Cornell University students and faculty are holding a “Jews Unite” rally Sunday to protest rising anti-Semitism on the Ithaca campus.
The fight against anti-Semitism comes days after engineering student Patrick Dye pleaded guilty Wednesday to threatening to kill a Jewish student on campus last October.
“After the horrific attacks on 10/7, I expected an outpouring of support and solidarity upon returning to campus. Instead, I was met with dehumanizing comments, support for terrorists, and accusations that I am Jewish.” “We have encountered students being accosted on campus and threatened with threats and violence just because of this,” Amanda Silverstein, one of the student organizers, said in a statement to the Post.
“We hope that the Jewish community at Cornell University will remain strong, steadfast, and resilient, and that the Jewish people will not only survive, but thrive, as they have done many times before us throughout history. We come together to find out.”
The Anti-Defamation League’s report card on campus anti-Semitism released Thursday gave the Ivy League a low “D” grade for combating Jewish bigotry.
Russell Rickford, one of Cornell University’s professors, said at a campus rally last year that he was “thrilled” by the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
Yossi Israel, an Israeli student pursuing a master’s degree in business administration, had heard anti-Semitic remarks such as “Zionism is a disease” before the war broke out, but the chatter He said he didn’t listen.
But students said they were surprised that since Oct. 7, their classmates have posted lies and anti-Semitic comments, and that pro-Palestinian students have marched through the business school building and called for an “intifada.” Ta.
“We are holding this rally to combat anti-Semitism and to show Cornell University faculty and other groups that we will no longer tolerate it. No,” he said.
He said the rally was registered and supported by the Cornell University administration.
Several teachers will also appear.
“I will be attending and speaking at rallies to show support for Jewish students on campus, many of whom feel abandoned by the administration and faculty,” said the right-wing group Equal. said Cornell University law professor William Jacobson, founder of Protect.org. Civil rights organizations.
“Now more than ever, it is important to show our students that they are not alone and that they have faculty who are there for them during this difficult time.”
Meanwhile, New York State Schools Superintendent David Banks will testify before the House of Representatives on Thursday, May 8, to discuss what the city’s public school system is doing to address anti-Semitism. announced that it was planned.
He has had many unfortunate experiences at his alma mater, Hillcrest High School in Queens, where Jewish teachers were targeted for participating in pro-Israel rallies and hid in locked offices from enraged students fearing for their safety. He pointed out that something like this was happening.
“But that’s not the only place we have problems and challenges…This is a very emotional issue,” Banks said at a press conference, referring to the Hamas-Israel war.
Banks argued that educators are dealing with anti-Semitism and other bias throughout the school system.
“The issue of hate and violence is something we should be concerned about. I believe anti-Semitism is the number one hate problem in this country. We must do our best to meet this moment here in New York City and in our schools. “We are doing our best,” the prime minister said.
