Dear members of the Temple community,

Many on our Temple campuses have been profoundly affected by the abhorrent acts of terrorism wrought upon innocent civilians in Israel this past weekend. We are appalled and saddened by the reports of staggering brutality by Hamas. 

Recent revelations have shed more light on the harrowing experiences endured by those in distress. While we know that the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza is complex and has a deep history, there is never any excuse for the despicable acts of terroristic violence that we have witnessed.

The Temple community will continue to hold dear our institution’s values. We unequivocally condemn terrorism, violence, hate speech that disparages any person or persons based on religion, nationality, race, gender, sexual orientation or identity. 

The First Amendment and the freedoms of speech and assembly that are its foundation are fundamental to Temple’s mission as a public university and place of learning. This means that we must nurture an environment that is open to a diversity of thought, opinion and dialogue. It is only by facilitating respectful interchange that we serve our mission.  But let me be clear – violence is not protected and will not be tolerated in our community.  

We are prepared to support members of our community struggling with this crisis. Our thoughts continue to go out to all who have been affected by violence targeted at innocent civilians.

Sincerely,

Richard M. Englert
President