Sydney Covitz
Overview
Sydney Covitz has compared Israel to Nazi Germany and promoted a Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) initiative at Swarthmore College (Swarthmore), as an activist for Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at Swarthmore (Swarthmore SJP).Covitz also co-founded a Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) chapter at Swarthmore (Swarthmore JVP) and spread hatred of Israel.
As of December 2019, Covitz’s LinkedIn page said she was a student at Swarthmore from “2016-2020,” where she reportedly studied English and Computer Science.
In 2019, Covitz travelled to Israel as part of an Israeli-Palestinian Conflict course taught by anti-Israel professor Sa’ed Atshan.
Comparing Israel to Nazi Germany
On December 12, 2018, Covitz spoke at a Swarthmore SJP rally during which she said [00:18:39]: “As a product of generations of people who were wiped out in concentration camps, I know that Nazi Germany began with an apartheid state, apartheid laws, restrictions on freedoms, and limiting the full realization on citizenship to a select few.”Covitz continued [00:18:50]: “Like certain Israeli policies, Nazi Germany also involved occupation, raiding homes, shuttling people from checkpoint to checkpoint and attempting to cleanse a land of a people.”
On December 6, 2018, Covitz wrote an opinion piece published in the Swathmore Phoenix titled, “On the Palestinian Question.”
In the piece, Covitz wrote: “I call upon Jewish people to take seriously the fact that an implementation of apartheid laws and occupation are being done in the name of Judaism.Nazi Germany began with an apartheid state...in the quest for one state for one people, Israel has emulated the memory of the oppressor that Jews have always feared and have always run from.”
Swarthmore SJP Divestment Campaign
On October 9, 2018, Swarthmore SJP held a rally to launch a campus divestment resolution. The resolution called on Swarthmore to divest from a number of companies doing business with Israel. On December 12, 2018, Covitz helped lead [00:17:20] a Swarthmore SJP rally where activists reportedly delivered a petition Swarthmore President Valerie Smith, urging Swarthmore to “divest from Israeli apartheid.”
At the rally, Covitz said [00:17:29]: “As a journalist, I would like to dedicate these next a hundred signatures to the Palestinian journalists and writers whose voices are continually systemically silenced by oppression and occupation.”
Covitz continued [00:18:00]: “Regardless of what you believe...it is an undeniable truth that Israel has constructed itself into an apartheid state.”
Protesters at the rally chanted [00:06:00] “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” and [00:33:10] “We want justice, you say how? End the siege on Gaza now!”
“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free” is a chant calling to dismantle the State of Israel. It has also been employed by Hamas leader Khaled Mashal to call for the replacement of Israel with an Islamic state.
In February 2019, Swarthmore SJP proposed their BDS resolution to the Student Government Organization (SGO). On February 10, 2019, the BDS resolution failed to pass.
On March 3, 2019, the SGO held another meeting inviting student groups to again discuss the BDS resolution. SGO’s President Gilbert Orbea motioned to hold a vote among members on whether to make the meeting closed, that succeeded, after which SGO held a secret vote. At the secret vote, the SGO voted in support of the divestment resolution.
On March 5, 2019, Covitz shared to Facebook a Swarthmore SGO post calling on Swarthmore on “Board of Managers” to “honor its Quaker roots and claims to civic and social responsibility”by adopting the divestment resolution.
On March 12, 2019, President Smith released a statement to Swarthmore’s website in which she declined to change Swarthmore’s investment policies in accordance with the BDS resolution.
Swarthmore JVP Activism
Covitz was quoted in the Swarthmore Phoenix saying: “when Jews speak out against Israel, people tend to listen,” adding that Swarthmore JVP planned on using their platform to “support SJP’s BDS campaign in any way” that they could.
On February 11, 2019, Covitz co-hosted the “Jewish Voice for Peace Interest Meeting” event, which she promoted on Facebook days earlier.
The event’s Facebook description invited students “to learn more about starting a chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) at Swarthmore. What do we want JVP to accomplish on Swat's campus? What space do we want JVP to hold? How do we get there?”
On February 18, 2019, Covitz shared JVP’s “Statement of Support for BDS Campaign” on Facebook. The statement pledged Swarthmore JVP’s solidarity with Swarthmore SJP’s divestment initiatives and stated that the “struggle for liberation is inextricably linked to the struggle for Palestinian liberation.”
On February 24, 2019, the SGO Executive Board and Senate reportedly hosted an open meeting on the failed BDS resolution, during which 40 SJP members and the newly formed JVP chapter advocated for BDS.
Covitz reportedly represented JVP at the meeting and later commented: “Seeing a group of Jewish students here who openly support BDS proves to SGO that the campaign is not at all antithetical to the Jewish identity and that there are a lot of Jewish students at this school who support BDS because of our Jewish identity, not in spite of it.”
