Sarah Burch

Terror organizations Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Gaza fired over 600 rockets at Israeli communities on May 4-5, 2019. Four Israelis were killed and dozens more were injured.

Supporting BDS

On May 10, 2021, Burch tweeted: “... the zionist project is irredeemable, decolonization is the only answer, and the absolute floor is to support BDS and every form of palestinian liberation struggle”

On July 23, 2019, Burch posted on Twitter criticizing a tweet that included a statement from Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) President and CEO Mark Mellman in support of House Resolution (H.R.) 246. The DMFI tweet read: “We need 2 bring Israelis & Palestinians together. The Boycott Divestment & Sanctions Movement does the opposite, it pulls them apart. BDS leaders don’t recognize Israel’s right 2 exist in any borders.”

H.R. 246, which opposed the BDS movement and “other efforts targeting Israel," was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on July 23, 2019.

Burch tweeted in response to DMFI’s tweet: “hoooo my g [oh my God] this is some garbage on so many levels like this ‘unity’ bs first off, the OLYMPIC mental gymnastics it takes to say that bds is what is dividing israelis and palestinians i... it is nonviolent anti-zionist protest it IS NOT antisemitic this is sooododdumb”

Promoting a 2021 Pomona BDS Resolution

In April and June 2021, Burch expressed support for a BDS resolution that was passed in the Associated Students of Pomona College (ASPC) Senate, the Pomona student government. 

Claremont SJP and the campus Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) chapter (5C JVP) co-sponsored the resolution. When the resolution was introduced in April 2021, it forced BDS compliance for ASPC campus stores and student clubs receiving ASPC funding. 

On April 23, 2021, Pomona President G. Gabrielle Starr called the resolution’s ultimate goal of enacting a requirement for student clubs to boycott Israel as “deeply concerning,” and urged ASPC to “reverse course” on the BDS resolution. 

Burch retweeted a tweet posted that day by Claremont SJP activist Serene Harb that urged her Twitter followers who were “upset about the email g*bi [President Gabi Starr] sent out” to “please send her an email telling her that!! and cc aspc!!”

On April 29, 2021, following the BDS vote, ASPC held a meeting during which there was a “Resolution Discussion” that included an open comment period for Claremont students. 

According to April 29, 2021 ASPC public meeting minutes, a guest named “Sarah” who identified herself as “an international relations student” claimed the BDS resolution  “does not target Jewish students” and “does not target the Israeli state.”

The resolution also said [p.2]: “Clubs that fail to divest and/or refrain from such uses of funding would face the loss of all Claremont Colleges Student Government Association funds.” This clause effectively mandated BDS compliance even for pro-Israel and Jewish student organizations like Claremont Hillel and Claremont Chabad.

Burch claimed regarding this statement: “The idea that the clause can be interpreted as blanket targeting the Israeli state is very far from what it reads. I don’t even know where the argument came from that this resolution would block access to Jewish items and foodstuffs”

The resolution created [p.2] an oversight role for Claremont SJP over the ASPC-run Coop Store and the Coop Fountain restaurant. ASPC would “work in tandem with members of SJP, and other pertinent parties, to perform an annual check on the ASPC’s businesses to ensure all goods sold adhere to the guidelines outlined in this resolution.”

Burch retweeted a June 4, 2021 tweet by fellow Claremont SJP activist Carrie Zaremba that included a Mondoweiss article written by Daniel Segal, Claremont SJP faculty advisor, titled:“An open letter to nine college administrators united in opposition to BDS.” 

In the Open Letter, Segal called President Starr’s rebuke of the ASPC resolution an “abuse of institutional power to bully undergraduates” and “acts of fealty to a settler colonial state, an apartheid state, an ethnic cleansing state.”

Promoting a 2019 Pitzer BDS Campaign

In March 2019, Burch signed a Claremont SJP petition calling on Pitzer President Melvin Oliver to rescind his veto of a Pitzer College Council recommendation to suspend the college’s study abroad program with the University of Haifa in Israel.  On November 8, 2018, Pitzer College faculty reportedly voted for a motion to suspend Pitzer’s Haifa program, which Pitzer had run since 2007. Professor Daniel Segal, the Claremont SJP and Claremont JVP faculty advisor, led the boycott campaign. 

The faculty motion was a non-binding recommendation to Pitzer President Melvin L. Oliver. The motion called for the “suspension of the College’s exchange with Haifa University, until (a) the Israeli state ends its restrictions on entry to Israel based on ancestry and/or political speech and (b) the Israeli state adopts policies granting visas for exchanges to Palestinian universities on a fully equal basis as it does to Israeli universities.”

After the faculty vote, the motion was sent to the Pitzer College Council (PCC), Pitzer’s “primary legislative body,” which “votes on policy recommendations forwarded by the faculty as well as committees.” The PCC includes faculty and student senators who issue recommendations to the Pitzer president. The president is then free to approve or disapprove the recommendations.

