Anti-Israel students target Emory University dorms with mock eviction notices

In a Tuesday post on social media, a Jewish and Zionist student leader on campus said she received dozens of messages from peers who woke up to the “abhorrent” flyer.

By Shiri Moshe, The Algemeiner

Mock eviction notices were left outside dorm rooms at Emory University in Georgia by an anti-Zionist group seeking to criticize Israel, in a stunt that has disturbed multiple students and raised concerns over the intrusion of personal space.

Emory Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) left the fake notices in residence halls and on dorm doors as part of its “Israeli Apartheid Week” program, which coincides with Emory Eagles for Israel’s ongoing “Israel Week.” The flyers shared allegations, disputed by Israeli officials, that Israel “routinely” gives Palestinians eviction notices “for no other reason than their ethnicity,” and is attempting to “ethnically cleanse the region of its Arab inhabitants.”

In a Tuesday post on social media, a Jewish and Zionist student leader on campus said she received dozens of messages from peers who woke up to the “abhorrent” flyers, and that some Jewish students whose rooms had mezuzahs – small cases with scrolls placed at the entrance of a Jewish home – had observed that “their doors had these papers while their neighbors didn’t have the notices.” The student clarified that she could not confirm whether only Jewish students were targeted.

Both Emory University and Emory Hillel said they found no evidence that Jewish students were targeted by the flyers, with Emory Hillel director Dave Cohn telling The Algemeiner on Wednesday that he was “not prepared to reach a definitive conclusion” on the matter.

“While we support the right of every student in our community to express themselves freely, foremost in our response has been defending the safety of our students from this intrusion on their privacy and security,” Cohn wrote in an email to the Hillel community.

In its own statement, Emory noted that “while a student group received permission to post the flyers, they did not comply with posting guidelines and the flyers were removed.” The violations appeared related to leaving the flyers on the doors of students without their consent.

“The Office of Student Conduct will review the incident and determine appropriate next steps,” the statement continued. “Emory University does not tolerate any behavior that threatens members of our community.”

Paul Marthers, interim vice president for campus life, acknowledged in an email sent to the campus community that his office heard “from a number of Emory students who were upset and concerned by flyers they found posted on their doors and in other areas of campus.

“While we want to create an environment where the free expression of ideas and open, vigorous debate and speech are valued, we must also recognize that the manner in which we communicate can have consequences,” he wrote. “While the flyers have been removed from unapproved areas, it does not erase their impact.”

SJP did not immediately answer The Algemeiner‘s request for comment.