On February 28, 2019, another article quoted Covitz as saying: “Our goal is to create a space for Jewish students on campus to fight against the human rights abuses Israel is currently perpetuating and support BDS as a viable means to do so.”
Spreading Hatred of Israel
On May 6, 2019, Covitz shared a post on Facebook that read: “The media is busy counting how many rockets are launched from #Gaza but it’s not talking about the quality of those rockets…” The post included comparison photos of the “Aftermath of HAMAS rocket attack on israel” and “Aftermath of Israeli rocket attacks on Gaza.”Days earlier, Hamas launched rockets into southern Israel from Gaza, killing four Israeli civilians
The Facebook post also read: “it’s not talking about the 100s of Palestinian civilians who were killed by Zionist snipers on the borders of Gaza during the march of return protests. We are the victims and they are the aggressors.”
On January 15, 2019, Covitz shared “JVP”S Approach to Zionism” to Facebook.
JVP’s statement claimed that “Zionism was a false and failed answer… a settler-colonial movement, establishing an apartheid state… a political ideology founded on erasure.”
On November 8, 2018, Covitz wrote an opinion piece in the Swathmore Phoenix condemning Israel’s deportation of Palestinian-American author Susan Abulhawa.
Abulhawa was reportedly deported because she did not pre-arrange her visit to Israel with Israel’s Border Authority. In July 2015, Abulhawa was reportedly refused entry for failing to cooperate with Israel security personnel, and it was “made clear to her that every future entry would have to be arranged in advance."
In her opinion piece, Covitz accused Israel of “occupation, humiliation of Palestinians, and blatant disregard for international human rights law.” Covitz then went on to claim that “Zionism and antisemitism are both born out of the ideology of white supremacy and advocate for monolithic societal composition.”
Swarthmore SJP
Swarthmore SJP was formerly known as Swarthmore Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine (Swarthmore SPJP) from 2010-2017.Swarthmore SJP - Expressing Support for Terrorists
On March 26, 2019, Swarthmore SJP posted on Facebook in honor of Women’s History Month, celebrating “the resistance and resilience” of Khalida Jarrar as “a Palestinian feminist.”Khalida Jarrar is a senior member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror organization. In 2017, Israel arrested Jarrar “on suspicion of involvement with terrorist activities.” In 2015, an Israeli military court sentenced Jarrar to 15 months in prison for calling to kidnap Israeli soldiers.
On March 24, 2019, Swarthmore SJP posted to Facebook celebrating Leila Khaled in honor of Women’s History Month.
Khaled, a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization, participated in the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 in 1969 and El Al Flight 219 in 1970.
On May 6, 2017, Swarthmore SPJP posted a video to Facebook of SPJP members taking part in the “Saltwater Challenge.”
The “Saltwater Challenge” was held in solidarity with over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners hunger-striking in Israeli prisons — most of whom were convicted for acts of terrorism.
The strike was initiated by Marwan Barghouti, who was serving five consecutive life sentences for his role in suicide bombings and shooting attacks during the second intifada. Barghouti led the Palestinian Authority (PA) terrorist Tanzim force and founded the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
Barghouti also financed the guitar-case bomb used in the Sbarro Cafe massacre, where 15 civilians were killed and 130 injured.
Swarthmore SJP - Promoting Anti-Israel Agitators
On March 28, 2019, Swarthmore SJP posted to Facebook celebrating Manal Tamimi in honor of Women’s History Month.Manal Tamimi has promoted anti-Semitic blood libels as well as terror support.
On September 21, 2018, Swarthmore SJP posted to Facebook promoting Dareen Tatour. In October 2015, Tatour was placed under house arrest for incitement to violence and for support of a terrorist organization on social media.
On March 19, 2018, Swarthmore SJP hosted anti-Israel activist David Sheen.
David Sheen, a Canadian-Israeli anti-Israel activist and filmmaker, works to portray Israel as an extremist racist state. To this end, Sheen has been accused of purposefully mistranslating Hebrew articles and advertisements to make Israelis appear racist.
Swarthmore SJP - Supporting Violent Protesters
On March 30, 2019, Swarthmore SJP held a “Vigil for Gaza's Great March of Return.” The event’s Facebook description called to “Honor the lives of those murdered by Israeli military forces” on the “1-year anniversary of the ongoing Great March of Return, a series of massive nonviolent demonstrations.”On March 30, 2018, some 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza approached Israel’s border to take part in “Land Day Protests” or the “March of Return.” The March of Return was organized and funded by Hamas as a campaign of violent protests along Israel’s border to spotlight the demand of Palestinians to “return” to Israel.
