MINNEAPOLIS — Finals week at the University of Minnesota feels different. A dozen buildings, including the main library, sit quiet. Around them, chants in support of Palestine are echoed loudly by students.
The university put out a statement saying those buildings would be closed due to safety concerns.
On a Jewish holiday, when Hillel is normally closed, they decided to leave their doors open.
On Friday, the Jewish student organization held a press conference citing concern about the protests. They spoke about flags, chants, and messaging they considered to be antisemitic.
In the past week, videos have also surfaced of conflict with students protesting in favor of Israel.
Hillel, along with the Jewish Community Relations Council, spoke about how they believed language used at the rallies contributed to a rise of anti-Semitic complaints of bias.
Molly Seligman said she felt it was important to speak up to urge people to think about the words they chant and the signs they hold.
"People don't understand the conflict that's happening," said Seligman. "If people realize that there is so much nuance to this, and if people realize and understood that it isn't about the people, but it's about the governments, then I would hope there'd be less hate."
She was among Jewish students who voiced concerns for their own safety amid the protests.
Other students studying at Hillel Tuesday said they feel conflicted in their feelings surrounding the protests. Ari Helfand was in the middle of a final when the building he was taking the test in closed amid the protests.
"In the middle of the test, someone comes down they're like, you have to stop the final by 1:45 because everyone has to leave by 2 p.m." said Helfand.
There was apart of Helfand that was relieved. He didn't have to answer the true or false questions at the end of his final, which he considered pretty hard. But it also left him feeling a bit uneasy.
"There's a lot of parts of me as a Jewish person, as someone who has family in Israel, I have a lot of connection to that country," said Helfand. "And it feels weird when people are sort of attacking that. But on the other hand, seeing what's going on in Gaza, the occupation in the West Bank, hearing what the protesters are saying, and I'm like, 'That's like a good point.'"
Helfand said he overall feels safe on campus, but Ryleigh Gallagher, who is also a UMN Jewish student, said she feels nervous despite sharing similar views to some protestors.
"Growing up, I've always been really involved in political protests," said Gallagher. "Left wing ones, too. And it's hard when the community you've been apart of starts incorporating antisemitic rhetoric into what they're saying. It feels isolating as a Jewish student and also as a leftist."
"I wish people listened to each other more," she said. "I think mentally it's overwhelming. I feel physically safe."
There are Jewish students that feel comfortable at the pro-Palestinian rallies themselves, including Imogen Page who is with Jewish Voice for Peace.
"It has been really meaningful and very, very sacred to be able to show up proudly as a Jew during Passover on my campus to join the encampment and the demonstrations," said Page. "A lot of Jewish students are showing up not in spite of being Jewish, but because we are Jewish. And because our Jewish values are to protect life and oppose genocide."
Skylar Strudwick was among those in Hillel, cramming for her upcoming tests. She feels as though her voice is not being heard.
"As a Jewish student who has sympathy for the Palestinian cause, I can't bring it in myself to go and support the Students for Justice in Palestine protests because of the antisemitic rhetoric that I hear and the miscommunication happening between students and what they're supporting," said Strudwick.
Strudwick said she believes efforts to promote peace between two groups who are suffering could be better emphasized.
"I can only speak for myself and the Jews that I know here, but nobody wants what's happening in Gaza," she said.
Hope W is a student employee at Hillel and is graduating Friday.
"I think my biggest thing is I want to make sure that everyone is safe," said Hope. "I want to make sure that people are actually looking at the issue holistically. It's conflicting between wanting to support students using their voice and speaking out against injustice as they're seeing worlds and also no longer feeling safe on campus."
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