Syracuse University Statement on Remembrance Program  

A member of this year’s Remembrance Scholar cohort recently discovered antisemitic imagery and language in the archived collection of two of the Pan Am 103 victims. Hate in all its forms, including antisemitism, has no place at Syracuse University. We regret that our student witnessed this hate first-hand.

At the same time, one of the things that makes our Remembrance program so impactful is the recognition that the students who perished in the 1988 bombing never had the opportunity to realize their full potential. They were imperfect people, as we all are, who made mistakes. Unfortunately, these students never had the opportunity to learn from their mistakes nor were they able to confront the origins of their personally held stereotypes or biases. The victims’ lives were unfinished. They individually had so much to learn.

Last week, the Remembrance cohort met with Rabbi Ethan Bair, Reverend Brian Konkol and Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Mary Grace Almandrez to discuss how this recent discovery is impacting their time as Remembrance Scholars and their perception of the victims they represent and memorialize. While it was a difficult and emotional conversation, together the scholars are identifying a path forward that will allow them and future scholars to remember the victims as a collective, and to recognize the potential they never got to realize.

We will continue to honor and remember these victims, and all those lives lost during the terror attack, and remain committed to the core value of the Remembrance Program to act forward.