On May 17, 2018, Swarthmore SJP posted to Facebook: “for the past month and a half - and increasingly in the past couple of days - the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been massacring Palestinians in Gaza who are nonviolently protesting for their rights. Over 100 demonstrators have been killed and thousands injured, among them a number of children, most by trained snipers with explicit orders to kill.”
On May 16, 2018, Hamas senior official Salah al-Bardawil stated that 50 out of 62 Gaza border protesters killed on May 14 were in fact Hamas operatives. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) later claimed that three of its members were also killed at the May 14 protest.
Swarthmore SJP -Boycotting Sabra Hummus
In March 2018, Swarthmore SJP published a petition calling for an end to the sale of Sabra products on campus. Sabra Hummus is partially owned by an Israeli company, the Strauss Group.The petition accused Sabra of supporting Israeli forces who allegedly commit “countless human rights violations,” including “arbitrary murders, assaults, incarcerations, evictions, and arrests of children.”
On April 4, 2018, Swarthmore SJP held a rally to support SJP members slated to meet with Swarthmore President Valerie Smith to push the Sabra boycott.
On April 11, 2018, Swarthmore SJP reportedly held another rally at Swarthmore to promote the boycott, during which they held a moment of silence for protesters who died in the Great March of Return.
Approximately 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza approached Israel’s border on March 30, 2018 as part of the “March of Return,” which was organized and funded by Hamas as a campaign of violent protests to spotlight the demand of Palestinians to “return” to Israel.
On April 30, 2018, President Smith announced that Swarthmore would continue to sell Sabra products on campus and begin selling an alternative brand of hummus. In response, on May 2, 2018, Swarthmore SJP held a rally to protest Smith’s announcement.
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.
BDS
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by Omar Barghouti in 2005 to challenge “international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.” BDS is an allegedly “Palestinian-led movement,” although leading BDS activists have admitted [00:01:01] this is not true.
One of the demands of BDS includes [point 3] what is generally known as the “right of return,” a demand discredited as a way to eliminate Israel. Barghouti said the “right of return” is a means to “end Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”
Barghouti has said that BDS “aims to turn Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.”
In his activism, Barghouti has also said [00:05:55] regarding Israel: “Definitely, most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No…rational Palestinian, not a sellout Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”
The movement has been linked to numerous terrorist organizations and received a public endorsement from Hamas in 2017.
BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.
The movement’s most notable achievement has been the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments and student groups, backed by their own anti-Israel members and affiliates, have proposed resolutions on some form of boycott of, or divestment from, Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities.
Boycott resolutions, although non-binding, have been passed by student governments on numerous North American campuses.
BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus. On one campus, when the student government debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats against those opposing it.
JVP
JVP was founded in Berkeley, California in 1996, as an activist group with an emphasis on the “Jewish tradition” of peace, social justice and human rights. The organization is currently led by Rebecca Vilkomerson and its board members include Israel critics Naomi Klein, Judith Butler, Noam Chomsky and Tony Kushner.
JVP, which generally employs civil disobedience tactics to disrupt pro-Israel speakers and events, consists of American Jews and non-Jewish “allies” highly critical of Israeli policies. A staunch supporter of the BDS movement, JVP claims to aim its campaigns at companies that either support the Israeli military (Hewlett-Packard) or are active in the West Bank (SodaStream).
Although several Jewish groups critical of Israeli policies, like J Street and Partners for a Progressive Israel, make efforts to operate within the mainstream American Jewish community, JVP functions outside. The group is often criticized for serving as a tokenized Jewish voice for the pro-Palestinian camp and is widely regarded as the BDS movement’s “Jewish wing.”
JVP denies the notion of “Jewish peoplehood” and has even gone so far as to refer to its own Ashkenazi (Jews who spent the Diaspora in European countries) leadership as “white supremacy inside of JVP.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has accused JVP of being “the largest and most influential Jewish anti-Zionist group in the United States,” and said the group “exploits Jewish culture and rituals to reassure its own supporters that opposition to Israel not only does not contradict, but is actually consistent with, Jewish value.”
The ADL also claimed that “JVP consistently co-sponsors rallies to oppose Israeli military policy that are marked by signs and slogans comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, demonizing Jews and voicing support for groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.”
According to the ADL website, JVP “uses its Jewish identity to shield the anti-Israel movement from allegations of anti-Semitism and provide it with a greater degree of legitimacy and credibility.”
Social Media and Weblinks
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/100000614937432LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydney-covitz/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/sydcc24 [Private]
Muckrack: https://muckrack.com/sydney-covitz
Videos
Photos & Screenshots