On November 18, 2018, Claremont SJP issued a statement supporting the pro-BDS faculty vote, saying that it was “imperative” to end the “deeply problematic” Haifa program. Claremont SJP also circulated a petition to the public titled, “No Academic Freedom Under Occupation,” which accused Israel of having “increasingly draconian policies” and employing a “systemic practice of racial discrimination.”

On November 29, 2018, President Oliver responded to the faculty recommendation, opposing it and calling it a “repudiation of our educational mission… an anathema to Pitzer’s core values.” Oliver also questioned the faculty in singling out Israel for special scrutiny among foreign countries like China and Nepal where Pitzer also has study abroad programs.

On March 14, 2019, the PCC passed an amended motion to end the Haifa program. Segal co-sponsored the motion along with Pitzer Professor Claudia Strauss, who served as the Chair of the Pitzer Faculty Executive Committee (FEC). Their motion was a non-binding recommendation for Oliver and it passed with 68 voting in favor, 25 against and eight abstentions.

The amended motion outlined a “uniform policy” ending study abroad programs in countries that “restrict entry on the basis of either (a) legally protected political speech or (b) race or ancestry (as distinct from citizenship).” The motion claimed that the Haifa program violated the “uniform policy” and would be suspended immediately.

Also on March 14, 2019, Oliver released a statement declining to implement the PCC motion, where he said: “By singling out Israel, the recommendation itself is prejudiced.” 

In the statement, Oliver also said: “Although some claim that this is not an academic boycott of Israel, I disagree. The recommendation puts in place a form of academic boycott of Israel and, in the process, sets us on a path away from the free exchange of ideas, a direction which ultimately destroys the academy’s ability to fulfill our educational mission.”

On the same day, Pitzer’s student newspaper, The Student Life, reported: “In advance of the Haifa vote, the organization [Claremont SJP] has focused on outreach to Pitzer faculty and student senators, and on building a coalition of other campus groups.”

On March 15, 2019, Claremont SJP posted on Facebook that they would “continue to organize to suspend Haifa and demand that President Oliver reverse his decision.” Claremont SJP also posted an online petition demanding Oliver rescind his veto of the PCC motion and included the hashtag “#ProApartheidOliver.”

On March 25, 2019, Claremont SJP posted a Facebook event page for its “Palestine Freedom Weeks,” scheduled for March 25 to April 7, 2019. The event page promoted the BDS campaign against the Haifa program and used the hashtags “#SuspendPitzerHaifa” and “#MelvinWontListen.”

On March 31, 2019, the Pitzer College Student Senate, the student government,introduced two resolutions at an “Emergency Meeting” called to address the Haifa program boycott campaign.

Claremont SJP members Shay Lari-Hosain and Jorj Chisam-Majid were among the co-sponsors for the first resolution, which said: “The Pitzer College Student Senate votes no confidence in President Melvin Oliver and, if President Oliver does not retract his anti-democratic decision by the end of the day on April 11, 2019, call for his immediate resignation or removal from office.” 

Pitzer Senate president Shivani Kavuluru and vice presidents Kamyab Mashian and Dawson Reckers were among the co-sponsors for the second resolution. Their resolution censured Oliver for keeping the Haifa program and demanded that Oliver reverse his veto. 

On April 7, 2019, the Pitzer Senate reportedly voted down the resolution of no confidence with 12 for and 20 against. The resolution censuring Oliver passed 29-0.

Claremont SJP - Overview  

Claremont SJP has expressed support for terrorists, called for Israel’s destruction and rejected dialogue. The group has also demonized Israel, promoted anti-Israel agitators and campaigned for the BDS movement.

Claremont SJP - Supporting Terrorists 2020-2021  

As of July 2021, Claremont SJP had signed a petition called the “Palestinian Students Solidarity Campaign” that was launched by the anti-Israel NGO Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network (Samidoun).

The petition supported Palestinian students detained or incarcerated by Israel for participating in terror-related activities and direct terror activity. Among them was Mays Abu Ghosh, Bir Zeit University student who was arrested by Israel for activism in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror group.

Samidoun advocates for the release of all Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are members of Hamas or other terror groups like the PFLP. Multiple Samidoun activists have been identified as PFLP members, including Mohammed Khatib, Samidoun’s European Coordinator.

Claremont SJP - Calling for Israel’s Destruction 2020-2021

As of May 2021, Claremont SJP’s platform referred to Israel as an “apartheid state... that can only be dismantled through Palestinian national liberation.” 

As of the same date, Claremont SJP’s Instagram bio read: “Fighting for Palestinian liberation, from the river to the sea.” The same quote reportedly appeared in the Instagram bio as early as February 2020.

Claremont SJP - Rejecting Dialogue 2020-2021

As of May 2021, Claremont SJP’s platform read: “We reject any and all collaboration, dialogue, and coalition work with Zionist organizations through a strict policy of anti-normalization and encourage our comrades in other organizations to do the same.”

