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Edited by: Fern Sidman
An administrator at Cooper Union in New York City is under fire for her public endorsement of a vigil commemorating Palestinian “martyrs” on the anniversary of Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack on Israel. Athena Abadilla, director of residential life and community development at the prestigious Manhattan university, commented in support of a vigil organized by the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), drawing widespread criticism for glorifying violence and fueling tensions on campus. The New York Post reported that her comment, posted on Instagram, has been widely condemned for its perceived endorsement of pro-Hamas rhetoric.
Abadilla’s controversial comment appeared beneath an SJP post advertising the vigil, which referred to the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack as “one year of resistance” and labeled Israel’s war in Gaza as “one year of genocide.” In her comment, Abadilla wrote, “The 777’s of it all ❤️ glory to all the martyrs, every single person k!lled since ’48 🫂,” referencing the loss of lives since the establishment of Israel in 1948. The phrase “Glory to our Martyrs” is often associated with pro-Hamas sentiments, as noted in The New York Post report, and has been used by Hamas leaders to honor those killed in their campaign against Israel. For example, Hamas official Ghazi Hamad once stated, “We are called a nation of martyrs … we are proud to sacrifice martyrs.”
There is NO room for this hatred on any campus or anywhere in America. This is the Director of ResLife at Cooper Union. @CooperAlumni should stop donations immediately. @cooperunion must fire her. https://t.co/EwvNbnz6p4
— SueVotesRed2 (@Susan36495963) October 10, 2024
Abadilla’s comment immediately sparked outrage, especially given the historical and political context of the phrase. Her Instagram account is linked to her public Facebook profile and professional pages, further tying her statements to her official role at Cooper Union, an institution known for its degrees in art, architecture, and engineering. The report in The New York Post confirmed that her social media accounts clearly identify her as Cooper Union’s director of residential life, adding weight to the criticism that has since erupted.
This controversy comes on the heels of several anti-Semitic incidents at Cooper Union, exacerbating an already tense atmosphere on campus. Last year, following the Hamas attacks on Israel, a group of anti-Israel protesters forced Jewish students to barricade themselves in a Cooper Union library, while demonstrators banged on the doors, creating an environment of fear and intimidation, as per the information provided in The New York Post report. This highly publicized incident, which took place on October 25, 2023, is now the subject of a lawsuit against the school, led by the Lawfare Project and law firm Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer. The plaintiffs argue that the university failed to protect Jewish students from harassment and intimidation, allowing a hostile environment to fester.
Thank you for mentioning that because we’d all like to know why people like you thought it was okay at Cooper Union, Yale, Columbia, UCLA and so many others. Will you please tell me why ‘peaceful protesters’ blocked Jewish students from accessing those and many other campuses… pic.twitter.com/Mt7uLleuH1
— Mrs. Rusticus (@msk68) October 10, 2024
Ziporah Reich, director of litigation at the Lawfare Project, expressed deep concern over Abadilla’s public comments and the message they send about anti-Semitism on campus. In a statement to The New York Post, Reich said, “It is deeply troubling to see the Cooper Union Director of Residence Life use language that glorifies acts of terror.” She further condemned the school’s inaction, arguing that by failing to address such inflammatory rhetoric, Cooper Union is implicitly endorsing anti-Semitism and support for violence against Jews. “By not putting a stop to such inflammatory rhetoric, Cooper Union is sending a dangerous message that anti-Semitism and support for violence against Jews are acceptable on campus,” Reich added.
Abadilla’s support for the vigil, combined with the context of the school’s recent struggles with anti-Semitism, raises difficult questions about the boundaries of free speech and the responsibilities of university officials. The vigil she supported framed the October 7 attacks, which killed more than 1,200 Israelis in a series of brutal and coordinated assaults by Hamas, as part of a broader Palestinian resistance, a narrative that many in the Jewish community view as dangerously dismissive of the violence and loss of life.
While Abadilla has not issued a public statement about the incident, the backlash continues to mount. Cooper Union’s administration has yet to comment on the situation or address the concerns raised by students, faculty, and Jewish advocacy groups. The New York Post report indicated that this lack of response has only intensified criticism of the university’s handling of anti-Semitism on campus and its tolerance of hate speech under the guise of political expression.
At Cooper Union, where Jewish students had to lock themselves inside a library to escape a violent mob freely roaming the building, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) held an October 7th vigil not for the murdered but for the murderers.
Memorializing the murderers rather… pic.twitter.com/zYJJ8oXLAR
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) October 8, 2024
SJP, the group responsible for organizing the vigil, is no stranger to controversy. According to the report in The New York Post, SJP has faced accusations of anti-Semitism and has been banned from the Florida university system. The group was also suspended by Columbia University after protests and demonstrations that were widely criticized for their anti-Israel and anti-Semitic undertones. In a recent statement, SJP’s Brown University chapter went so far as to call Hamas’ October 7 attacks a “historic act of resistance,” a stance that has drawn severe criticism for its glorification of terrorism.
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) was among those who condemned the Cooper Union SJP vigil, labeling it “demonic” in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “Memorializing the murderers rather than the murdered is a little like prosecuting the rape victims rather than the rapists. It is victim-blaming and terrorism worship at its most demonic,” Torres wrote, as mentioned in The New York Post report. The congressman’s statement accompanied an image of the flyer advertising the vigil, which referred to Hamas’ attack as “resistance” and accused Israel of “genocide.”
SJP’s chapter at Cooper Union has also been criticized for its aggressive rhetoric against Jewish organizations on campus, particularly Hillel. According to the information contained in The New York Post, SJP has called Hillel a “reactionary presence on campus” and accused it of “financial investment in racist practices,” though the group did not provide specifics to support these claims. This antagonistic relationship with Hillel, along with SJP’s broader rhetoric, has contributed to a toxic environment for many Jewish students at Cooper Union.
The tension on campus escalated dramatically last year when a group of Jewish students was forced to barricade themselves inside a Cooper Union library to escape a pro-Palestinian mob. The New York Post report indicated that protesters held anti-Israel signs against the library windows and hurled anti-Semitic slurs, creating a climate of fear. One of the students, who asked to remain anonymous, described the terror they felt during the incident. “When they started banging on the door, my heart started pounding. I was crying. I think if the doors weren’t locked — I don’t know what would have happened,” the student said. This incident has left a lasting mark on the Jewish community at Cooper Union and fueled widespread concerns about campus safety.
More than 300 Cooper Union alumni have threatened to withhold donations over the university’s handling of the incident, particularly its failure to protect Jewish students and its tolerance of anti-Semitic rhetoric. As was explained in The New York Post report, the alumni, as well as advocacy groups, argue that the administration has not done enough to address the rising tide of anti-Semitism on campus, which has been exacerbated by events such as the SJP vigil.
Despite the mounting pressure, Cooper Union, along with SJP and Abadilla, have declined to respond to repeated requests for comment from The New York Post. This silence has only deepened the frustration of students and alumni who believe the administration is not taking anti-Semitism seriously. As the controversy continues to unfold, it remains unclear what steps Cooper Union will take to address the fallout from the vigil and the broader concerns about anti-Semitism on campus.
As tensions rise at Cooper Union, the broader issue of how universities manage free speech, especially in highly charged political contexts like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, remains a contentious subject. Abadilla’s support of the vigil, and the backlash that followed, highlights the complex dynamics at play when administrators and staff publicly align themselves with movements or statements that can be seen as endorsing violence or extremism.
The controversy surrounding Abadilla’s comment and the vigil is likely to fuel ongoing debates about the role of university administrators in maintaining a neutral, safe, and respectful environment for all students, regardless of political or religious background.
