Monday, April 9, 2012

Anti-Israel group "evicts" Jewish students from Florida University

According to the Florida Sun-Sentinel, fake eviction notices were taped to the doors of more than 200 Jewish students at Florida Atlantic University.

The notices were posted by Students for Justice in Palestine, who claimed they had approval from the Housing and Residential Life Department and were escorted by a member of its staff while posting the fliers on Friday night, which was the first night of the Passover holiday.

Some of the students who did not read the notice carefully thought that they were actually being evicted, a Jewish student told the newspaper.

From the Sun Sentinel

"When Rayna Exelbierd returned to her dorm room at Glades Park Tower on Florida Atlantic University’s Boca Ratoncampus last Friday, she found an “eviction notice” attached the door.

Exelbierd was one of more than 200 students in three dorms who received the fake notice from the campus group Students for Justice in Palestine.

“Some students who didn’t read the document believed they were really being evicted,” said Exelbierd, a 20-year-old sophomore from Memphis, Tenn."


The fliers contained the university housing department’s official stamp

"Scott Brockman, Hillel executive director, said in a statement, “While protecting and ensuring free speech on campus, the tactic used by Students for Justice in Palestine is unacceptable.”

The tactic, he said, “Does not promote civil discourse on campus but provokes, incites and intimidates.” And the placing of the fliers in the dormitories “compromises the university’s own value to ‘create and maintain a clean and safe and secure environment in which students live and learn.’”

The Hillel statement pointed out that the fliers contained the university housing department stamp, which Brockman said was “a clear violation of university guidelines.”

Brockman said the Jewish student campus organization is giving the university “space” to investigate the incident. “We want a statement that Jewish students will be safe on campus and have a safe environment in which to live,” he said in a phone call Wednesday afternoon. Brockman said he wants the university to “get in front of the issue.”

Andrew Rosenkranz, director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Florida region, said, “The University is taking the matter very seriously and will open an investigation. Nobody wants to come back to the dorm and see a fake eviction notice nailed to their door. The university needs to create and maintain an atmosphere where people feel they are in a safe learning environment.”

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