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Brandeis University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1949 | Waltham, MA

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Letter to the Editor — Betzalel Hochberg

(05/19/25 10:00am)

Let us call a spade a spade. The Jewish Bund is a Pro-Palestine group first and a Jewish group second. They have held far more Pro-Palestine events than they have Jewish ones, and at their events there are always more keffiyehs than kippahs. There is nothing wrong with this, nor is this statement meant as criticism, it is simply a fact. However, it is also the case that they are not interested in any form of dialogue in good faith, else they would not have protested the Hillel Israel fest. Celebration of Israeli culture is in no way an endorsement of Israeli actions in Gaza and the West Bank. In fact the event had a memorial explicitly for civilians tragically killed in Gaza. The Bund may hold up their name and their Jewish identities as a paper shield, but there is a word for the belief that the only good Jew is an anti-Zionist Jew, and the rest are culpable for genocide: antisemitism.




Thank you to our seniors!

(05/19/25 10:00am)

This editorial board wants to take this opportunity to recognize the incredible contributions made by our ten graduating seniors over the past four years. Despite being a club, the ample amount of work and dedication that goes into maintaining The Justice can often feel like a full-time commitment, but these graduates have taken these challenges in stride. Although we will miss sharing our late nights in the office with them, we are more than excited to see what their bright futures have in store for them! 


A home run for homeless families

(05/19/25 10:00am)

Meritocracy does not exist — privilege does. Sorry, but one’s understanding of someone else’s hard work and merit guiding their life’s outcome is not always true. While hard work certainly matters, it is rarely the case that someone’s hard work alone will determine their life’s outcomes. Luck and arbitrary circumstances matter just as much or even more. This is especially true for people dealing with homelessness. Those experiencing housing instability have higher instances of adverse childhood experiences than the general population, according to a publication in the Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology journal. Additionally, a study from the American Medical Association has revealed that people sleeping outside in Massachusetts die at three times the rate of people sleeping in shelters and around ten times the rate of the general population. The response to homelessness is not blaming the homeless for their “self-inflicted” problems, rather, it is getting the homeless off the streets and putting them in shelters for long enough to help them find permanent housing solutions.  


The joys and the curse of having free will

(05/19/25 10:00am)

How lucky we are to not have our life planned for us. How privileged am I to have self-determination, to become whatever I wish. Generations of women before me did not have self-autonomy — their fate was decided for them. And yet, here I am, a liberated woman of the 21st century, and I tremble with fear at my own power to make whatever I wish of myself. 



Doxxing has no place at Brandeis

(04/29/25 10:00am)

In this time of crackdowns and fear, we are responsible for keeping each other safe. Safety does not mean protection from ideas we do not like, but rather, freedom from persecution for these ideas. The freedom to explore and express our ideas is foundational to our mission: “By being a nonsectarian university that welcomes students, teachers and staff of every nationality, religion and orientation, Brandeis renews the American heritage of cultural diversity, equal access to opportunity and freedom of expression.”


Jewish students are not a monolith. Brandeis must stop treating us like one.

(04/29/25 10:00am)

As a prospective student, I was told Brandeis would be a place to explore my Jewish identity. Quickly, I learned I was a lesser member of the community than the legitimate Jewish students — the ones who grew up going to Jewish day schools and went to Israel during their gap years. I was an aberration, a Jew who felt no connection to Israel and wasn’t particularly interested in making one.


Letter to the Editor — Mike Sawyer

(04/29/25 10:00am)

In my chat about house paint with the 3-year home & garden corporate America store employee, I discovered that he was a 32-year-retired high school music teacher. He was proud of his former students in professional musician and band director careers. He never had much bad behavior because the students wanted to be in his elective class. “What do you miss the most from teaching?” No hesitation, with a smile, he replied, “Nothing yet.” 





The past, present and future of campus protest

(04/29/25 10:00am)

Over the past 75 years, Brandeis students have exercised their right to freedom of speech by conducting protests and rallies on campus. In 1969, on January 8, a group of African-American students staged a takeover of Ford Hall, demanding a change for better minority representation on campus. This sparked waves across the University, as other students went on hunger strikes and conducted sit-ins as a way of expressing solidarity. This protest lasted eleven days, and while not all demands were met, student protestors were granted amnesty. A year later, the University administration signed an agreement with the Afro-American Organization to bring 80 additional minority students to Brandeis. This is just one example of protest demonstrations on campus. Since 1969 there have been other instances of students, faculty and facilities fighting for social change: the Pearlman Hall take-over (1970), Apartheid Protest and Divestment movements (1970), the Ford Hall protest (2015), Brandeis Employee rallies (2024), Brandeis staff, students and facilities protest against merit delays (2024).  Protesting is at the core of a University that since its founding has prided itself on valuing inclusion and justice.  As best demonstrated in Brandeis’ mission statement, this institution “Honors freedom of expression and civility of discourse as fundamental educational cornerstones.”


Silencing the student press: Tufts in turmoil

(04/08/25 10:00am)

+In a development as disturbing as it is emblematic of our times, a Tufts University graduate student was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement following writing an op-ed with three other students last spring. This piece was published in The Tufts Daily, the independent student newspaper of the university, and called for the institution to divest from companies tied to the country of Israel, a message echoed by many college students across the United States. The circumstances surrounding the deportation remain shrouded in bureaucratic ambiguity, but the message resounds with startling clarity: For student journalists, the cost of exercising one’s First Amendment rights may now include the threat of state-sanctioned retribution.



Reinventing to what end?

(04/08/25 10:00am)

First, I heard the words, “we’re reinventing the Liberal Arts.” I was skeptical. Then I heard, “for the new global, digital economy,” and a wave of nausea on account of an unoriginal cliché followed. To make matters worse, “our students should have one foot in the street and the other in the library,” — this must be a sick and twisted joke dressed up in a sports jacket and tall black socks.


Notes to newcomers: Everything we learned

(04/08/25 10:00am)

As the end of another academic year draws nearer, the members of this editorial board have been reflecting on the rhythms of college life; the exciting new beginnings, the inevitable mistakes and the subtle self-assurance that can only develop with time and patience. For those who are close to embarking on their college journey, it can be nearly impossible to know where to begin or what to expect. To help with this transition, we’ve accumulated advice from various members of this editorial board as they offer candid reflections on the lessons they’ve learned so far. Whether it’s navigating the ups-and-downs of new friendships, figuring out your major or simply finding your people, it is the hope of this board that these words can serve as a guide — and, most importantly, a reminder that no one has it all figured out, but we’re all learning alongside one another.