Anti-Zionist groups commemorate ‘martyrs’ of Oct. 7, ignore Hamas’ attack
Held an hour before the Jewish community gathered to remember the victims of the Oct. 7 attack, the event was part of a “Week of Rage."
While Jewish communities around the world paused to commemorate the horrors of Oct. 7, 2023, some far-left and anti-Zionist groups used the occasion as an attempt to reframe the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israeli citizens and non-Israelis living in the Jewish state.
Students for Justice in Palestine at Pitt, Jewish Voice for Peace, the Muslim Student Association at Pitt, the Muslim Student Association at Carnegie Mellon University, the Middle Eastern North African Student Association at Pitt and the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh co-sponsored “Honouring our Martyrs,” which they labeled as an “interfaith commemoration following three years of genocide and resistance rooted in faith.”
An Instagram post created by Students for Justice in Palestine at Pitt said the event commemorated “3 years of brutal genocide against the Palestinian people.”
Neither the Instagram post, nor the Instagram stories promoting the event, mentioned the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of Israel, in which terrorists murdered over 1,200 men, women and children, and abducted more than 250 people to Gazan tunnels. It was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. The assault triggered the current defensive war by Israel and its reengagement with Gaza, from which it withdrew in 2005.
Held at Schenley Plaza an hour before other community members gathered at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh to remember the victims of the Oct. 7 attack, the event was part of a “Week of Rage,” co-promoted on Instagram by SJP, the Pittsburgh Palestine Coalition and the Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee. Other events sponsored by the groups during the week included a film screening, a “teach in” at the Cathedral of Learning and a protest.
Julie Paris, Mid-Atlantic regional director of StandWithUs, said that three years after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, “some campus groups continue to glorify the massacre as an act of resistance while condemning Israel for the military response that followed.”
Paris was on site at Schenley Plaza before the “Honouring Our Martyrs” event began. She spoke with students, who, she said, “openly expressed support for Hamas.”
“The timing, language and explicit support for Hamas raise serious concerns that the events held that day were not simply mourning innocent Palestinians who were killed during the Oct. 7 war but also honoring the perpetrators of the massacre itself,” Paris said. “Extremist organizations have long exploited narratives of martyrdom to glorify terrorists, romanticize violence and encourage others to follow in their footsteps. Mourning innocent Palestinians is entirely legitimate. Elevating perpetrators of mass murder as martyrs is disgusting and tangibly harmful.”
Paris acknowledged with appreciation that some Pitt administrators attended events honoring the victims of Oct. 7. But she added that “protecting free speech on campus does not require university leaders to remain silent when terrorism is glorified. All universities have a responsibility to provide moral clarity when their students decide to celebrate genocidal terrorism.”
For its part, the University of Pittsburgh said that it is aware of the pain events like those sponsored by SJP and others can cause the Jewish community.
“That is why we actively participated in remembrance events and continue to strengthen both our academic work and our broader campus efforts in support of Jewish students, faculty, staff, families and community members,” the university said through its spokesperson Jaren Stonesifer.
Pitt recently released the findings of its Working Group on Antisemitism, which included recommendations for the university. Stonesifer said Pitt continues to stand behind the report.
“Both the Working Group’s report and the University’s response also acknowledge that events like this can and will occur,” Stonesifer said. “In this case, the event took place on off-campus property over which the University does not have jurisdiction.”
Carnegie Mellon University did not respond to the Chronicle’s request for comment before press time. PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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