Cal Poly president apologizes after response to attack on Israel angers SLO Jewish community
The Cal Poly administration is taking heat for its response to Hamas’ attack on Israel and has issued an apology after the campus’ Jewish community said it was “extremely let down” by the university’s statement on the conflict.
On Thursday, President Jeffrey Armstrong sent an email to the campus community noting he is often “asked to respond to national and world events like the loss of life in the Middle East due to the horrific attack on Israel and resultant war in Gaza.”
“Our practice at Cal Poly is not to comment on current national and world events that do not directly impact a critical mass of our students and employees,” the statement continued. “Rather we focus our efforts on providing care and support to those in our community who are most affected.”
Armstrong continued, saying “our silence regarding these events should not be taken as a position that we don’t care, but that we reserve our public responses for those things that we can control or influence.”
The non-response response angered the Jewish community, and in social media posts on Thursday, SLO Hillel, Chabad of SLO, Mustangs United for Israel, the Alpha Epsilon Pi Jewish fraternity and the Alpha Epsilon Phi Jewish sorority all decried Armstrong’s remarks.
The groups were circulating a petition to let Cal Poly “administration know it’s NOT OK that they did not issue a universitywide statement of support for our Cal Poly Jewish students and faculty!”
“Cal Poly does not condem (sic) the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel — ultimately turning their back on Jewish students,” the groups’ statement said. “On top of all the unbearable struggles we are going through this week, we relied on the support from our university and were extremely let down. All commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion were breached.
“Let it be known that silence is compliance,” the statement continued. “As Einstein once said: ‘The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.’”
The statement added that the Hamas attacks marked “the worst day for Jewish people since the Holocaust.”
On Friday, Armstrong sent an apology to the campus community.
“On Thursday I sent you a message that was meant to reassure, but it failed badly in that effort,” he said. “I know that many of you are in pain because of the horrific loss of innocent lives in Israel, as well as Gaza, and I am so sorry to have added to your burden in any way.
“My message did not address the issues, the humanity, and I sincerely apologize for the hurt that I know it caused many of you — especially those in our Jewish and other communities.”
The surprise attack by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7 killed more than 1,200 in Israel, including at least 27 United States citizens, and injured another 2,900 as of Thursday morning, according to the U.S. National Security Council.
As of Thursday, at least 1,417 people in Gaza had died and 6,000 others injured since the retaliatory airstrikes by Israel began, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S. and others.
The Israeli army has since declared war and told more than a million Palestinian civilians to move out of the north of the Gaza Strip before an attack within 24 hours of Friday morning.
Cal Poly Muslim community makes statement on conflict
The Cal Poly Muslim Student Association responded to the crisis by posting a statement to Instagram on Thursday condemning the “unjust killings of all civilians.”
“The situation there (in Palestine) is deeply distressing, with our Palestinian brothers and sisters suffering from a severe lack of basic necessities like water, power and food due to ongoing attacks by Israeli forces.”
“We condemn the actions of Israel that have led to the suffering of innocent Palestinians and we raise our voices to demand a resolution to this longstanding conflict,” the association’s statement continued.
University apologizes for earlier statement
In response to a Tribune request for comment on Thursday, Cal Poly spokesperson Keegan Koberl issued a separate apology for Armstrong’s earlier statement.
“President Armstrong’s note to campus earlier today was intended to provide an explanation and clarification around the process the university follows for communications from the President’s Office,” Koberl wrote in an email to The Tribune. “President Armstrong appreciates and understands that some felt the language in the note could be interpreted as the university minimizing the impact of the events in Israel and Gaza on our Jewish and Muslim students and employees.”
“That was in no way President Armstrong’s intent and, in retrospect, he wishes he had chosen different language that more clearly conveyed the intended message, especially during this difficult time for so many,” his email continued. “President Armstrong reached out to Cal Poly’s Jewish and Muslim student groups and the university’s Jewish friends and partners in the community with an apology.”
“President Armstrong cares deeply about and supports all of Cal Poly’s Jewish and Muslim students, and the university has put in place extensive support services for campus community members who are hurting and in need of assistance,” Koberl concluded.
