Alexandra Orbuch /December 9, 2024
Sunday marked the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the end of a half-century of rule by the Assad family and the culmination of the country’s nearly 14-year-long civil war. Assad fled Damascus on Saturday evening after a coalition of rebel groups seized the capital in a lightning offensive that began in late November. […]
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Alexandra Orbuch /September 9, 2024
Dear Tories, This academic year begins amidst major political shakeups—at home and abroad. Our current president ended his reelection campaign, our former president defied death at the hands of an aspiring assassin, and vice presidential picks joined their respective party’s tickets. As I write this, we are just hours away from a presidential debate. Meanwhile, Russia […]
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Alexandra Orbuch /May 29, 2024
Dear Tories, On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants flooded across Israel’s borders, massacred entire families in their homes, raped women, and burned the bodies of adults and children alike. They also abducted innocent civilians—many of whom still remain imprisoned in tunnels beneath Gaza. On that dark October day, more Jews were slaughtered than in any […]
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Alexandra Orbuch /March 25, 2024
For years, celebrating the Jewish holiday of Purim was just that: a celebration. As a kid, I dressed up in all manners of costumes, from a purple Crayola crayon to a cheerleader from one of my favorite childhood television shows; I attended carnivals put on by my school and synagogue; I gathered with my family, […]
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Alexandra Orbuch /October 23, 2023
Over the past two weeks, I have had a lot of conversations with classmates, friends, and other Princetonians. In a heartwarming show of support, many of my non-Jewish friends reached out to let me know that they have been thinking of and praying for me, my family, and my people. Over 400 people gathered together […]
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Alexandra Orbuch /November 30, 2022
On Tuesday, November 29, 2022, the Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC) Committee on Naming held a “listening session” for undergraduate students to discuss a petition advocating for the removal of the statue of John Witherspoon. Witherspoon served as President of the University from 1768 to 1794, and he was the sole clergyman among […]
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Alexandra Orbuch /November 17, 2022
On November 16, Undergraduate Student Government (USG) passed a “Resolution to Condemn and Combat Antisemitism.” The resolution calls on the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students (ODUS) to increase antisemitism trainings for undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and staff. It also urges the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity “to include statistics and other information […]
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Alexandra Orbuch /November 14, 2022
On the evening of November 13, 2022, the treasurer of Princeton’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG), Adam Hoffman, proposed that the USG Senate sponsor a referendum supporting the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism. That proposal, which needed nine votes to become a Senate-sponsored referendum and appear before the student […]
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Alexandra Orbuch /November 8, 2022
On Tuesday, November 8, 2022, Executive Director of Princeton’s Center for Jewish Life, Rabbi Gil Steinlauf ‘91, released a statement to all Residential College listservs via HoagieMail condemning Princeton Committee on Palestine’s (PCP) recent statement that called on the University to boycott Israel TigerTrek. Israel TigerTrek is a student-led trip that brings Princeton students to […]
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Alexandra Orbuch /November 6, 2022
On Friday, November 5, 2022, Princeton Committee on Palestine (PCP) released a statement calling on the University to boycott Israel TigerTrek, a student-led winter break trip that brings a Princeton cohort to Israel to meet with key players in the nation’s high-tech startup industry. PCP, led by Eric Periman ‘23, has a history of being […]
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Alexandra Orbuch /November 5, 2022
Outspoken conservatism puts a target on your back; hold any other views, and you are free to skirt accepted norms and University regulations as you please. That is what I discovered through a dive into a case of sexual assault and academic fraud by a Princeton employee in the early 2000s. In 2006, Princeton failed […]
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Alexandra Orbuch /October 19, 2022
Lincoln once said that “we cannot escape history.” For that reason, I understand the instinct to delve into the imperfections of our Constitution and national past and recognize that our failings are part of our story just as much as our triumphs are. But to focus solely on imperfections is a form of the historical […]
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