Old Dominion News

Hundreds of Alexandria City High School students, with the approval of Principal Alexander Duncan and school officials, walked out of classes on Thursday to support Palestinians in the current Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza, following the Oct. 7 slaughter of 1,400 Israelis and the 240 taken hostage. The protest, part of a nationwide protest on school campuses by the activist group Code Pink, called “Shut it Down! For Palestine” came on Nov. 9–the 85th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s infamous Kristallnacht, or the night of shattered glass when Nazis initiated a roundup and slaughter of Jews.

"I hold the principal responsible for this because I emailed him [the principal] and the entire school board last night [November 8], and the email was received and responded to. These are exactly what I was talking about, these are anti-semitism, and I want to know what is going to happen. I want to know what is the consequence and the questions for these students and how can we guarantee that our students, our Jewish students at Alexandria City High School will be safe," said Rabbi David Spinrad.

Rabbi Spinrad heard the leader of the walkout use two common antisemitic tropes such as Israel exerting its self-defense rights “genocide” and “from the river to the sea,” he said.

The Old Dominion News found that Alexandria City High School officials sent out a notice at 4 p.m. on Oct. 8 which indicated that there would be at least one student walkout at Alexandria City High School (ACHS) - King Street Campus scheduled for 10 a.m.

In contrast to Alexandria City High School's handling of anti-Israel protests, an Arizona school thwarted similar efforts following concerns raised by a Jewish parent who feared it would mobilize students against their Jewish peers according to Arizona Daily Independent News Network.

According to information from Jewish National Fund USA regarding the Kristallnacht, 92 Jews were murdered and 267 synagogues and 7,500 Jewish businesses were burned down. An additional 30,000 Jews were taken to concentration camps. The Oct. 7 Hamas attack resulted in the slaughter of 1,400 Jews, abduction of 241 civilians, and injuries to over 3,000.

The Economist reported that the Oct. 7 Hamas attack was the bloodiest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

NBC News shared that between Oct. 7 and Oct. 23 there were a total of 312 antisemitic incidents with a rise of antisemitic incidents directly linked to the Hamas war by a staggering increase of 388% over the same period last year as stated by Anti-Defamation League.

As student protests against the Jewish state become more common around the world, the revelation that many students know little about current or historic events in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict become more apparent. In a story in the UK’s Daily Mail, one student protestor said “I need to be more clued up” when quizzed on the facts of the conflict at anti-Israel protest, revealing how little they know about Israel-Hamas conflict. According to the story, many aren't even aware that Hamas launched bloody slaughter on Oct. 7. 

Young people are increasingly becoming anti-Israel. Issues & Insights released a poll recently, and of 18 to 24-year-olds respondents, only “30% expressed support for Israel, while 17% backed Hamas and 53% responded 'not sure.'"

"Probably it is true that most American college students, for example, who chant 'from the river to the sea' do not mean to evoke this idea of ethnic cleansing, do not mean to call for the erasure of Israel or the destruction of all Jews in that land," said Julie Rayman, managing director of policy and political affairs for the American Jewish Committee, in an NPR story this week. "But unfortunately they are echoing that exact trope," she added. 

“The Anti-Defamation League says the ‘hateful phrase’ is a denial of Israel's right to exist and can leave Israelis and their supporters feeling ‘unsafe and ostracized.’ According to Rayman, in the NPR article, it can make American Jews with ties to Israel believe they are unsafe in both countries. ‘It is a feeling that the conflict has been exported and that Hamas is on the doorstep, that they are unsafe,’ she said.” 

Code Pink, the left-wing “women for peace” organization led by Jodie Evans who organized the November 9 national student protests that Alexandria Principal Duncan referred to in his note to the school’s parents, has defended the extermination of Muslim Uyghurs calling them terrorists. The New York Times did a thorough examination of this issue. Evans is married to Chinese Communist Party-tied billionaire Neville Roy Singham.