An event featuring two former Israel Defense Force (IDF) lone soldiers was cut short due to security concerns posed by anti-Israel protesters at CSU San Marcos (CSUSM) in North San Diego County on March 25.
The event was hosted by the university’s Students Supporting Israel (SSI) chapter and was part of SSI’s “Triggered, the Tour: From Combat to Campus” featuring IDF soldiers speaking at 25 campuses across the United States and Canada. The two soldiers who spoke at CSUSM had both served in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, according to a post on the SSI chapter’s Instagram page. Hillel San Diego Executive Director Karen Parry wrote in a March 27 letter to community members that “Hillel staff supported student organizers and worked with the University to confirm that safety measures were in place. We had received information prior to the event that several external non-student organizations as well as on-campus student organizations were leading a protest to seek canceling the event.”
According to Parry, the event itself began without incident, as “police created a blockade to prevent protesters from physically disrupting.” As the event went on, anti-Israel protesters could be heard “screaming and attempting to get a police reaction outside,” which Parry said was “disruptive” and intimidated attendees. Miriam Gershenson, an Israeli-American writer, wrote in the San Diego Jewish World on March 26 that she and her husband attended the event and that one of the organizers said “that they deal with this on a weekly basis.” At one point, an organizer commented on the “hundreds of protestors” surrounding the building. “I’m not sure if this was an exaggeration or a fact. We didn’t really see the protestors,” Gershenson said. She added there was a police presence which she presumed kept people away from getting too close to the building and when they were evacuated from the back to avoid the protestors. “So, we never had a clear visual of the amount of protestors.”
About 15 minutes before the event was scheduled to conclude, the university “abruptly called for the event to end and directed the 32 attendees to evacuate, citing an inability to maintain the security perimeter,” wrote Parry. “Police escorted students through a back exit of the space to cars that drove people to safety.” Gershenson also noted that the evacuation involved “having us in groups of four leave from the back door and to be driven to the parking lot where our cars were parked.”
Parry wrote that “while we appreciate the critical support provided by the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, CSUSM Police Department, and the administration in maintaining safety, we are deeply concerned and disappointed that Jewish students didn’t have freedom of expression for the entirety of their event … Together with our partners at Leichtag Foundation and in coordination with our partners at the Jewish Federation, we immediately met with senior administrators to discuss proactive next steps. We are grateful for CSUSM’s commitment to this work.”
“While we appreciate the critical support provided by the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, CSUSM Police Department, and the administration in maintaining safety, we are deeply concerned and disappointed that Jewish students didn’t have freedom of expression for the entirety of their event.” – Karen Parry
Parry urged the administration to issue a statement “about this incident that reiterates their commitment to protecting the safety of Jewish students while upholding their right to gather peacefully in keeping with university policies and committing to take action to ensure this does not happen in the future” as well as to investigate what happened and follow through with “their commitment to establish an antisemitism task force that reflects the expertise and appropriate representation of our Jewish community and participate in Hillel’s Campus Climate Initiative as planned.”
Eliana Levinson, a third-year Jewish student at the university studying Child and Adolescent Development, told The Journal, “Overall the event was a great learning experience for all sides.” The event, she said, was great until it wasn’t. “We had the amazing opportunity to meet with two American lone IDF soldiers to learn their experience about what is going on.” But suddenly, she said, they hear the sounds of anti-Israel, pro-Hamas protestors. “It was scary, I was gripping onto my mom’s hand. I understand free speech, but free speech is not trying to enter a building where a peaceful event is going on.” She contended that the event “should’ve been more secure, we shouldn’t have had to be evacuated out a back door. We are having a meeting with administrators after spring break and I think that will be good for us to have an in person discussion about the safety of Jews on campus because I feel like we are not safe. Something needs to change.”
“This experience solidifies to me why we absolutely must support our students,” wrote Gershenson. “When you have a chance to attend a student-run event, please go. Show these students they are not alone and that you stand with them. I can’t imagine how terrifying and mentally draining it is for them to deal with this on a regular basis.”
The university said in a statement to The Journal, “California State University San Marcos cares deeply about our students and is disheartened that those who participated in the Students Supporting Israel event experienced disruption and distress. We want to acknowledge the impact that last week’s events had on attendees and recognize the importance of ensuring that all students feel safe and supported when engaging in campus activities. We are also committed to upholding everyone’s rights to lawful free expression on our campus, even when deeply held, opposing viewpoints are present. Striking this balance is not always easy, but it is essential for a public institution. CSUSM staff and law enforcement partners worked extremely hard to ensure that Students Supporting Israel (SSI) could hold their event safely and exercise their and their invited speakers’ right to free speech and free expression.
“We will be reviewing the incident and are committed to learning from it and taking necessary actions to strengthen our campus community. As a learning institution, we always want to improve and strive to foster a respectful and inclusive campus environment. We are also committed to work with our campus and our community as we move forward.”
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