President Jehuda Reinharz recently signed an anti-intimidation pledge, joining the ranks of more than 300 university presidents who have condemned recent attacks on Jewish and Zionist students. The pledge, authored by former Dartmouth President James Freedman and former Cornell President Frank Rhodes, is a response to clashes between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of California, Berkeley, San Francisco State University, and Concordia University in Montreal. The American Jewish Committee published the statement as an advertisement in the Oct. 7 edition of the New York Times.The pledge's text reads, "In the past few months, students who are Jewish or supporters of Israel's right to exist-- Zionists -- have received death threats and threats of violence. Property connected to Jewish organizations have been defaced or destroyed." It also says, "these practices will not be tolerated on campuses," and pledges to investigate all such incidents, calling on the "American public and all members of the academic community to join us."

The pledge was sparked in part by last month's protests at Concordia University. The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper, reported that former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled lecture at Concordia was cancelled due to security concerns caused by pro-Palestinian protesters. Riot police gathered in the streets in preparation for the speech, and a Montreal rabbi's yarmulke was forcibly removed by anti-Israel activists. In addition, anti-Israel graffiti was spray-painted on the Concordia campus.

"Jewish students are being intimidated and harassed on many campuses in the country, and I felt that this should be brought into the open that this is not something new for a few Jewish organizations to deal with," Reinharz told the Tufts Daily News last week.

Some local college presidents, including those at Boston College, Harvard and Tufts have declined to sign the pledge. Harvard President Lawrence Summers said he would prefer to "stat(e) my views in the context of (the Harvard) community rather than joining others in a petition." He did, however, recently speak out against what he sees as the problem of growing anti-Semitism on college campuses. "Serious and thoughtful people . are advocating and taking actions that are anti-Semitic in their effect, if not their intent," Sumners said, in a morning prayer address at Harvard.

Despite the national press attention -- including recent articles in both the New York Times and the Boston Globe --many Brandeis students remain unaware of the pledge. David Turner '04 said he feels Reinharz himself "should make the University community aware of it. He's not signing it as Jehuda Reinharz private, citizen. He's doing it as the president of our university. It should be public knowledge."

Others have criticized the pledge for its singular focus on ending intimidation against Jewish students and Israel supporters. "I think it would be reasonable to put out a declaration that all students should be free of intimidation or harassment . not just Jewish ones. That is the point of the First Amendment - that all people should be free to express their opinion without harassment," said Matt Cohen '03.

Rachel Silverman '04 said she believes "we are not the campus that this is focused on." Other students echoed this sentiment. Tova Smith '06 said, "I haven't seen any (intimidation) incidents at Brandeis," but added, "friends of mine have on other campuses."

Cohen said he feels that while the pledge's intentions seem honorable, "People tend to do what they want despite a pledge. It is a good idea; it can't hurt, but I don't think it will actually end up helping.