On Wednesday, Oct. 9, a protest organized by SB4Palestine took place in front of the Administration Fountain at Stony Brook University, bringing attention to concerns over the University’s financial ties to Israel. 

The protest gained attention when an Israeli advocate, Jack Abelman, a 1984 alumnus who studied biology and psychology, appeared with a sign reading “BE PROUD UNMASK NOW” while waving an Israeli flag and wearing a paper on his body showing the name and picture of a hostage reportedly killed by Hamas.

Marjana Marjana, a freshman chemistry major, described her conversation with the Israeli advocate, where she questioned his support for Israel. 

“He said we are just following social media trends and they are not, they know the reality,” Marjana said. 

In response, Jerin Zafrin Choua, a sophomore majoring in computer science, challenged the advocate’s perspective by asking, “But how do you know the reality from the [United States]? You are in the U.S.; you are not in Israel or Palestine,” she said. 

While the exchange was occurring, protesters could be heard expressing their frustration about the lack of information regarding the University’s investments. In one of the protesters’ speeches, they emphasized the need for transparency.

“Despite our money funding [the Stony Brook] foundation, students do not find out how their money is invested. Only the Board of Trustees knows where our money goes,” the protester said. 

A focus of concern was the University’s partnerships with organizations that are perceived to support Israeli policies. Protestors highlighted the collaboration with Reichman University, claiming it allows Stony Brook students to engage in programs that contribute to Israeli Defense Forces military operations.

“How can Stony Brook claim to care about our free speech when they send students to universities abroad that maintain oppressive ideologies?” one student asked, questioning the University’s stance on neutrality.

The protest concluded by talking about the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while invoking the historical parallels to pass divestment movements at Stony Brook, similar to the South African apartheid. 

“As was done by our comrades during the South African apartheid in the 1980s, we will not stop, we will not rest until Stony Brook University divests completely from the Israeli regime,” one of the protesters said.