Claremont SJP - Campaigning for BDS 2020-2021

On April 15, 2021, Claremont SJP and 5C JVP introduced their BDS resolution to the ASPC Senate. The resolution mandated ASPC compliance with BDS, including ASPC funding for student groups, and created [p.2] an oversight role for Claremont SJP over the ASPC-run Coop Store and the Coop Fountain restaurant.

The resolution was titled [p.1], “Banning the Use of ASPC Funding to Support the Occupation of Palestine.” It required [p.2] that ASPC “internal spending” could not be used on products or services from companies that “knowingly support the Israeli occupation of Palestine.” 

On April 22, 2021, the ASPC Senate passed the resolution with a vote of 10-0-0. The following day, Pomona President G. Gabrielle Starr sent an email to the student body opposing the resolution.

Pomona BDS Resolution 2021  

On April 15, 2021, Claremont SJP and 5C JVP introduced their resolution to the ASPC Senate that mandated ASPC compliance with BDS. 

The resolution was titled [p.1], “Banning the Use of ASPC Funding to Support the Occupation of Palestine” and it required [p.2] that ASPC “internal spending” could not be used on products or services from companies that “knowingly support the Israeli occupation of Palestine.” 

The Claremont SJP and 5C JVP resolution cited [p.2] a list of mostly Israeli companies compiled by the United Nations Human Rights Council as a guide for which companies to boycott. ASPC internal spending includes multiple items such as funding 5C student clubs and student-run events. 

The resolution created [p.2] an oversight role for Claremont SJP over the ASPC-run Coop Store and the Coop Fountain restaurant. ASPC would “work in tandem with members of SJP, and other pertinent parties, to perform an annual check on the ASPC’s businesses to ensure all goods sold adhere to the guidelines outlined in this resolution.”

The resolution also said [p.2]: “Clubs that fail to divest and/or refrain from such uses of funding would face the loss of all Claremont Colleges Student Government Association funds.” This clause effectively mandated BDS compliance even for pro-Israel and Jewish student organizations like Claremont Hillel and Claremont Chabad.

Claremont Colleges pool mandatory student activity fees and distribute the money to the 5C student governments. ASPC provides almost 47% of the funding for all 5C clubs, although each 5C student government can fund 5C clubs. 

In spring 2021, ASPC gave more than $10,000 to 5C clubs. It also gave $30,000 for student-run events at Pomona that were coordinated through the ASPC’s Pomona Events Committee (PEC). The full ASPC spring 2021 budget was $216,700. 

The Claremont SJP and Claremont JVP resolution also said [p.2] that ASPC’s “end goal” would be to lead other 5C student governments to pass similar BDS resolutions.

On April 22, 2021, the ASPC Senate passed the resolution with a vote of 10-0-0. Five senators were not present, representing one third of ASPC Senate’s 15 seats.

On the same day, Claremont SJP issued a press release calling the resolution’s passage “an important first step in reducing our complicity with a country that maintains an illegal military occupation and regularly commits crimes against humanity against the indigenous Palestinian population.”

On April 23, 2021, following criticism of the resolution reportedly among campus and national Jewish groups, Pomona President G. Gabrielle Starr sent an email to the student body opposing the resolution. Starr said that requiring student clubs to boycott Israel was “deeply concerning.” He said that since the vote “was held without representation from any student opposition,” the ASPC Senate should “reverse course and allow for full discussion.” 
 
On April 29, 2021, the ASPC Senate held a Zoom meeting that included a “comment period” for student senators and student guest speakers to express their feedback on the resolution. 

On April 30, 2021, the ASPC Senate reportedly decided to “table the resolution” for further discussion on the resolution’s call to deny funding to student clubs that failed to adhere to BDS.

On May 6, 2021, the ASPC Senate reportedly passed a modified resolution that omitted the original clause forcing student clubs funded by ASPC to comply with BDS.

SJP

SJP is a student organization engaged in anti-Israel activity on North American college and university campuses.

The first chapter of SJP was founded in 2001 at the University of California at Berkeley by Professor Hatem Bazian. Bazian has spread classic anti-Semitism, reportedly promoted religious anti-Semitism and defended the Hamas terror group. In 2004, Bazian called for “intifada” in America.

SJP organizes anti-Israel campaigns, including running annual Israel Apartheid Weeks, often in collaboration with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Muslim Students Association (MSA) campus chapters.

SJP has been a major force in pushing the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement on campuses. Chapters have initiated dozens of BDS resolutions in student governments, which have been proposed on or around Jewish holidays, a time when many Jewish students are off-campus.

SJP activists have reportedly physically assaulted, intimidated and harassed Jewish students, disrupted pro-Israel campus events and demonized pro-Israel campus organizations.

Chapters have often endorsed and campaigned for numerous terrorists and whitewashed terrorism.