University of Maryland SJP pushes anti-Israel vote on Yom Kippur
The University of Maryland’s Students for Justice in Palestine scheduled a vote on an anti-Israel resolution for Yom Kippur, drawing criticism for targeting Jewish holy days.
Despite rising anti-Semitism on campuses, UMD recently reinstated SJP and paid $100,000 in a settlement.
A planned vote on a controversial anti-Israel resolution at the University of Maryland, College Park is drawing criticism for its timing, which coincides with Yom Kippur, a major Jewish holiday.
Leo Terrell, chair of the U.S. Department of Justice’s task force on combating Jew-hatred, accused the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) of scheduling votes during Jewish holy days, such as Yom Kippur, according to an X post.
Just learned a Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) vote at @UofMaryland was first set for Rosh Hashanah and now moved to Yom Kippur. Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) appears to be intentionally picking the holiest days of the year for Jews in order to force them to choose…
— Leo Terrell (@LeoTerrellDOJ) September 26, 2025
“This is shameful and unacceptable,” Terrell wrote, noting that the resolution was first slated for Rosh Hashanah and later moved to Oct. 1, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.
SJP has urged students to attend the meeting, where the resolution calls for ending ties with organizations connected to Israel.
University officials said the date was chosen based on bylaws and academic deadlines, adding that proxy voting is allowed. “While the new date coincides with Yom Kippur, legislators will have the option to vote by proxy,” a university spokesperson told Jewish News Syndicate.
“DIVESTUMD IS BACK,” SJP posted to Instagram on Sept. 23. The group said that although a divestment referendum passed last spring, “UMD has ignored our calls to divest.”
To push the effort forward, it announced a new Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) bill, declaring, “we will not rest until UMD divests.” SJP urged students to attend committee meetings on Sept. 29 and 30 and the final hearing Oct. 1, calling the next two weeks “CRUCIAL” and “mandatory attendance.”
The post concluded: “UMD students will not be complicit in war crimes.”
Earlier this month, the University of Maryland agreed to pay $100,000 and reinstate its SJP chapter after canceling a vigil on the anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.
The settlement resolved a federal lawsuit filed by Palestine Legal and the Council on American-Islamic Relations. UMD, without admitting wrongdoing, restored SJP’s official status, noting it had held more than 100 events.
Across the board, anti-Semitism remains rampant on American college campuses according to recent surveys.
A study released this month by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) found rising anti-Semitism on campuses worldwide, with 78 percent of Jewish students hiding their religious identity and 81 percent concealing their Zionist identity.
Nearly one in five knew peers physically attacked in the past year, while over a third reported threats. ADL’s Marina Rosenberg called the findings “devastating,” warning students are forced to hide “fundamental aspects” of themselves.
Further, a Hillel International study released July 17 reported 2,334 anti-Semitic incidents on U.S. campuses in 2024–2025, a record high and tenfold increase from 2022–2023.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Maryland, College Park for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
