The following column was written by Pikesville native Nolan Drazin, who is currently a student at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.
Like so many people around the world, I was absolutely shocked and horrified by the Oct. 7th Hamas terrorist attacks — the mass murder of 1,400 people, the maiming of thousands more, and the unconscionable acts of brutality inflicted upon the innocent civilians of Israel.
In the days and weeks following this act of barbarism, my school, Georgetown Law, did not take any formal action or issue any statement about the massacre. Although the institution previously issued public statements regarding the Ukraine conflict, police shootings of African Americans, the alleged politicization of the U.S. Supreme Court and many other matters deemed “troubling” to the student body, there was no statement coming from Georgetown Law.
No statement was made to condemn Hamas or terrorism.
No statement to express solidarity with the many Jewish and Israeli students on campus.
No statement at all.
During this same period, members of the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Georgetown, among others, took to social media in celebration of the Hamas attack. My law school peers openly denied the mass murder of children, while disputing the status of unarmed civilians held hostage, referring to them instead as “settlers” and “combatants.”
The vile rhetoric has continued, with praise being leveled on the measures of “resistance” taken by the Hamas terrorists. Calls of “Glory to our Martyrs” are echoed throughout protests publicized and attended by these same individuals.
With so many Jewish students feeling unsafe and abandoned by their educational institution, I co-founded a new organization — Georgetown Zionists, of which I’m co-president. The group’s mission is to advocate for the Jewish people’s right to statehood in their ancestral homeland, to foster a sense of community among pro-Israel students and allies, and to raise awareness for the safety concerns affecting Jewish students in and around campus.
The group has grown rapidly, reaching 70 members within its first two weeks in operation, making it one of the largest student organizations at Georgetown Law. In this time, it has gained media attention, being featured on Fox News, NBC, OANN (One America News Network), Newsmax and DW (Deutsche Welle).
On Wednesday, Oct. 18, Georgetown Zionists hosted its first event: a talk by Natalie Sanandaji, a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre in southern Israel. In front of a live audience and on Zoom, Sanandaji recounted her experience of fleeing from the terrorists who killed 260 of her fellow festival attendees.
Her harrowing story brought forth a call-to-action that people must realize what happened on Oct. 7th. The world must know that such acts are never acceptable, regardless of their political aim or purpose. The murder of innocent civilians will never achieve a just goal, and such an attack must never be allowed to happen again.
Georgetown Zionists is planning a major pro-Israel community gathering on campus in the coming weeks. A “Community Call-In” will include speakers, music and singing. The goal is to exhibit the strength and determination of the Jewish people in and around the nation’s capital, while standing steadfast in support of the State of Israel.
Despite all of this activity and progress, our group has received a great deal of bitter opposition. In addition to other executive members of Georgetown Zionists, I have received numerous death threats and slanderous comments. In one case, a disgruntled individual made an attempt to locate my home address.
Beyond such personal and unlawful intimidations, the group’s Instagram page (@georgetown_law_zionists_) regularly receives threats of beheadings, antisemitic tirades and tags to graphic content.
Instead of backing down from these challenges and risks, those of us who belong to Georgetown Zionists remain committed to fighting for what we know is right and just. We believe that Israel deserves to exist in peace and security, and that Jews deserve to live without fear and discrimination.
We hope our group will inspire other pro-Israel students and college campus groups across the country to stand up for their values and beliefs.
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