New York News

Ousted NYU Student Bar Association Pres Resurfaces at Progressive Nonprofit After Anti-Israel Controversy

Ousted NYU Student Bar Association Pres Resurfaces at Progressive Nonprofit After Anti-Israel Controversy

Edited by:  Fern Sidman

The former head of NYU’s Student Bar Association, Ryna Workman, who was ousted for making vile anti-Israel statements following Hamas’ October 7 massacre, has quietly landed a job at a controversial ultra-progressive nonprofit that has itself been accused of anti-Semitism. According to a report on Saturday in The New York Post, Workman is now employed as a staff attorney at Bronx Defenders, a legal aid group that has received millions of taxpayer dollars while facing repeated accusations of bias and discrimination.

Workman, whose tenure as NYU Law’s Student Bar Association president ended in disgrace, now lists their role at Bronx Defenders on their LinkedIn profile, stating that their focus is on “organizing students to be involved in liberation efforts.” However, The New York Post report noted that Workman’s name does not appear on Bronx Defenders’ official website, raising questions about their exact role and responsibilities within the organization.

Despite Workman’s public disgrace after expressing support for Hamas’ brutal attack on Israeli civilians—an event that resulted in the brutal and sadistic murder of at least 1,200 people—Bronx Defenders hired them in an apparent show of alignment with their radical stance. As The New York Post report highlighted, Bronx Defenders has been the recipient of over $6 million in taxpayer funds, with much of that money going toward legal services for illegal migrants rather than aiding New Yorkers in need.

Workman first made headlines when, just three days after Hamas’ deadly rampage, they sent out an email to the NYU Law student body blaming Israel for the attack.

“I want to express, first and foremost, my unwavering and absolute solidarity with Palestinians in their resistance against oppression towards liberation and self-determination,” Workman wrote, effectively justifying the massacre.

The New York Post reported that Workman’s extreme stance sparked immediate backlash, leading to their removal as Student Bar Association president. Their prestigious job offer at Winston & Strawn, a top-tier law firm, was also rescinded following the controversy.

However, rather than fading from public life, Workman was quietly absorbed into Bronx Defenders—an organization that has its own history of anti-Israel rhetoric and discrimination against Jewish employees.

As The New York Post report highlighted, Bronx Defenders has long been a hotbed of controversy, particularly for its stance on Israel and its internal workplace discrimination issues.

In 2021, a Bronx Defenders director circulated an email filled with false and incendiary claims about Israel, accusing the Jewish state of committing “genocide”—a long-debunked charge commonly used to delegitimize Israel’s right to defend itself.

In 2023, Bronx Defenders was forced to issue an apology and agreed to a $170,000 settlement after it was found guilty of discriminating against a Jewish staffer—a case that further tarnished its reputation.

Despite these well-documented controversies, the organization continues to receive millions in public funding, raising questions about why taxpayer dollars are supporting a group accused of anti-Semitic bias.

Many observers see Workman’s career trajectory as a prime example of how radical ideologies are being nurtured within elite academic institutions and later rewarded within far-left legal circles.

“Ryna is a perfect case study of how the woke mind-virus poisons young minds at our elite institutions—she gets accepted to NYU, adopts they/them pronouns, begins supporting Hamas, and starts tearing down hostage posters,” said Jason Curtis Anderson, co-founder of One City Rising, a good government nonprofit, in a statement to The New York Post.

Anderson’s scathing critique points to a larger issue: the extent to which radical ideologies, often anti-Israel and anti-Western in nature, have permeated top law schools and nonprofit organizations that wield significant influence over public policy and legal advocacy.

“What are they learning at these schools that makes college students want society to collapse?” Anderson added,  voicing concerns shared by many Americans who have watched with alarm as elite institutions produce activists rather than professionals.

The most troubling aspect of Workman’s employment at Bronx Defenders is the flow of taxpayer money into an organization that has repeatedly engaged in anti-Semitic rhetoric and now employs an individual with a history of celebrating terrorism.

As The New York Post reported, Bronx Defenders received over $6 million from the New York City Council last year, with the majority of those funds going toward legal services for illegal migrants—a policy decision that continues to stoke public outrage as New York City struggles with crime, homelessness, and economic challenges.

The organization’s silence on Workman’s exact role within their ranks, coupled with their refusal to comment when approached by The New York Post, raises further questions about their transparency and accountability.

Workman’s case is not just an isolated incident but rather a symptom of a broader problem—the unchecked radicalization of elite legal institutions and the nonprofits they feed into.

The fact that Bronx Defenders, a taxpayer-funded organization, is willing to employ someone who openly sympathized with a terrorist attack speaks volumes about the direction in which so-called progressive advocacy is heading.

At a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise, and Jewish communities in New York and beyond feel increasingly under siege, the public deserves answers as to why individuals such as Workman continue to be embraced by institutions receiving millions in public funds.

TJV news

Recent Posts

CUNY Profs Union Rescinds BDS Resolution Amid Backlash and Voting “Irregularities

CUNY Profs Union Rescinds BDS Resolution Amid Backlash and Voting “Irregularities” Edited by: Fern Sidman…

33 minutes ago

Barnard Expels 2 Students for Storming Columbia U’s Israel History Class in Anti-Israel Protest

Edited by: Fern Sidman Two students from Barnard College have been expelled following their involvement…

38 minutes ago

Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro Claims Biden Moved Tren de Aragua into U.S

By Christian K. Caruzo (Breitbart) Socialist dictator of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro claimed that the administration…

52 minutes ago

Tel Aviv Gears Up for the 2025 Tel Aviv Marathon – A Celebration of Resilience & Unity

Tel Aviv Gears Up for the 2025 Tel Aviv Marathon – A Celebration of Resilience…

1 hour ago

The two-state solution is dead, says senior Democrat congressman

By World Israel News Staff A senior Democratic congressman said this week that the two-state…

1 hour ago

NJ congressman slams Rutgers for ‘antisemitism’ after lecturer attends Hamas-linked webinar

JNS) U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) blasted Rutgers University on Friday for “rampant antisemitism” on…

2 hours ago