About 60 people at the site of a pro-Palestinian encampment celebrated Seder in Dunn Meadow after police forcibly arrested 33 protesters and cleared the encampment Thursday afternoon.
Seder is a traditional Jewish dinner, usually held once or twice during the holiday of Passover. It typically consists of a speaker reading stories and singing songs from the Haggadah, a Jewish text containing the story of the biblical Exodus as it must be retold while beginning Seder.
Traditionally, Seder is celebrated with matzo, a Jewish flatbread, and wine. At the Dunn Meadow rendition, they served pizza, matzo and grape juice.
It was led Thursday by Lilia, a Jewish student at IU who declined to share her last name, for fear of being doxxed. Lilia plays a leadership role in IU Divestment Coalition, the pro-Palestine group who organized the tent occupation of Dunn Meadow.
She said she wanted to host a Seder with her friends at IU before getting involved with IUDC and realized the protest was a good place to do it.
“My family’s too far away to go there and come back,” she said. “And I didn’t want to not celebrate Passover, you know?”
IUDC’s decision to host a Seder was partially inspired by other encampment groups around the country hosting their own Seders in protest of the Israel-Hamas war. At Columbia University, student organization Jewish Voice for Peace held a Seder for students who were protesting on Columbia’s South Lawn.
IUDC’s Seder featured some traditional readings and songs from the Haggadah. It also featured many satirical works, as well as rewritings and interpretations of stories from the Haggadah.
Notably, an unnamed student wrote a song to the tune of nursery rhyme “Oh, My Darling Clementine,” condemning IU President Pamela Whitten and her cabinet.
“Now this school had many students but its leaders were the worst; one was despised, one a bootlicker, one a yes-man, surely cursed,” read the lyrics in a document shared with the participants for them to sing along.
IU faculty gave an overwhelming vote of no confidence in Whitten April 16, citing consistent failure to accurately represent and support faculty interests. Much of the controversy surrounding Whitten regards her reaction to the war in Gaza, which has been criticized from as being weak.
IU administration under Whitten also faced criticism for its decision to suspend professor Abdulkader Sinno for allegedly misrepresenting an event organized by the Palestine Solidarity Committee in November 2023. It also faced backlash for IU’s cancellation of Palestinian abstract painter Samia Halaby’s art exhibit after three years of planning, which occurred in the same week as Sinno’s suspension.
Lilia said it was important to clarify that being pro-Palestine doesn’t equate to being antisemitic, by hosting a Jewish tradition at the protest against Israel.
“This is a very clear celebration of Judaism. People who have never been to a Seder, never celebrated Passover, never even had that much knowledge about Jewish life and culture participated in this new thing,” she said. “And it's within an extremely pro-Palestine space.”
The Seder lasted from 7:30 p.m. to about 9:30 p.m., with a substantial intermission to let participants get food and drink.
Following the Seder, IUDC announced on Telegram they would leave Dunn Meadow at 11 p.m., citing concerns of further arrests.
A group of around 100 protesters remained until 11:40, when they began marching away from Dunn Meadow. They dispersed after reaching the Sample Gates. The Telegram message added that they should plan to return at 11 a.m. Friday morning.
CLARIFICATION: This story was updated to clarify the IU Divestment Coalition's Seder included matzo.
