On Saturday, Oct. 19, Haverim, a student-led Jewish group at the 5Cs, hosted a wall-painting event at Pomona College’s Walker Wall, historically a space for students’ political activism. Seeking to “restore unity and fun” to the wall and the greater 5Cs, over 75 participants painted over pre-existing political messages on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with doodles, slogans of Sagehen pride and references to favorite sports teams.
Walker Wall frequently displays student opinions about current events and campus life and for the past year, the wall has been largely dominated by political messages about Israel and Palestine.
Back in September, the message “Why do [Students for Justice in Palestine ] and [Associated Students of Pomona College spread anti-Jewish propaganda?” was painted on the wall after a zine about Palestinian liberation and COVID-19 was distributed at the 5C club fair. Just days later, the wall was covered with a new message: “Anti-Zionism is not anti-Jewish propaganda.”
Finn Cooper PO ’26, a board member at Haverim, said that several of the previous messages on the wall have been upsetting for some Jewish students at the 5Cs.
“Some people in the Jewish community have expressed that it was sort of a difficult moment in their day when they were walking past the wall, “ he said. “Our goal was just to reset. There’s politics all over campus. We just wanted to create a little moment where that wasn’t part of [Jewish students’] life.”
According to Cooper, the event was meant to “inspire something that evokes a smile.” A sign placed in front of the wall at Saturday’s event called on participants to keep designs apolitical and inclusive.
The wall painting took place from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., with organizers providing painting supplies, a water slide, music and food. Vice President Emilio Bankier PO ’27 said he found the event to be successful and that it allowed people to enjoy themselves.
“We didn’t do it with the aim of being political,” Bankier said. “We did this with the aim of making students comfortable again and providing unity. Our main goal was not to put a message on there, and it wasn’t even to really erase a message either.”
But Ezra Levinson PZ ’27, a representative from Jewish Voice for Peace at the Claremont Colleges, argued that Haverim’s event cannot be considered apolitical.
“[The previous messages on the wall] are a conversation that’s happening upon the wall,” Levinson said. “Haverim painted over that, calling for ‘apolitical and inclusive designs.’ How is this continued engagement in a political discussion apolitical? And how is this approach of attempting to shut down conversation inclusive, or leading to unity?”
By Sunday, Oct. 20, the day after the event, Haverim’s drawings and messages on Walker Wall had been painted over. Days later, a new message had been painted on the wall: “Are you Zionist or ‘political’”?
In response to the message, Bankier acknowledged that Walker Wall is a free space and that students can do whatever they want on it.
“I’m not going to get upset about people painting over something — I mean, we painted over something too, right?” he said. “We enjoyed ourselves, and we had fun, and I think the people who participated had a lot of fun, and that’s what’s important for us.”
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