from: Judith Peller Hallett to: Now! cc: agnesnam@umd.edu, alothian@umd.edu, aparicio@umd.edu, atambe@umd.edu, barkleyb@umd.edu, btdill@umd.edu, cmoses@umd.edu, cschuler@umd.edu, dhagen@umd.edu, donawert@umd.edu, dsr@umd.edu, ealwood@umd.edu, ehageman@umd.edu, etb@umd.edu, hbaer@umd.edu, jessielm@umd.edu, jkeesler@umd.edu, jmcoates@umd.edu, katking@umd.edu, kbartol@umd.edu, kcoles@umd.edu, lbolles@umd.edu, ljbruce@umd.edu, madden@umd.edu, mbelsol@umd.edu, mosley@umd.edu, mrowley1@umd.edu, natanaso@umd.edu, neel1@umd.edu, president@umd.edu, rays@umd.edu, rjo@umd.edu, rscott14@umd.edu, rzambran@umd.edu, sayanb@umd.edu, sflewis@umd.edu, shonekan@umd.edu, skim2@umd.edu, sklees@umd.edu, snmeiss@umd.edu, sscriven@umd.edu, zisoke@umd.edu date: Nov 19, 2023, 7:30 PM subject: Re: Statement on student advocacy related to Palestine Dear Jacob Kogan: I am an emerita professor of Classics and an emerita affiliate member of the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department. I am also a proud Jew who served for nearly a decade on the Baltimore Hebrew University Board of Trustees, and who has published widely on the Jewish classicists who fled Nazi- dominated Europe. Since I have become a target of public antiSemitic attacks over the past few years, I speak up and speak out constantly against antisemitism in all its varieties, most recently that voiced against Jews on US college campuses since October 7 in the wake of the barbaric attacks on innocent Israeli citizens by the terrorists of Hamas. I played no role in the writing of the WGSS statement to which you refer, had no idea it even existed until I encountered it on their website last week, have serious objections to what it said (about, inter alia, Jews on US college campuses), and am pleased that it was taken down. I do not understand why you feel it necessary to reprimand some, but not all, of the WGSS faculty and faculty affiliates for posting it in the first place, days after it was taken down. And even if the chair has not yet responded to your email, why mention the ARHU Dean, especially if you have not contacted her personally? Nor do I understand why you chose to send this message of reprimand to me and apparently not my two non-Jewish Classics colleagues who are also, to the best of my knowledge, also WGSS faculty affiliates. How can we all move forward, together, on reaching consensus as concerned Americans about how to achieve justice and peace in the Middle East when letters like yours can only pull us backward and divide us? I look forward to hearing from you and about the organization you evidently represent. Judith Peller Hallett, Professor of Classics and Distinguished Scholar Teacher Emerita, UMCP On Sun, Nov 19, 2023 at 6:06 PM Now! wrote: Dear Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Faculty member, I am writing to you concerning the November 2, 2023 Statement on student advocacy related to Palestine that disappeared from your Department website around November 14, 2023. The Statement starts with "We, the faculty..." to indicate Faculty endorsement and support, hence my email goes to all those listed today as faculty on the Department website https://wgss.umd.edu/. The current hostilities in the Middle East is a hot topic of national, and, in fact, international discussions. Many, including your Department, voice concerns about free speech, campus safety, and civil discourse. The sudden disappearance of the statement with no explanation amplifies these concerns. An embarrassed potty trained toddler wetting her/his pants in a day care center may attempt to hide the disgrace from peers and teachers. Members of an academic department in an institution of higher learning should not, and may not parrot toddler's behavior. The statement (attached with this email) remains available on the web. There are numerous references to the statement, including the UMD student paper Diamondback. The time is right to return the statement where it rightfully belongs - your Department website, and, if the Department feels appropriate, to add a comment explaining the story behind its appearance and disappearance. As you may know more than 200 people, among them babies (a picture of one of the kidnapped is attached with this email), are held in captivity by Hamas. Countless civilians are already killed or maimed in Gaza, children are among the casualties. Rockets from Gaza are still falling on Israeli cities, and Gaza as well. You may find it appropriate to also post an appeal for a safe return of all hostages taken by Hamas, and a speedy end of hostilities. On November 14, 2023 I already emailed the Department Chair, Dr. Atanasoski. It appears other work commitments, and, perhaps, a heavy teaching load prevented her from responding. I realize that the semester is coming to an end, the time is hectic, and you all might be very busy. I note that Dr. Shonekan, the Dean, is also a member of the Department supporting and endorsing the statement. I hope some of you, or, perhaps, Dr. Shonekan will find time to respond. With best Thanksgiving wishes, Jacob Kogan