The undersigned alumni and members of the Lowell community emphatically disagree with the statements made by the Lowell Alumni Association Board of Directors relating to so-called antisemitism at Lowell.

In this statement, the LAA Board of Directors incorrectly paint the phrase "From the River to the Sea" as a call for genocide against the Jewish people. Six current and one former Board member announced in a separate statement that they intend to attempt to deny scholarships to students who participated in these pro-Palestine protests, and demanded the administration "strictly" discipline them. The message is clear: they believe that students do not have the right to debate or protest the ongoing humanitarian crisis and human rights violations in Palestine.

Simply put, this chant does not call for the annihilation of the Jewish people and we are embarrassed by the interpretation put forth by the Board. Using false allegations of antisemitism to stifle open debate of ongoing human rights abuses is deeply reprehensible. A cursory investigation of the phrase "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free," would reveal that it is used by a broad range of organizations in the United States and by people all over the world as a call to end the system of apartheid that reigns in Israel-Palestine and the occupied Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank. We are deeply concerned about a stance that falsely equates all people in the Jewish diaspora with people who support the state of Israel, and conflates calls to end an Apartheid system with anti-Semitism. The statement only serves to further alienate and endanger students who are already experiencing increased anti-Semitism, anti-Arab racism, and Islamophobia.

Palestine is a country of people that were systematically denied the right to self-determination (1) by Western powers in the aftermath of World War I, and was described by Zionist settlers as “a land without a people” (2) in order to justify the annexing of the land to support the Zionist project now known as Israel. Prior to this denial of rights to the land’s inhabitants, Palestine was home to a multi-ethnic, multicultural, multi-religious people, including indigenous Palestinian Christians, Palestinian Muslims, and Palestinian Jews. The chant in question has been used to call for the freedom of all the people in historic Palestine and to combat 75 years of occupation and apartheid. Rather than attempting to understand the origins of this phrase and discussing its use by student protestors, the LAA Board has instead asserted that it is prima facie proof of antisemitism.

Conflating anti-Zionism and antisemitism is an injustice to the Jewish people. Two critical definitions of antisemitism from contemporary scholarship - one in the Jerusalem Declaration (3) and the Nexus Document (4) - provide helpful guidelines for distinguishing between antisemitism and legitimate critiques of Israel. In particular, the Nexus Document states:

1) As a general rule, criticism of Zionism and Israel, opposition to Israel’s policies, or nonviolent political action directed at the State of Israel and/or its policies should not, as such, be deemed antisemitic.

2) Even contentious, strident, or harsh criticism of Israel for its policies and actions, including those that led to the creation of Israel, is not per se illegitimate or antisemitic.

3) Opposition to Zionism and/or Israel does not necessarily reflect specific anti-Jewish animus nor purposefully lead to antisemitic behaviors and conditions.

The position taken by the students is echoed worldwide by organizations like Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, and human rights movements around the world. In the midst of the largest anti-war movement since the Iraq War, the LAA has placed itself on the side of Apartheid and brutal genocide.

It's important for students, alumni, and all members of the Lowell High School community to encourage and engage in open discourse, not shame and shun. The Lowell Alumni Association should proudly encourage students to take stands and engage with global issues. Perhaps they have forgotten Lowell's motto, Fiat Scientia, "let there be knowledge," and the requisite research and discourse to bring it about.

We must also call for the protection of our students, including Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and Jewish students, along with allies of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, who have been at the forefront of major pro-Palestine protests in San Francisco. The board writes that they “strongly oppose and condemn any acts or expressions of anti-Semitism, racism, bigotry, or discrimination directed at or by any member of the Lowell community, or for any reason," but ignore the safety and humanity of Palestinian students who have been the target of intimidation, harassment, and threats to their safety, and who have had family members killed in Palestine. These brave students should be supported and encouraged for their willingness to engage with these human rights issues in the face of immense loss, and should not be targets for the personal and regressive politics of the signatories.

These Board members do not represent the broader Lowell Alumni, who are diverse in their identities and political opinions. Not a single signatory from the seven "concerned" directors graduated after 1990, signaling the lack of younger voices on the LAA, and highlighting the disconnect between the Board and the student body. The LAA should seek to foster student learning and investigation, rather than stifle it. The deliberate targeting of certain groups of students engaging in non-violent civil disobedience is discriminatory and calls into question the legitimacy and relevance of the LAA Board of Directors.

We as members of the Lowell High School community call upon the Lowell Alumni Association to support and protect those students who exercise their right to free speech, and demand that the board:

1) Retract their discriminatory statements

2) Remove the signatories who stated that they would seek to deny scholarships to Pro-Palestinian students from their positions on the Board, and

3) Take concrete actions to protect Arab and Muslim students from harassment, intimidation, and Islamophobia

Sincerely,
Concerned alumni, students, parents, staff, and members of the Lowell High School community

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(1) “Origins and Evolution of the Palestine Problem - Question of Palestine.” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/unispal/history2/origins-and-evolution-of-the-palestine-problem/. Accessed 6 Feb. 2024.

(2) “Part I (1917-1947) - Question of Palestine.” United Nations, United Nations, www.un.org/unispal/history2/origins-and-evolution-of-the-palestine-problem/part-i-1917-1947/. Accessed 6 Feb. 2024.

(3) “The Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism.” JDA, 6 June 2023, jerusalemdeclaration.org/.

(4) Nexus Task Force. “The Nexus Document.” Israel & Antisemitism, 12 June 2023, israelandantisemitism.com/the-nexus-document/.

The Nexus Task Force was initially hosted at the Annenburg School for Communication and Journalism at USC, and is now affiliated with the Center for Study of Hate at Bard College.