USM Chancellor Jay A. Perman on War in the Middle East This is a difficult statement to write, for many reasons. It’s difficult because the Middle East conflict is a flashpoint: Any statement denouncing the truly horrific terrorism of Hamas will, to some, signal enmity toward the Palestinian people; none is intended. Any statement dreading the impact on civilians of Israel’s response will be viewed as a claim that the country has no right to defend itself. It’s difficult to write because the University System of Maryland is home to students who are Israeli and Palestinian, Muslim and Jewish. And they are hurting. Our students, faculty, and staff have family, friends, and colleagues caught in fighting. They are hurting. Most of all, it’s difficult to write because I’ve been privileged to spend a career caring for children. To see and hear reports of children brutalized, killed, kidnapped, and held hostage—to see the anguish of their parents, it’s hard to bear. I am appalled. I am sick with grief. I want the students, faculty, and staff of the USM to know that I hurt alongside them. I want them to know that the only solace I can find—and it’s admittedly small right now—is that so much of our work is rooted in ending this kind of violence, and so much is focused on educating the next generation of leaders who will—I have to believe—end it for good. # # #
