Brandeis University, a private institution based in Massachusetts, has banned their chapter of National Students for Justice in Palestine, becoming the first American private university to do so. A spokesperson for the school said it was because the group “openly supports Hamas, a terrorist organization,” and “such expression is not protected by Brandeis’ principles of free speech.” In a university letter to its SJP chapter obtained by Jewish Insider, the school wrote that the group “will no longer be eligible for funding, be permitted to conduct activities on campus, or use the Brandeis name and logo in promoting itself or its activities.” The SJP chapter posted a response on Instagram, saying that a school that claims to value social justice was attempting to silence them. Brandeis was established in 1948 by the American Jewish community and says on its website that it is “animated by a set of values that are rooted in Jewish history and experience.”