By Adam Pagnucco.
The Maryland Legislative Jewish Caucus has issued a statement denouncing the University of Maryland Student Government Association (SGA) for scheduling a vote on a resolution supporting a boycott of Israel. The statement does not focus on the vote itself, but rather its scheduling on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in Judaism. Observant Jews typically spend that day in prayer, fasting and abstaining from work, thereby making it impossible for many to attend the scheduled vote.
The SGA passed its resolution supporting boycott, divestment and sanctions on Israel on Wednesday night (the evening starting this year’s Yom Kippur) on a 29-1 vote.
The caucus’s press release appears below.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 4, 2025
STATEMENT DENOUNCING UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION YOM KIPPUR VOTE TO BOYCOTT ISRAEL
The Maryland Legislative Jewish Caucus (MLJC), representing Jewish and other allied state legislators, denounces the decision of the Student Government Association (SGA) at the University of Maryland to proceed on the evening of Kol Nidre with a vote on a resolution calling on the University to adopt a “boycott, divestment, and sanctions” (BDS) policy against companies, institutions, and other entities that do business with Israel.
Kol Nidre begins the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yorn Kippur, and is the most sacred and solemn time of the year for Jews, many of whom spend 24 hours fasting and immersed in prayer and reflection. There was no need to schedule the vote for the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, when SGA representatives knew or should have known that Jewish students and members of the broader Jewish community would not be able to attend the meeting or engage in the process and were otherwise in a state of added vulnerability.
After facing pressure to reschedule the initial vote, which was set to occur on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the SGA added insult to injury by taking this vote on Yorn Kippur. At a time when antisemitic incidents are at an all-time high and Jews are facing constant threats to our safety, these choices by the SGA understandably make thousands of Jewish students at the University feel unheard, unrepresented, and unwelcome by an organization that claims to represent the entire student body.
This appear to be no accident. From initially scheduling the vote on Rosh Hashanah to moving it to Yorn Kippur, this appears to reflect disregard for Jewish students on campus and unfortunate hostility to an open debate. While the SGA has its First Amendment rights as an independent organization to make any statement – which the MLJC strongly disagrees with – the timing of the vote was not only offensive, but antidemocratic.
CONTACT: MDLeg.JewishCaucus@mga.maryland.gov
