OPEN LETTER: IWU & CCU Presidents Write to Their Beloved Jewish Brothers & Sisters

July 25, 2024 (Washington, DC) – Amidst a historic rise in antisemitism at university campuses in the United States and worldwide, Colorado Christian University President Eric Hogue and Indiana Wesleyan University President Jon Kulaga have issued a joint letter extending a heartfelt invitation to Jewish and Israeli students to study on their campuses, saying, “You will be welcomed, and you will be safe.” Colorado Christian and Indiana Wesleyan are two of the largest, most influential Christian institutions in America.  

This letter comes as the Israeli Prime Minister visits the United States and will be addressing a joint session of Congress. 

“We write to express our profound shock and indignation in response to the surge of hate and violence directed against Jewish and Israeli individuals on university campuses across the United States earlier this year,” the joint letter begins. “All university administrators must take decisive action to root out the seeds of hatred on their campuses before roots of hate take hold in academic communities.”  

The full letter is available below: 

 To our Beloved Jewish Brothers and Sisters,

We write to express our profound shock and indignation in response to the surge of hate and violence directed against Jewish and Israeli individuals on university campuses across the United States earlier this year.

We want to make it clear to our nation and the world that our Christian institutions will not tolerate this behavior. We also want to express our profound concern that the terrible events we all witnessed at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year are already being forgotten. What we have all seen reveals a profound problem in the culture of many institutions, a problem which must be addressed.

For centuries, the academy has stood as a beacon of enlightenment, embodying the Judeo-Christian values of tolerance, freedom, and human dignity. Yet, in recent days, what we have seen is an insidious darkness encroaching upon the academy. It is a darkness emblematic of other terrible periods in history. 

History warns us, now.

Revered institutions have professed a commitment to inclusion even as they welcomed clubs like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which spread antisemitism openly. These groups not only refused to condemn the horrendous atrocities of October 7, 2023, but they celebrated them as legitimate acts of resistance beginning on October 8th. Is it any wonder that eventually, the activities of SJP and organizations aligned with them ignited an inferno of violence and hate on countless campuses?  No student club should be allowed to celebrate and justify such violence on any campus. They will not be allowed to do so on our campuses.  We are profoundly grieved by the loss of civilian life in this war, as in all wars. Still, it is morally clear to us how this all began on October 7, 2023.

 All university administrators must take decisive action to root out the seeds of hatred on their campuses before roots of hate take hold in academic communities.

We call upon all seminaries and universities to review their commitment to upholding Biblical principles of inclusivity and diversity. Institutions should recommit themselves to creating and sustaining an environment on their campuses conducive to learning, modeling these values to all higher education institutions.

Finally, we want to extend a heartfelt invitation to Jewish and Israeli students to join us on our campuses. You will be welcomed, and you will be safe.  We stand with you in solidarity and thank you for your community’s stewardship through many centuries of the values underpinning our institutions.

Sincerely,

Jon S. Kulaga
President
Indiana Wesleyan University

Eric K. Hogue
President
Colorado Christian University