Approximately 200 students from the Claremont Colleges convened at Pitzer College on Friday, February 2nd, to call for the suspension of Pitzer’s academic partnership with the University of Haifa, an Israeli institution currently listed as a direct-enroll study abroad option for Pitzer students.
Organized by Claremont Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) in collaboration with Claremont Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP), the protest aimed to pressure Pitzer College into severing ties with the University of Haifa until Israeli universities cease their alleged complicity in what protesters termed “Israeli apartheid” and “ethnic cleansing.” Additionally, demonstrators demanded Pitzer’s adherence to the Palestinian-led call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS).
The gathering commenced at the Pitzer clock tower, where attendees listened to brief speeches by organizers before embarking on a march to the Broad Center, where they intended to present their demands to Pitzer administrators. Although President Strom Thacker was reportedly absent, demonstrators engaged with Dean of Faculty Allen Omoto. Subsequently, protesters marched through the building for approximately half an hour.
The partnership between Pitzer and the University of Haifa has long been a focal point for activism within the Claremont Colleges community. In 2018, the Pitzer faculty senate and College Council voted to conditionally suspend study abroad programs in Haifa, a decision that was later vetoed by then-President Melvin Oliver. Renewed efforts to suspend the program were launched by SJP in April 2023, garnering support from over 140 Pitzer alumni who pledged to withhold donations until their demands are met.
