November 29, 2023
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,
Like many others, I have been profoundly shaken by the shooting of three college students of Palestinian descent in Burlington, Vermont, on Saturday—a horrific act that reminds us of the vulnerability of Palestinian lives and the real threat of Islamophobia that, like antisemitism, has escalated dramatically in the United States during the last two months.
Against the backdrop of that violence, many members of our community have continued to work to provide opportunities for us to learn about the conflict in the Middle East and its reverberations here. I write to call your attention to a recently organized panel being held tonight in addition to the Bret Stephens event announced earlier this month. This panel, “Broadening Perspectives on Israel-Palestine,” will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Pruyne Lecture Hall and features Dr. Ahmad Samih Khalidi of the Geneva Center for Security Policy, Hampshire College Professor Omar Dahi, and Professor Christopher Dole of the Department of Anthropology and Sociology.
The event has been jointly organized by Amherst for Palestine, Amherst Jews for Ceasefire, the Muslim Student Association, and the Black Student Union. Partners and sponsors of the panel include the Multicultural Resource Center, the Center for International Student Engagement, and the Middle Eastern and North African Association.
I want to thank those students for contributing to a campus that prizes respectful dialogue and reiterate that the College is actively planning a continuing series of speakers into the spring semester who will both share and challenge perspectives on the conflict in the Middle East and its historical, social, and political contexts.
The past two months have been overwhelming and exhausting, and we should respect those in our College community who may not wish to engage on these issues by participating in public discussions. For those who do, however, I hope you will consider attending these upcoming events as we seek additional understanding in this extraordinarily challenging time.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Elliott
President