Israel-Hamas war creates 'really fraught times' at Minnesota colleges

She was born in Jerusalem and regularly sees videos from the war-ravaged areas.

"You'll see people crying for help," she said, adding that some of the injured are aid workers trying to provide people with food or medical care. She worries that in some of the debates over protests, some are losing track of the fact this violence is "costing people's lives."

Rally organizers have called on the U to divest from companies supporting Israel, ban defense recruiters on campus, and issue statements supporting Palestinian students. Some also lamented the nine arrests earlier this week. Ettinger said the university has a policy prohibiting encampments and aims to ensure it's enforced neutrally, for all groups.

At the rallies, some speakers said they believed protesters of color were being unfairly targeted and were receiving fewer protections than their Jewish colleagues on campus. People participated in group chants calling for a ceasefire, describing the violence in Gaza as genocide and accusing Israel of promoting terrorism.

Graduate student Imogen Page, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace Twin Cities, has attended some of the pro-Palestinian protests.

"We know that we have a moral obligation to do everything in our power to stop our government from supporting this," Page said.

Page helped coordinate a Seder meal at the U protest site earlier this week.

"The way they participated was so moving," said Page, who noted this was the first time many had experienced the meal celebrating the deliverance of the ancient Hebrews from slavery in Egypt.

Greenspan, who is trying to revive a chapter of Students Supporting Israel, spent the first half of the week trying to balance his final classes of the semester with Seder meals held elsewhere. It's been a long few months full of unnerving protests. At one point, he and some others spotted a poster where someone had crossed out the Star of David.

He worries some of their messages are getting lost.

"I think there is a confusion when pro-Israel people come out and there's the idea that the Zionists or the pro-Israel people, we want this war to continue," he said. "We just want peace."

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