Prairie State Wire

Politico is reporting that the Pritzker family is a leading funder of the non-profit activist groups leading college students to set up "encampments" to "protest" Israel and white people.

The Pritzkers are directly funding "Solidaire Action," which backs the protests and describes itself as "a community of donor organizers mobilizing critical resources to the frontlines of social justice movements. And the Pritzker-backed Tides Foundation is funding the "Adalah Justice Project," whose leaders have been "part of the protests at Columbia University," Politico said. 

"Solidaire has received financial support from the Pritzkers, who also founded the Libra Foundation, which funds smaller nonprofits that... have also been involved in protests against Israel's response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas," it said.

Politico reported that Libra Foundation Founder Susan Pritzker refused to comment for the story. She is the wife of Nick Pritzker, who is Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker's uncle.

Based in the Metro East suburb of Glen Carbon, the "Adalah Justice Project" "seeks to shift American attitudes and policy concerning Israel/Palestine towards a human rights approach that guarantees historic justice and equality for Palestinians," according to its web site. It is run by former Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville professor Sandra Tamari.

Tamari served as "assistant director, international affairs" at SIU, Edwardsville from 2007 to 2017, where she managed the school's "J1 visa program facilitating immigration process for visiting international faculty and exchange students" and  provided "training and talks on multicultural and global issues to facilitate increased intercultural competency on campus."

The Tides Foundation "acts as a combination of a legal firewall and tax avoidance for foundations and the wealthy," according to investigative journalist Gerald Posner.

Student protests at the University of Chicago campus began on Monday, April 29. Pro-Palestinian protesters set up over 40 tents at the beginning of their protest on the quad, saying they would stay as long as it took to stop the war between Israel and Hamas. The goal of the protest is to have the University divest from any institutions that support “the Gaza genocide and Israeli institutions” as well as disclose any investments that might benefit Israel, according to ABC News Chicago.

Jewish students have started small response protests, but anonymous students have also reported feeling unsafe amid the pro-Palestine protests. 

Students at Northwestern University also followed suit, starting their encampment protest on April 25. After just four days of the protest, the university administration struck a deal that allowed students to request information about the school's investments, and also promised financial support to some Palestinian students and faculty. The students scaled back their encampment in response, but did not disband entirely. 

Several students have filed a class action lawsuit in protest of the university's deal with protestors, claiming discrimination against Jewish students not involved in the protest and a breach of the student contract to ensure the safety and well being of all students, according to USA Today.