Alums for Campus Fairness Demand Feds Investigate Widespread Anti-Semitism at CUNY Schools

Edited by: Fern Sidman

A group dedicated to combating campus antisemitism, Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF), has launched a six-figure digital and print campaign calling on the City University of New York (CUNY) to allow federal civil rights investigators to probe accusations of anti-Israel bias on its 25 campuses, the New York Post reported. The group argued that egregious manifestations of visceral Jew hatred and the lack of action by CUNY leaders necessitate an immediate response to protect Jewish students. However, CUNY maintains that a federal probe is unnecessary, citing the steps they have taken to combat antisemitism on their campuses, the Post reported.

Alums for Campus Fairness has urged Governor Kathy Hochul and CUNY Chairman Bill Thompson to intervene and permit the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights to investigate anti-Semitism on CUNY campuses. The Post reported that the group contends that numerous anti-Semitic incidents have occurred, particularly at the CUNY Law School, raising concerns about the safety and well-being of Jewish students within the university system.

The ACF has highlighted several incidents that have contributed to the growing concerns about anti-Semitism at CUNY’s 25 campuses. These include:

Fatima Moussa Mohammed, a featured speaker at CUNY Law’s 2023 commencement ceremony, harangued the audience about the perfidious nature of Jews and Israel, using thinly veiled tropes like “ending Zionism around the world,” that were met with applause from the Law School’s Dean, Sudha Setty.

Last year’s commencement speaker Nerdeen Kiswani called to “globalize the intifada” and eradicate the State of Israel. He even praised Palestinian terrorists wielding axes who murdered three Jewish fathers.

CUNY’s Law Student Government Association passed a resolution to ban Hillel and other Jewish institutions. Faculty at CUNY Law endorsed the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign (BDS) campaign.

A group calling itself “Not In Our Name” issued a statement pledging to create programs and networks to challenge and critique CUNY’s Jewish population so that they may “unlearn” Zionism and their Jewish identity.

Faculty endorsed the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.

CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez refuses to take meaningful action to protect Jewish and pro-Israel students, even dodging a City Council of New York hearing called specifically to address anti-Semitism at CUNY.

In June of this year, it was reported that two organizations are calling for the removal of the the dean of CUNY School of Law after she showed approval for the anti-Semitic contents of the valedictorian’s speech at the commencement last month.

“We were the first, or among the first, to report that we believed the speech was seen by administrators and approved,” said Jeffrey Lax, Business Department chair at CUNY’s Kingsborough Community College and founder of S.A.F.E. CUNY, a non-profit that advocates for Zionist Jews systemically discriminated against and excluded by the university and its union.

“We now believe that it was seen not only by admins at CUNY Law, but also across other CUNY units. We cannot say for sure that Dean Setty herself reviewed the document. but that is irrelevant to us, as she is seen on stage standing and applauding the speech after it was given,” he told World Israel News.

This was unacceptable behavior for the woman who took over as dean last February, said Lax, who previously noted that the school had wiped the livestreamed event from their website in order to hide it.

“Dean Setty’s enthusiastic applause to a speech that bordered on incitement to violence was a profound and vulgar failure of her duties both as a legal scholar and as the Dean of a law school,” he charged, as was reported by WIN.  “SAFE CUNY demands the immediate termination of Dean Setty from her role as dean of CUNY School of Law.”

World Israel News also reported that upon assuming her position, Dean Sudha Setty said that the “mission” of the school was “social justice lawyering and tackling the structural barriers to justice that exist in so many contexts.”

ACF’s Executive Director, Avi Gordon, praised Governor Kathy Hochul’s approval of a law requiring state-funded colleges and universities to investigate and publicize campus hate crime statistics online, as was reported by the Post. However, the group urges CUNY leadership, especially Chairman Thompson, to take immediate action to create a safer environment for the Jewish community. They assert that holding CUNY accountable for its response to these incidents is crucial in ensuring the protection of Jewish students and fostering a tolerant campus environment, the report added.

“Now is the time for CUNY leadership, especially Chair Thompson, to correct course and take immediate action to create a safer environment for our community. This campaign continues our efforts to hold them accountable,” Gordon said, as was reported by the Post.

In response to the demand for a federal probe, CUNY has defended its actions in combating anti-Semitism on its campuses. The Post reported that a spokesperson emphasized the initiatives the university has taken, including the creation of a portal for reporting hate incidents, raising awareness about anti-Semitism, allocating funds for programs targeting bigotry, and forming an advisory council of Jewish leaders to advise the Chancellor on Jewish life matters. The Post also reported that CUNY has asserted its commitment to denouncing anti-Semitism and all forms of hate, while acknowledging the need for continued efforts in this regard.

In a statement released by CUNY on a possible federal probe, the Post reported that a spokesperson said, “This campaign references a misleading report which is littered with factual inaccuracies and ignores the many steps CUNY has taken in the past year to combat anti-Semitism, including creating a portal for our community to report incidents of hate, partnering with the Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism to raise awareness among the University community about anti-Semitism, distributing hundreds of thousands of dollars systemwide for programming specifically targeting anti-Semitism and all kinds of bigotry, and forming an advisory council of Jewish leaders to advise the Chancellor on matters concerning Jewish life at the University.”

The statement added that, “CUNY and its leadership have repeatedly and consistently denounced anti-Semitism and will continue to do so. We have more work to do but remain committed to combating anti-Semitism and all forms of hate.”

While CUNY contends that they have taken significant steps to combat anti-Semitism, ACF’s call for immediate action and accountability remains strong.

Several weeks ago, the Jewish Voice reported that New York City Mayor Eric Adams established the city’s inaugural Jewish Advisory Council, consisting of 37 influential leaders from the city’s diverse Jewish community.

The decision to establish the council comes in response to a dramatic rise in reports of anti-Semitism. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), anti-Semitic hate crimes in the city saw a 39% increase from 2021 to 2022, although they have been lower during the same period in 2023. The ADL also reported a 36% nationwide increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes during the same timeframe.

Residents of the city’s predominantly Orthodox neighborhoods have expressed concerns about street attacks that appear to be motivated by anti-Semitism. Additionally, critics of the City University of New York (CUNY) system have raised cogent arguments about anti-Israel activities on various campuses, which they argue have crossed the line into virulent anti-Jewish harassment.