U.S. Colleges Dismantle Pro-Palestinian Sukkahs Built by Jewish Students
Several American universities have dismantled sukkahs set up by Jewish students who oppose Israel’s military actions in Gaza. These sukkahs were erected to commemorate the Sukkot festival and to protest what the students describe as the misuse of Jewish traditions to justify the ongoing violence in Gaza.
Sukkahs are temporary shelters built during Sukkot, an eight-day festival celebrating the fall harvest and the historical journey of the Israelites who fled slavery in Egypt.
Groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and other Jewish-led organizations built these Gaza solidarity sukkahs on various campuses, including Northwestern University, University of Chicago, Brown University, Columbia University, University of Washington, University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, Yale University, University of North Carolina, University of California, Los Angeles, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rutgers University, University of California, San Diego, among others.
University of Washington student Talia Braester expressed, “Over the past year, we’ve seen the Israeli government and our own school’s administration twist our age-old Jewish traditions to support genocide.” She emphasized, “We refuse to let our traditions be used by those advocating for death and destruction. Our ancestors survived genocide and ethnic cleansing, and they taught us to never ignore injustice. We’re advocating for an arms embargo and divestment from the Israeli military as a commitment to preserving life.”
JVP stated, “Staying true to Jewish traditions, students planned to spend eight days in the sukkah, remembering the ancestors who lived in temporary shelters in the desert after escaping slavery. This year, they couldn’t overlook the harsh reality that thousands of Palestinians now live in temporary shelters due to the Israeli military’s widespread home demolitions in Gaza. This week, the world saw Israeli forces attack Al-Aqsa Hospital, tragically killing patients like 19-year-old Sha’ban al-Dalou, who was caught in his tent with an IV in his arm.” Students also displayed banners on their sukkahs with messages like “Stop Arming Israel” as the Israeli forces continued their assaults.
As reported by Gaza’s Ministry of Health and various UN agencies, over 152,000 Palestinians have been killed, injured, or are missing due to Israel’s 382-day offensive in Gaza. This has led to millions being displaced, facing starvation, or suffering illnesses. Israel’s actions are currently under scrutiny in a genocide case at the International Court of Justice, with additional casualties reported in the West Bank and from Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
The U.S. has supported Israel’s military efforts with extensive financial and diplomatic resources, including blocking several UN Security Council resolutions for a ceasefire.
At some universities where the sukkahs were constructed, administrators destroyed these sacred spaces, some of which were thrown into dumpsters. This has led to potential disciplinary actions against some students, even though they had previously been permitted to sleep in their sukkahs during the festival.
JVP highlighted, “Many sukkahs were beautifully decorated with local farm produce to honor the harvest, yet administrators heartlessly discarded these as well.”
“The administration has implemented harsh new policies that ban overnight camping, a rule stemming from last year’s Gaza solidarity protests,” noted JVP. The students argued that sleeping in the sukkahs is a crucial aspect of the holiday and their religious rights, but their appeals were ignored by the administrators.
University of Washington’s Roza Fernandez remarked, “It’s despicable and hypocritical. The university claims to combat antisemitism, yet it destroys our sukkah? This just shows they don’t truly care about antisemitism; they’re just using it to suppress criticism of Zionism and their role in supporting genocide.”
JVP’s media coordinator Liv Kunins-Berkowitz stated, “These universities are desecrating the Jewish practices of their students because their faith aligns with solidarity for Palestinians.” She added, “No university has the right to decide which forms of Jewish practice are valid. Anti-Zionist Judaism is a valid and increasingly popular way to express Jewish identity.”
Meanwhile, the sukkahs of U.S. students sharply contrasted with those erected by far-right Israeli settlers at a conference aimed at settling Gaza, supported by Israel’s Prime Minister and other key political figures.
A prominent settler at the conference declared, “Watch as Jews move into Gaza and Arabs are removed,” promoting the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
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