As one of the five undergraduate colleges in the Claremont Colleges system, Pitzer College offers access to a Hillel and Chabad and a campus rabbi.

What’s Happening on Campus?

In February 2024, Pitzer Alums for Social Justice initiated a petition endorsed by hundreds of alumni and parents, pressing the college to suspend its study abroad program in Israel and to divest from companies targeted by the BDS movement.

By Spring 2024, Pitzer’s Faculty Executive Committee supported a resolution to suspend the Haifa program. In April 2024, the Pitzer College Council voted in favor of an academic boycott of Israeli universities, a decision met with resistance from college President Thacker, who vetoed the resolution, emphasizing academic freedom.

In May 2024, anti-Israel protestors at the College set up an encampment demanding divestment and an academic boycott of Israeli institutions.

In April 2025, it was reported that Pitzer College’s Free Wall had become a space for back-and-forth messaging relating to the Israel-Hamas War, including calls from pro-Israel students to free the hostages painted over a list of SJP demands that included calls for divestment from Israeli companies and weapons manufacturers.

University Policies and Responsive Action

In Spring 2024, President Thacker rejected a resolution calling for an expansive boycott of Israel.

However, in April 2024, despite President Thacker’s previous rejections of an academic boycott, Pitzer College suspended its study abroad program at the University of Haifa. College officials stated that the suspension was part of a broader closure of various study abroad programs, as the program had not been used in many years, and was not connected to calls for boycotting Israel. Furthermore, students at the College can still study at the University of Haifa and other Israeli universities through a petition process, as is common at the College for less frequently used academic programs.

At Pitzer, a senior group of administrators, along with the College’s legal counsel, meets weekly to review complaints and incidents and address any Title VI concerns or issues. All first-year students participate in training on discrimination and harassment of all types, including antisemitism, as part of new student orientation.

Regular training on harassment and discrimination is also mandatory for all employees.

The Presidential Initiative on Constructive Dialogue has conducted programming specifically on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Jewish identity, and campus life at Pitzer. Furthermore, the College has had a Jewish Life Cultural Fund to support programming for Jewish students at Pitzer for more than 15 years.

As one of the five undergraduate colleges in the Claremont Colleges system, Pitzer College offers access to a Hillel and Chabad and a campus rabbi.

What’s Happening on Campus?

In February 2024, Pitzer Alums for Social Justice initiated a petition endorsed by hundreds of alumni and parents, pressing the college to suspend its study abroad program in Israel and to divest from companies targeted by the BDS movement.

By Spring 2024, Pitzer’s Faculty Executive Committee supported a resolution to suspend the Haifa program. In April 2024, the Pitzer College Council voted in favor of an academic boycott of Israeli universities, a decision met with resistance from college President Thacker, who vetoed the resolution, emphasizing academic freedom.

In May 2024, anti-Israel protestors at the College set up an encampment demanding divestment and an academic boycott of Israeli institutions.

In April 2025, it was reported that Pitzer College’s Free Wall had become a space for back-and-forth messaging relating to the Israel-Hamas War, including calls from pro-Israel students to free the hostages painted over a list of SJP demands that included calls for divestment from Israeli companies and weapons manufacturers.

University Policies and Responsive Action

In Spring 2024, President Thacker rejected a resolution calling for an expansive boycott of Israel.

However, in April 2024, despite President Thacker’s previous rejections of an academic boycott, Pitzer College suspended its study abroad program at the University of Haifa. College officials stated that the suspension was part of a broader closure of various study abroad programs, as the program had not been used in many years, and was not connected to calls for boycotting Israel. Furthermore, students at the College can still study at the University of Haifa and other Israeli universities through a petition process, as is common at the College for less frequently used academic programs.

At Pitzer, a senior group of administrators, along with the College’s legal counsel, meets weekly to review complaints and incidents and address any Title VI concerns or issues. All first-year students participate in training on discrimination and harassment of all types, including antisemitism, as part of new student orientation.

Regular training on harassment and discrimination is also mandatory for all employees.

The Presidential Initiative on Constructive Dialogue has conducted programming specifically on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Jewish identity, and campus life at Pitzer. Furthermore, the College has had a Jewish Life Cultural Fund to support programming for Jewish students at Pitzer for more than 15 years.