Dated Nov. 20, 2023.

As alumni who care deeply about Clark, we were shocked by the November 3rd article on the Pro-Palestine rally.  We were truly disappointed and saddened at how imbalanced the article was and the callous way it framed the crisis in Israel and Gaza.  

By referring to Israel as an “occupied Palestine,” the article brazenly questioned the legitimacy of the state of Israel, its boundaries and even its people.  At 75, Israel may be one of the younger nations of the world, but its roots extend thousands of years and international recognition solidifies the nation state.  

Shockingly, the article failed to even mention Hamas and its slaughter of innocent civilians.  There was no mention of how Hamas deprives Gazans of basic human rights like free speech or the right to assemble; or how it hasn’t allowed an election since 2006; or how it intentionally puts Gazans in harm’s way by embedding military operations in crowded civilian areas. 

Sadly the article fails to recognize that fellow Clarkies found the slogans and rhetoric deeply hurtful, offensive and even traumatizing. Many in the Clark community, including us, hold Israel deep in our hearts as a physical and spiritual haven from antisemitism and bigotry.  This rhetoric was too much to bear.  

Unfortunately for the protesters, the brutality and inhumanity of Hamas is an inconvenient truth in the story of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.  To keep Clark an open and respectful community, we urge The Scarlet to tell the whole truth, even when it is inconvenient. 

Sincerely,

Matthew Chafe ’87
Peter Sonnenreich ’87
Melissa Chandler Folsom ’87
Alan Brosnick ’87
Deborah (Pechter) Goldstein ’87
Ellen Ullman ’88
David Fischer ’87
Laurel (Donahue) Rubin ’87
Lisa Levy ’87
Amy (Cohen) Kruglak ’87
Michelle (Koenig) Klein ’87
Caroline (Nachbar) Goldstrom ’87
Jim Nachbar ’85
Michael Robinson, MD ’84
Rivka & Paul Safferson ’83
Steven Rogers ’87
Debbie Freedman ’87
Anne (Stolzenberg) Mendelson ’87
Cathy (Schechter) Berkowitz ’83
Elizabeth Marks ’87 & Andrew Skobinsky ’89
Carol (Loeb) Meyers ’88
Diana (Fromme) Rosner ’88
Cynthia Gilbert-Pattison ’87
Roberta Stein Duhamel ’87
Lisa Weinstein Goldberg ’85
Mark Lechter ’87
Alisa Carmen ’87
Neil ’88 & Beth Robinson Stolz ’92
Alisa Michaels Robinson ’85
Susan Holzman ’85
Monica Meyer ’87
Fred Berkowitz ’83
Joseph Landa ’87
Michael Mangili ’87
Rick Gopen ’83
Eliot Greenberg ’86
Warren Breakstone ‘91
Stephanie Duchin ’87
Ross ’87 & Judy Balber Kaplan ’88
Matthew ’87 & Melissa Cohen Glaser ’86
Craig Berkson ’87
Ian Whiton ’88
Lionel Handler ’88
Richard Bessinger ’87
Joanne (Rosenstein) Katzman ’87
Lisa (Stern) Burch ’87
Jeffrey Rothman ’85
Barbara Miller Palefsky ’86
Mark Perilstein ’91
Pam (Miller) Roberts ’87
Debbie Stricoff ’87
Robert Diaz ’87
Susan Davidoff ’87
Emily McGranaghan ’87
Robert Elfont ’87
Jerome D. Tuccille ’87
Katherine Barbieri, Ph.D. ’87, ’89
Julie (Beck) Behar ’87
Sharyn (Levine) Gilfix ’87
Debbie Stricoff ’87
Karen (Gofstein) Stotsky ’87
Janet (Yegelwel) Rubin ’87
Andrew Sussman ’87
Ron Tepper ’87
Marc Kotler ’87
A.J. Russell ’87