Students and community members press University of Illinois trustees to divest and address antisemitism and anti‑Palestinian discrimination

CHICAGO — Dozens of public commenters at the University of Illinois system board meeting on July 25 urged trustees to divest the university’s investments from companies they said fund the Israel–Gaza conflict, and described a campus climate they said has failed to protect both Jewish and Palestinian students.

Speakers representing a mix of current students, alumni and community groups told the board during the allotted public‑comment period that university relationships and investments with Israeli institutions and certain corporations amount to complicity in human rights abuses and have harmed students on campus. Charles Cohen, executive director of Metro Chicago Hillel, said Jewish students feel unsafe and urged administrators to adopt remedies similar to agreements reached in Urbana‑Champaign to address discrimination. “Jews are scared,” he said.

Other commenters detailed alleged incidents they said were evidence of…