Film screening about Israel and Palestine causes controversy at UPenn
UPDATE: Group of UPenn students could be disciplined after screening Israel-Palestine doc
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The screening of a film about Israel and Palestine is causing controversy on campus at the University of Pennsylvania.
Penn Chavurah, a progressive Jewish student group at UPenn, says they've had this documentary screening planned since July. They were hoping to discuss the relationship between Israel and Jewish identity.
However, right now UPenn believes the current political climate is not fit for this conversation. Self-proclaimed progressive Jewish students at UPenn are fighting to screen the film on campus.
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"Israelism," a documentary by Jewish filmmakers, follows two Jewish Americans who observe Israel's treatment of Palestinians, leading them to reevaluate their engrained perspective of Israel.
"The documentary kind of trying to shed light on the silence in our education and to make us question what don't we know about this history, where can we learn more, how can we build solidarity with Palestinian communities as Jews," Sarah, a law student at UPenn, said.
"This film is very important to us and has been," Jack Starobin, another UPenn student, said. "We've been excited to host this screening."
The student organization, Penn Chavurah, initially scheduled a screening and Q&A for Oct. 24.
But after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the group postponed the event for this Tuesday. On Nov. 21, the university denied the screening.
In a statement to CBS News Philadelphia, UPenn said the film screening was postponed for the safety and well-being of the Penn community and are aiming to reschedule the event in February.
"We are alarmed that both as Jewish people committed to fostering a space where we can explore what it means to be Jewish," Starobin said. "And also as students at university committed to free speech."
On Monday evening, students and professors accused the university of censorship and violating academic freedom and called out UPenn for approving and supporting pro-Israel speakers and events on campus.
"The university has decided that if certain people don't like what we have to say that gives them license to shut us down," Starobin said.
The student organization will move forward with the documentary screening on campus on Tuesday evening.