Students Stage Pro-Palestine ‘Pray-In’ Protest at Harvard Divinity School Library

More than 55 graduate students called on the University to divest from Israel’s war in Gaza and end censorship on campus during a “pray-in” protest at the Harvard Divinity School’s library on Monday.

The demonstration, which was led by Jewish students at HDS, lasted for roughly 45 minutes and was open to participants from all religious traditions. Several students brought their own religious texts – like the Quran, Torah, and Bible – and silently prayed.

Attendees also read books or worked on their computers, which displayed signs such as “Harvard Jewish Students Say: Harvard Divest From Genocide,” “No Normalcy During Genocide,” and “Praying For Palestinian Liberation.” Many of the attendees also wore keffiyehs, traditional Palestinian scarves.

Though Monday’s “pray-in” continued a trend of pro-Palestine campus activists staging protests in campus libraries, it was the first action to occur at the Divinity School this semester. Similar study-ins have been organized at the Harvard Law School and at Widener Library.

As have occurred in past library demonstrations, security guards at the Divinity School began photographing the Harvard University IDs of participants. Protesters at other library study-ins have received two-week suspensions from entering the library, but retained access to Harvard Library resources and could access library materials from other campus locations.

Alexandra D. Potter, a first-year at HDS and a member of HDS Students for Justice in Palestine, said that it “was not a demonstration” but rather a group of Jewish students and others who “were looking to just pray together in the library.”

Participants were given pamphlets by event organizers that featured Jewish prayers like the Mourner’s Kaddish, a prayer that observant Jews recite daily for one year after the death of a parent. Other attendees prayed over a rosary and a misbaha.

The pamphlets also levied criticism against Harvard Chabad and Harvard Hillel, calling on Jewish leaders “to stop weaponizing Jewish feelings as a means of suppressing free speech and solidarity with Palestinians.”

A representative for Harvard Hillel declined to comment. Harvard Chabad did not reply immediately to a request for comment.

“Our concern is that Jewishness, and Judaism, and Jewish safety is being co-opted to justify acts by the administration,” said Stephanie L. Tabashneck, an HDS student who helped organize the demonstration.

“I think you can both adamantly oppose antisemitism and also oppose our complicitness in genocide and the suppression of free speech,” Tabashneck added.

An administrator photographs the ID of a protestor at the Harvard Divinity School. By Frank S. Zhou

The back of the pamphlets also listed explicit instructions for students asked to show their identification, including asking administrators to identify themselves and to inquire why their ID had been recorded. Participants were also encouraged to ask administrators why they were “being surveilled in your own study space.”

Potter criticized the decision to note down the HUIDs of students participating in the “pray-in.”

“To choose to ID students for praying together is really despicable,” Potter said.

“What are we doing studying religion if this can’t be a place for people to use their faith to reflect on what is going on around the world?” Potter added.

Harvard spokesperson Jason A. Newton wrote in a statement that “the University and Harvard Divinity School administration will continue to gather information about the action that took place inside the Harvard Divinity School library today before determining next steps.”

Two counterprotesters also sat in the library to observe the pray-in.

Gidon Ben Rivka, who is Jewish and has frequently attended pro-Palestine protests as a counterprotester, said the library is “supposed to be a space for learning and studying.”

“I feel like people should be able to come to a library and not see a blood libel against them,” he added. “That doesn't seem like a prayer to me. That seems much more political.”

While it is still unclear if the University will move to discipline the students who participated in the “pray-in,” Tabashneck said that Divinity School students had an obligation to denounce human rights abuses.

“We at the Divinity School are training to be chaplains, ministers, and act in social justice, and our religious and traditional faiths call on us to pray,” Tabashneck said.

“Our Jewish faith calls on us to act out against oppression and genocide,” she added.

—Staff writer Rachael A. Dziaba can be reached at rachael.dziaba@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @rachaeldziaba.

—Staff writer Aisatu J. Nakoulima can be reached at aisatu.nakoulima@thecrimson.com.