Pro-Israel marchers encounter Gaza camp on the quad
Pro-Israel marchers encounter Gaza camp on the quad
The Walk for Israel crosses campus before setting up nearby Palestinian supporters on Wednesday.
Gaza Solidarity Encampment supporters look across the Shaw Quad at students who participated in a Walk for Israel across Syracuse University’s campus Wednesday.
Editor’s Note: This is a developing story and will be updated.
The Shaw Quad was ground zero for activism on Wednesday as a student-led pro-Israel march passed through the space where pro-Palestine supporters have camped since Monday.
Around noon, pro-Israel supporters gathered in front of Ernie Davis Hall dressed in blue and white, the colors of the Israeli flag.
Before beginning their walk through campus, SU freshman and student organizer Mia Gottesmann cautioned participants to avoid engaging with other demonstrators. “Do not interact with anybody, and watch what you say carefully,” she said.
The student organized Walk for Israel marched down Comstock Avenue before turning onto Waverly Avenue. DPS officers trailed in a golf cart, directing traffic at intersections.
“Our reason for organizing this walk for Israel is because obviously there’s an encampment on campus and we want to show we are still proud to be Jewish,” Gottesman said.
One passerby outside of Bird Library chanted, “FREE FREE PALESTINE” from the other side of the street. The group briefly stopped on the lawn between the Newhouse School and The Schine Student Center before continuing through campus to the Shaw Quad.
DPS set up metal barricades to direct the pro-Israel group away from the pro-Palestine encampment. When the two groups were closest, no words or noises were exchanged.
Instead, they spoke with signs.
Many participants donned the Israel flag on their backs holding signs that read, “HAMAS MURDERS KIDNAPS RAPES,” and “United Against Antisemisitism and Hate.”
The pro-Palestine supporters observed the Walk for Israel group silently, holding up Palestine flags and signs. Several encampment participants lined the sidewalk in the center of the quad, with signs like “Jews say Ceasefire Now.”
“There’s a mutual understanding of free speech, but I think it’s unfair free speech,” Gottesmann said in an interview before the march began.
“We’re just trying to have a good time and show how we can be in unity. While half of their signs are hurting our people,” she added, referencing a sign in the encampment that read, “From the river to the sea.”
The refrain, used in the Palestine liberation movement, is considered by some Jews to threaten the existence of Israel.
The group convened at the far end of the quad near the Shaffer Art Building, across the lawn from the Gaza Solidarity Encampment.
The pro-Israel students danced in circles chanting, “Bring them home,” – a reference to Israelis kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack – and singing the Israeli national anthem.
One pro-Israel protester brought out a speaker and played traditional Jewish music as the group continued with chants and songs.
In the encampment, pro-Palestine students noted the Jewish supporters among them. “I look around and look at all my comrades who are Jewish and anti-Zionist,” said Sara Jo, a graduate student and spokesperson for the group who declined to give her last name.
“We are continuing to educate our collective that anti-Zionism is not inherently anti-semitic,” she said.
The pro-Israel demonstration ended around 12:45 p.m. By 1:30 p.m., only a few participants remained on the quad.
is a graduate student studying Magazine, News and Digital Journalism. She is the Assistant Executive Producer for The NewsHouse.
