publicly published, and in speaking engagements across the world. Palestine Writes speakers such as Noura Erakat, Susan Abulahwa, Huwaida Arraf, Laila Al Arian, Mays Abu Ghosh, Salman Abu Sitta, Diana Buttu, Marc Lamont Hill, Maytha Alhassen, Aya Ghanameh, Sherene Seikaly Roger Waters, and others can not be tolerated by any means at Penn, nor anywhere else.
Students Supporting Israel is exposing the public statements, actions and terror ties of the speakers in our included research.
SSI National calls for the University to take a stronger stance condemning the Palestine Writes conference and withdrawing all academic department sponsorships from the event to ensure Zionist, Jewish, and all students alike know that the University of Pennsylvania does not welcome promoters of Jew hatred and terror. This is not the first time that universities have given the stage to hateful speakers who are involved in or glorify terrorism, but it can be the last.
NOW is the time to take a stance and set an Ivy-league example to the world that incitement and terrorist sympathy is not welcome on campus, or around the world.
It is time to create an end to this ONCE and FOR ALL.
We, STUDENTS SUPPORTING ISRAEL National, alumni of our SSI Penn chapter, Penn graduates, and community members of University of Pennsylvania, request the Board of Directors and Administration of the University of Pennsylvania to withdraw its endorsements from the conference, and to condemn antisemitic collaborations to take place on a campus with a long and rich history of a thriving Zionist community, alumni, and supporters.