Pro-Israel Profs Under Investigation for “Daring” to Criticize Pro-Palestinian Programming at BMCC

Edited by: TJVNews.com

A controversy is brewing at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) as two professors, Assistant Mathematics Professor Avraham Goldstein and an anonymous colleague, are under investigation for publicly criticizing the school’s pro-Palestinian programming, as was reported by the New York Post.  The professors spoke out against events organized by the school’s Social Justice and Equity Centers, which included a lecture discussing “the structure of apartheid” in Israel and an exhibit that condemned “settler colonialism, military occupation, land theft, and ethnic cleansing, ” the report added.

BMCC, a part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system, issued an apology for the exhibit, but it appears that the professors’ decision to voice their concerns publicly has triggered an investigation by the Office of Compliance and Diversity. According to the Post report, the professors were informed that the investigation was initiated due to complaints by Nadia Saleh, then the multicultural center program coordinator for the Social Justice and Equity Centers. Saleh accused the professors of harassing her by contributing to news coverage of the March events and sharing articles on social media that contained false information about her ethnicity and religion, Post report added.

Both professors denied speaking with the press about Saleh, and Goldstein said he had shared a link to a United With Israel article to thank them for their coverage, the Post reported. “I was interviewed about what I saw, the journalists quoted me and then wrote whatever they wanted,” Goldstein said.

Avraham Goldstein has expressed his belief that the investigation is retaliatory in nature, an attempt to suppress his and his colleague’s vocal criticisms of overtly anti-Semitic events on BMCC’s campus, the Post report stated. Goldstein said, “It is evident to me that this investigation against us is a retaliation by CUNY Administration for our activity — for us publicly complaining about the anti-Semitic events on BMCC campus, and for our complaints against those responsible for these events.”

This incident is not isolated within the CUNY system. The Post also reported that just a few months earlier, Kingsborough Community College, another CUNY school, launched investigations into two professors who had filed complaints about virulent anti-Semitism on their campus. This pattern has raised concerns among some that CUNY is sending a message that Zionist Jews are not allowed to voice complaints.

“I think CUNY is doing something very methodologically premeditated: They’re sending a very strong message that if you’re a Zionist Jew, you’re not allowed to file a complaint,” said Jeffrey Lax, a KCC professor investigated by CUNY and founder of Students and Faculty for Equality at CUNY (S.A.F.E. CUNY), which aims to fight anti-Semitism and posted about the BMCC investigations on X earlier this week, according to the Post report.

The situation highlights the ongoing controversies and tensions surrounding Israel and anti-Semitism that has plagued the CUNY system for many years. The Post reported that in the past, CUNY has faced backlash for incidents like a commencement speaker at CUNY Law School criticizing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, and CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez and the board of trustees subsequently denouncing the speech as hate speech. Anti-Semitism allegations within the university have also been raised at various points and a hearing on Jew hatred at CUNY was held at City Hall. CUNY’s handling of these issues has sparked criticisms of its commitment to equal treatment of all viewpoints, the report added.

“Everything going on right now with the Jews at CUNY]has a one-word answer: Orwellian,” said former CUNY trustee Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, as was reported by the Post.

“This is chaos,” he added. “It’s a sad joke on students and a sad joke on professors who want to teach and don’t want to be discriminated against.”

As the investigations at BMCC continue, the larger questions of academic freedom, free speech, and diversity of opinions within educational institutions are sure to persist. The case underscores the challenges of fostering an environment that respects differing perspectives while ensuring a safe and inclusive campus for all.