UGA president meets with Jewish students amid Hamas terror in Israel

University of Georgia president Jere Morehead met with members of the University’s Hillel community Thursday, expressing support and sympathy in the wake of the Hamas massacre of Jews in Israel.

From Jere Morehead…

I am meeting with UGA Hillel to extend my sympathy, concern, and assurance to our Jewish community that we stand together in the wake of the recent atrocities in Israel. As the world continues to watch and despair over the unfolding events, I—like so many of you—am outraged and deeply saddened by the terrorist acts perpetrated against innocent civilians in Israel. This is a dark and difficult moment for our campus, for our nation, for our world—and especially for our Jewish friends and colleagues, who are understandably feeling unsure and unsafe in the wake of this unspeakable tragedy.

As we individually and collectively process the events of recent days, our University will continue to support and serve all those in our community who are affected. We encourage our students, faculty, and staff to take advantage of the wide array of support services and counseling resources offered across campus. And of course, any member of our community concerned about their physical safety should contact the UGA Police Department. In the days and weeks ahead, we will continue to deploy every available resource to promote the safety and well-being of every member of the UGA community.

Some in our community are choosing to leverage the events of recent days for purposes of advocacy. As members of an institution committed to the principle of free speech, they have the right to do so. The First Amendment protects the right of individuals to express ideas that are offensive and even hateful, but it does not protect physical violence or speech that targets individuals based on religion or ethnicity. Let me be clear: this University will never tolerate the escalation of rhetoric into violence of any kind. We are committed to free speech, but our first priority is—and will always be—the safety of our campus community.

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