For over 16 years, I felt I belonged at Bowdoin. (I have the t-shirt from the Office of Inclusion and Diversity to prove it.) But that changed because of October 7 and the on-campus events since then, including the College’s failure to provide balanced educational opportunities. Since October 7, 2023, I have felt alone and isolated at Bowdoin. This isolation stems from:

• Your continual calls for a ceasefire, without also calling for the release of the hostages—including two toddlers—held by Hamas in horrific conditions.
• Your use (or tolerance) of the term “Intifada,” which is directly associated with suicide bombings, terrorism and the indiscriminate killing of civilians. It’s also specifically a call for violence against Israel and Jews.
• Your use (or tolerance) of the phrase “Resistance by any means necessary,” which implies that terrorism, rape and murder of innocent civilians are justified forms of resistance.
• Your refusal to unequivocally condemn Hamas for the rapes, torture, mutilation and murders on October 7, nor their human-sacrifice strategy that uses Palestinian civilians as shields and embeds their operations in schools, hospitals and mosques.
• The public expression of concern for innocent Palestinians while ignoring the suffering of other innocent victims.
• Your refusal to acknowledge the millions of Israelis who want peace.
• Your condemnation of all other forms of hate, alongside your silence about antisemitism.
• Your disproportionate and singular focus on Israel and Jews. Regardless of political views, this fixation is inextricably linked to antisemitism. No conflict in recent history—not the massacres in Syria and Yemen, nor the violent civil war raging in Sudan—has received a fraction of the attention.

If I feel this way, imagine how our students feel. Many of them are far from their families, deeply worried about loved ones in Israel and struggling to find support. Some had barely begun building a community here before being confronted with overwhelming feelings of alienation. These students inspired me to speak up.

I pray for peace and hope that one day, I will feel I belong at Bowdoin again.

Lesley Levy is the director of student accessibility.