When Jewish students at New York University Binghamton in New York defended Israel on campus, they posted online comments such as “I did everything in my power to put you in Auschwitz” and “History will judge Hitler as a hero.” He said he was ridiculed.
She and several other Binghamton students told the Post this week that the school, considered one of the flagships of the State University of New York, has become a prime “target” for increasingly heated anti-Israel protesters. He said he was concerned about the situation.
Students said they need to look no further than recent campus rallies promoting the anti-Israel “Boycott, Divest and Sanctions” movement. The unsanctioned “SUNY BDS” group even made Binghamton one of the first New York State universities to target.
Saul Hakim, a third-year political science and Jewish studies student from Eatontown, N.J., said, “Binghamton is a campus that not only has a large Jewish population, but also a strong Arab and Muslim community, so campaigns like this are important to us.” “It’s an easy target.”
He added that if protesters were successful in promoting “BDS” in Binghamton, the state university system would be abolished.
“Right now they are facing backlash from our community, but if they succeed at Binghamton, many other campuses will either follow suit or feel empowered to begin the process on their own campuses. It is possible,” Hakim said.
Binghamton University is already one of several universities across the country under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education over its handling of anti-Semitism on campus.
According to Logan Swerdloff, a third-year economics major at the school who called him the hated “Hitler,” Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,200 people, mainly civilians. Problems on campus have continued since the massacre. “Auschwitz” online message.
“There’s so much going on,” she said of the abuse targeting Jews.
Hakim said the university was one of the first to witness the controversial “SUNY BDS” group come to campus at the beginning of the year and make a series of demands on the university and NYU leadership. It’s called Tsuda.
BDS is a movement that targets investments in Israel, falsely accusing the Jewish state of “occupying” and “colonizing” land such as the Gaza Strip.
The group, which called itself “SUNY students, staff, faculty, and alumni working to separate New York State from Israeli apartheid,” eventually received a cease-and-desist letter from state officials for misusing SUNY’s name. Sent.
“Overall, I think the SUNY system is clearly better than other systems,” Hakim said.
But he added that the anti-Semitism Jewish students face on campus is “unacceptable,” noting that Jewish students should not need university police to keep them safe.
“I appreciate everything the governor and his administration have done so far, but I think there is more work to be done.”
in one Current trending incident In October, an anti-Israel demonstrator was filmed saying, “Israel is worse than Nazi Germany.”
In other protests, students and local residents called for an “intifada” or uprising and said “Zionists are not welcome,” Hakim said.
In other cases, he said, the protests became more confrontational as professors teamed up with Palestinian Justice Students to hold anti-Israel talks.
When the Binghamton University Zionist organization hosted an educational event featuring pro-Israel speakers from the group Stand With Us, students attending the event found anti-Israel posters strewn on the walls, Hakim said. he said.
One day, as Ms. Sverdlov stood outside handing out hostage posters from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., she watched her fellow students “tear up the posters and give them dirty looks.” .
Hakim said the school newspaper once published an editorial that said it didn’t matter whether reports that female hostages were raped by Hamas terrorists were true or not because they were “white women’s tears.” There is also.
Still, Jewish students plan to continue their advocacy efforts, which freshman student Eitan Senger said is a “positive reason” for Jewish students at other schools to look to them as examples of organizing. He claimed that there was.
Hakim said Jewish students held a silent protest and a meeting was held at Hillel between an Orthodox rabbi and a Palestinian peace advocate.
“You know, Jewish students are not going to sit idly by,” he said.
“We take great pride in our rich history of supporting the academic and cultural needs of Jewish students,” a university spokesperson said in a statement.
“Since October, we have maintained communication with students, student leaders, and members of the Jewish community to ensure their safety and address any concerns that may arise.
“The university strives to maintain an environment where members of our community can voice their opinions and express themselves in a way that makes others feel mutually respected,” the statement added.
The report said university officials “unequivocally condemn all acts of violence, hatred, and bigotry against any individual or group.”
“We stand in solidarity with all those suffering, condemning all forms of hatred.”
