Dear student protesters,

As an alumna of Barnard and Columbia, class of 1978, and as a Jew, I write to offer support, solidarity, and a historical perspective from a past class member watching as your tents are torn down and you are arrested, locked out of your dorm rooms, and threatened with discipline. I watch as you are wrongly vilified, your words are twisted, and you are used as pawns by a dysfunctional political system in Washington pushing to preserve the status quo.

I am so proud of what you are doing and see that you are being met with support and enthusiasm from students, people, and faculty from around the world. I am saddened that the administration has not supported your right to speak up in support of Palestine and against the genocide in Gaza, but I hope you are able to see and feel the worldwide support and love.

You probably came to college believing, as I did, that you selected a university that believed in equality and cherished your right to speak in favor of what you believe in; an institution that thought the best way to solve problems and educate students was to allow them to speak their minds and engage in dialogue; a university that believed in and practiced academic freedom. You probably thought Barnard and Columbia would create a safe space for you to speak out. I am so sorry that current events on campus are proving this to be untrue. From my experience, you will have to fight for the righteous outcome you believe in and be part of a long-term, sustained movement that will force Columbia to take the moral positions the students and community believe in and deserve. If you love the world—if you love justice and equality—stay strong and be loyal to what you know is right.

Maybe you knew that students at Barnard and Columbia had a proud history of protesting for human rights around the world. You may have known that the students at Columbia played a pivotal role in demonstrating against the war in Vietnam. You are part of this proud movement.

When I was a student, we demonstrated to force Columbia and Barnard to divest from investments in South Africa’s apartheid regime starting around 1976 or so. We occupied buildings and we took on the University’s complicity with a racist apartheid regime. We were part of a worldwide divestment movement. We had to dig in for the long haul.

In the context of today, it is difficult to believe that any upstanding university would support the racist and apartheid South African government that existed back then. But Columbia fought us tooth and nail, threatened police responses and disciplinary actions. It took close to ten years—until 1985—for Columbia to finally divest. It required numerous building takeovers, students chaining closed the doors of administrative buildings, and other acts of civil disobedience to finally force Columbia to divest its money from South Africa. Sound familiar? So don’t give up. If you love freedom—freedom for people in Palestine and freedom for students to speak out—please keep up your actions. As I am sure you can see, your resolve and bravery is spreading to campuses around the country.

I know you appreciate the work of the students who came before you and laid the groundwork for your actions, especially the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement around the world and at Columbia. I know you appreciate and honor the work of students who built up Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace. You stand on the backs of these groups who have been banished from campus for taking unpopular views. Show your love and respect for them and the work you have done by focusing on your goals.

Do not get distracted by animosity and name-calling. I know this is a particularly trying time where people hear you condemn Israel and falsely conflate this with antisemitism. But I know you can persevere. As Che Guevara said, “The true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love.” I am sure it must be hard to feel the love, given the unfair attacks you are under, but please know that we believe in you.

Speaking of feeling the love, I hope you can feel the love for the groups that support you, the groundswell of support for justice in Palestine and the ceasefire movement. We have your back. I am super proud of the folks at the National Lawyers Guild (disclosure, I am a member), especially the New York City chapter, who have stepped in to defend your right to protest and have fought against the draconian actions taken by the Columbia and Barnard administrations. It is really disappointing to see academic institutions that so cherish academic freedom not apply this principle when it comes to Israel and Palestine.

Thank you for putting yourselves on the line for justice. I know you are faced with threats of discipline, expulsion, and criminal charges, but history will absolve you.