Thousands sign petitions urging Polish universities to boycott Israel
Thousands have submitted letters to the rectors of some of Poland’s top universities, urging them to cease collaboration with Israeli institutions due to the situation in Gaza.
In reaction, hundreds of students, academics, and Jewish leaders have signed a counter-letter opposing the boycott.
On Wednesday, around 150 people gathered outside the main administrative building of Kraków’s Jagiellonian University to deliver a letter to the rector. The demonstrators, waving Palestinian flags and holding placards with messages like “Don’t teach us to look away,” “Stop the genocide,” “Free Palestine,” and “Since 2023, Israeli soldiers have killed 10,000 children,” urged the university to terminate its cooperation with Israeli universities, research centers, and organizations. They cited opinions from Israeli and Jewish scholars who view Israel’s actions as genocide and accused Israeli universities of complicity in military operations and discrimination against non-Jewish students.
Similar letters were delivered to rectors of other universities including the University of Warsaw, Łódź, Gdańsk, and Lublin, as well as SWPS University.
On Friday, a pro-Palestinian demonstration took place outside the main gates of the University of Warsaw. Both this protest and the one in Kraków were peaceful, though chants in Kraków included “From the [Jordan] river to the [Mediterranean] sea, Palestine will be free,” a slogan seen by some as a call for Israel’s elimination.
Jewish.pl criticized the students' letters, arguing they were based on unreliable sources, ignored Palestinian terrorism and its Jewish victims, and used exclusionary language.
In contrast, a counter-letter signed by nearly 500 individuals, including the chief rabbi of Poland, Michael Schudrich, was published on Thursday. This letter advocated for debate over boycotts, recognizing the importance of addressing reports of atrocities while asserting that the Gaza campaign is a legitimate response to Hamas’ attack in accordance with international law.