SPAC event commemorates lives lost in Gaza

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect more precise language regarding the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Lehigh’s Student Political Action Coalition (SPAC) hosted an educational panel and discussion titled “One Year of Genocide in Gaza” in Neville Hall on Nov. 17. The event was the first discussion held this semester aiming to educate Lehigh community members about the lives lost in Gaza.

The event featured presentations from Nitzan Lebovic, the chair of holocaust studies and ethical values, and Faramarz Farbod, a professor of political science at Moravian University. The presentations were followed by a Q&A session with the speakers during which participants could submit anonymous questions through a QR code. 

The event was open to the public, and there were nearly 100 people in attendance, including Lehigh students, faculty and staff, residents of Bethlehem and individuals from neighboring universities. 

Layan Suleiman, ‘25, a member of SPAC, was one of the organizers of the event. She said it’s important to host events like this to allow different perspectives to shine. 

Suleiman said the event took three and a half weeks to plan, which included selecting the right speakers for the panel. 

“Asking (Lebovic) to speak was kind of a no-brainer,” Suleiman said. “(Farbod) spoke at a Lehigh event last semester, and he offered an unfiltered perspective. I figured that might be good.” 

During his presentation, Lebovic defined the concept of genocide and explained the history behind the term. He said members of his family were victims of the Oct. 7 attacks. 

Lebovic said the universal term of genocide is “certain acts committed with the intent to destroy in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.” 

Farbod spoke about the colonization and long-standing oppression of Palestinians, and he said the majority of Palestinians have been struggling for multiple decades.

“Palestinians want a dignified life, and they want freedom,” Farbod said. 

Farbod also said Palestinians want an end to an apartheid system. 

Lebovic also said proper dialogue is important when discussing the events occurring in Gaza and Israel.

He said members of the Lehigh community should realize the way to bridge over violence and division, and be better Democrats and dialogue partners, is to understand the pain of the other on equal terms and on the other’s terms.

“That means understanding that another perspective may be uncomfortable, but that does not make it illegitimate,” Lebovic said.

Suleiman said she attempted to further this dialogue in the event’s Q&A session, during which 33 questions were submitted.

She said she selected the questions that she felt sparked conversation or would be challenging for the speakers to answer to hear meaningful responses. 

The other event organizers, Dylan McFarland, ‘25, and Sarah Stevens, ‘26, discussed the importance of engaging with the greater Lehigh Valley community to share resources, information and events.   

“In reality, no movement is confined to a single campus, to a single amount of geography, and there is no such thing as an outside agitator,” McFarland said. 

Stevens said there was no specific goal for the event, but it was a success in getting people of differing opinions to talk about a difficult subject. 

“These discussions are a step in the right direction, but we’ll continue to host events that are educational,” Stevens said.