The Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies acknowledges and mourns the tragedy of the recent killings of Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others before them. Our own painful knowledge of the similar scourges and structural dimensions of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia compel us to stand up and condemn anti-Black systemic racism, and racism against all people of color, as another pernicious evil that should not be tolerated, excused, or reinforced by state institutions, such as the police. Silence in the face of widespread injustice will not defend any of us, and is against our calling as educators and guardians of an inclusive university community. As a unit, we therefore affirm our commitment to use our knowledge and skills on behalf of a United States in which black lives matter.