New Penn faculty group hold ‘die-in’ in support of Palestinians killed in war

A newly formed faculty group at the University of Pennsylvania held a “die-in” vigil on campus Monday in recognition of the lives lost in Gaza since Oct. 7.

Beginning on the steps of College Hall, Penn’s main administration building, protesters rolled out a lengthy white scroll with roughly 6,700 names — just a portion of the more than 26,600 people killed since the war began — and took turns reading names and ages. A group of about 30 dressed in dark, monochromatic clothing laid silently on the steps, representing those killed amid a banner that read “Gazans murdered by Israel since 10/7/23.”

It was the first public action taken by Penn Faculty for Justice in Palestine since the group’s launch earlier this month, and follows a semester that saw the campus divided over the university’s response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the country’s subsequent military response in Gaza. In December, former Penn president Liz Magill and board chair Scott L. Bok resigned after months of protest and a congressional inquiry into the university’s response to antisemitism on campus.

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About 100 faculty, staff, and students participated, some carrying signs that said “Penn faculty against genocide” as they walked by the statue of Benjamin Franklin, Penn’s founder.

Organizers said the new group has been disappointed in the university’s “one-sided” response that fails to recognize the rights of those protesting for Palestinians and seems to cater to donors pushing for a bigger response to antisemitism.

“We don’t feel supported by the university,” said Bassil Kublaoui, associate professor of pediatrics, who described the harassment and “doxxing” that some faculty and students supportive of Palestinians have received. “The university, on the other hand, is fully supporting and fully taking care of our Jewish brothers and sisters who are also here at the university, who are also going through some difficulties. But they are not taking care of us. They are not looking out for us. They are not protecting us.”

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He said one of his Penn colleagues was asked to resign because of tweets in support of Palestinians and another was involved in an inquiry. Another was called into human resources because of comments she made at a rally, he said.

Kublaoui, who has been at Penn for 14 years, also cited how their critics have conflated anti-Zionism with antisemitism. Zionism is the belief that Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people.

“Criticism of a foreign state that is committing genocide is not antisemitism,” he said.

Such criticism must be allowed on a university campus, said Dagmawi Woubshet, an associate professor of English, who is in his seventh year at Penn and who also is part of the faculty group.

“Critique is the lifeblood of the university,” Woubshet said. “We teach our students to hone a critical sensibility. That’s one way to be an ethical citizen, here, and also when our students leave and are out in the world.”

The new faculty group has dozens of members, including faculty, lecturers, staff, and graduate teaching instructors, and hopes to grow as more people learn about it, he added.

“The university has yet to say anything to recognize the sheer scale of devastation, the death of innocent civilians,” Woubshet said. “Our action was to embody these deaths that our university administration refuses to recognize.”

Penn did not immediately respond for comment.

Woubshet said the group kept the details of Monday’s event closely guarded, given the violence pro-Palestinian protesters recently faced at Columbia University. Some protesters there were sprayed with a chemical at an event earlier this month and had to seek medical attention. Those affected reported vomiting, nausea, chest and abdominal pain, and headaches, according to ABC News.

Penn’s event went on without disruption. As it was winding down, university officials asked the group to clear the steps of the administration building because they aren’t permitted to block the entrance, Kublaoui said. The group complied.

At one point, someone passing by yelled, “Shut up,” but there was no attempt to interrupt the vigil.

Woubshet said the new Penn Faculty for Justice in Palestine chapter is one of about 100 at colleges, including Harvard and Rutgers. There are also student chapters, some of which have been banned at universities, including Columbia, which cited violation of campus event policies.

The group also condemns antisemitism, he said, pointing to the group’s statement when it announced its formation.

“We do condemn any form of hate, including antisemitism,” he said.

The action at Penn comes on the same day that the Muslim Legal Fund of America announced it was filing a federal civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, alleging the school has failed to protect its Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students and their supporters from harassment and threats. The complaint was filed on behalf of more than a dozen students, the group said.