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Israeli rock painting stirs controversy
Students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University are reacting to the Israel, Hamas war by using the school’s Spirit rock.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - For days, we have seen a relentless cycle of death and destruction in Israel.
As the world reacts to the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Daytona Beach, students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University are reacting to it using the school’s Spirit rock.
The university says "its purpose is to provide a space for students to express themselves in ways that increase school spirit."
Hannah Braslawsce is the president of Hillel on ERAU’s campus. Hillel is a Jewish student group.
On Oct. 7, the attacks started on the Gaza strip. One day later, Oct. 8, Braslawsce says her group came together at the Spirit Rock.
She said, "We painted an Israeli flag on one side and on the other side we painted the Jewish phrase, ‘may their memories be a blessing’."
Another student in the group, Ella Furman also contributed to the display.
Furman said, "It brought a lot of community to our group, and it was something that we needed to come together because it is so heartbreaking."
24 hours after they completed their display, students discovered a Pro-Palestine message was painted over the Jewish group’s Pro-Israel display.
Braslawsce shared her initial reaction with FOX35 and said, "obviously I support Israel in every aspect."
She also said the "Free Palestine" message painted over her organization’s message isn’t something she wanted to see.
However, she goes on to say, whoever did this, "Had the right to paint what they want."
She said, "I know a lot of students may have not wanted to have seen that,... that is what the rock is there for."
FOX35 requested photos from ERAU of the Pro-Palestine message that was painted over the Pro-Israel message, but the university refused.
In regard to the conflict, the school also refused interviews, instead offering a statement that reads:
"As an institution of higher learning, our purpose is to provide an exceptional education and student experience, leading to a high quality of life for our graduates and our communities. Because geopolitical crises are beyond the scope of our mission, we do not issue statements on such matters, but we do provide care for our students."