Dear readers of the Justice,

This past Sunday, following a vote in the Student Union Senate against a resolution condemning the terrorist group Hamas, demanding the release of hundreds of hostages taken, and declaring solidarity with Israel in the wake of the attacks, I resigned from office as a member of the Student Union. The following is my resignation email as I addressed it to the senior leadership of the Student Union with all names removed. I urged the same and I urge the student body at large to make clear that the Brandeis community will continue to stand up in the wake of such terror, antisemitism, and other manifestations of cruelty, with or without the Union’s support.

In response to the Senate’s rejection tonight of a vital resolution condemning the brutal war of terror waged by Hamas against Israeli and international civilians, I hereby resign my post as a member of Student Union.

This resolution posed the clearest and most effective manner in which Student Union could have proven its legitimacy as an advocate of the student body, including all students personally or indirectly impacted through those civilian-targeting atrocities. The Union failed to offer even the slightest level of recognition of the hardships currently faced by Jews — who witnessed their bloodiest day since the Holocaust — Jewish Israelis, Arab Israelis, Palestinians, and others in the region, along with all those with familiar, religious, cultural, or other personal ties to the land.

The result of the Senate’s vote is a sincere disgrace to every member of the Brandeis community, and an evisceration of the legitimacy entertained by Student Union as a representative body. As a student on behalf of many, I urge each of you to pursue some brand of rectification for this deplorable spit in the face of these communities and others here at Brandeis. I am deeply grateful for the leadership more than 160 signatories brought to this fight, and for the leadership I know they will continue to bring as our community stands up for itself, together, notably without the assistance of a general advocative body.

Sincerely,

Stephen R. Gaughan

Class of 2026

Student Representative to CEEF, Resigned