Williams College has a rabbi on staff, and the Jewish Religious Center (JCR) hosts weekly Shabbat dinners.

What’s Happening on Campus?

In the wake of October 7, Williams’ Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter held a couple rallies in October and November 2023. In December, posters calling for the return of Israeli hostages were defaced with graffiti which the Williams’ Office of the President described in a letter to students, faculty, and staff as “calls for violence.” Additionally, copies of a pro-Israel article in a Williams College student newspaper were posted around campus in October 2023 with red handprints, reportedly intended to look like blood.

In October 2024, a flier was posted in the Williams College Student Center that read "Zionism: threat against humanity" and "channel out anger and grief towards a world free of Zionism." In November 2024, graffiti was spray-painted on campus that read "long live the intifada."

University Policies and Responsive Action

On October 16 2023, College leadership organized a vigil titled “Lament and Reflection on Events in Israel and Gaza” which was co-hosted by the Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, and Protestant college chaplains.

College President Maud Mandel issued a statement promising to investigate the December 2023 graffiti incident and calling the defacement “disrespectful” and the call for violence “a breach of both college values and Williams’ policies."

In May 2024, the College rejected calls for divestment. In November 2024, the College began investigating an act of antisemitic vandalism alongside local police.

Williams College has a rabbi on staff, and the Jewish Religious Center (JCR) hosts weekly Shabbat dinners.

What’s Happening on Campus?

In the wake of October 7, Williams’ Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter held a couple rallies in October and November 2023. In December, posters calling for the return of Israeli hostages were defaced with graffiti which the Williams’ Office of the President described in a letter to students, faculty, and staff as “calls for violence.” Additionally, copies of a pro-Israel article in a Williams College student newspaper were posted around campus in October 2023 with red handprints, reportedly intended to look like blood.

In October 2024, a flier was posted in the Williams College Student Center that read "Zionism: threat against humanity" and "channel out anger and grief towards a world free of Zionism." In November 2024, graffiti was spray-painted on campus that read "long live the intifada."

University Policies and Responsive Action

On October 16 2023, College leadership organized a vigil titled “Lament and Reflection on Events in Israel and Gaza” which was co-hosted by the Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, and Protestant college chaplains.

College President Maud Mandel issued a statement promising to investigate the December 2023 graffiti incident and calling the defacement “disrespectful” and the call for violence “a breach of both college values and Williams’ policies."

In May 2024, the College rejected calls for divestment. In November 2024, the College began investigating an act of antisemitic vandalism alongside local police.