'Wanted' posters on University of Rochester campus targeting Jewish faculty members - Boston News, Weather, Sports

(CNN) — Hundreds of posters depicting Jewish faculty members as “wanted” were plastered on the campus of the University of Rochester in upstate New York on Sunday evening, an anti-Semitic act that the school’s president told CNN “would not be tolerated.”

The posters criticize teachers for their alleged response to the war in Gaza. One poster accuses a faculty member of “ethnic cleansing” and “expulsion of Palestinians.” Another poster accuses another faculty member of “racism,” “hate speech” and harassment.

“I want to be as clear as possible that the University of Rochester strongly denounces the recent display of ‘Wanted’ posters targeting senior university leaders and members of our faculty, staff and Board of Trustees,” said University President Sarah Mangelsdorf in a speech. statement Tuesday. “This act is disturbing, divisive and intimidating and goes against our values as a university.”

One of the targets of the vandalism, Gregory Heyworth, associate professor of English and computer science, told CNN in an email that he was grateful to the university for its public stand and for the president’s “clear condemnation of the posters’ anti-Semitism. ”

Heyworth said he “was accused of ‘threatening to dox’ protesting students, on a poster that actually committed the crime of doxing.”

The professor pointed out the hypocrisy of the vandals, “their willingness to push the boundaries of anti-democratic behavior and infringe on freedom of expression – to lie, distort and propagate – while relying on those same democratic values.”

Since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent war in GazaStatements from students, professors and administrators regarding the conflict have set college campuses in the United States on fire.

Tensions in the Middle East rage, with Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza creating a dire humanitarian crisis while fueling global advocacy by Israeli and Palestinian supporters, many of whom favor a ceasefire.

The University of Rochester Hillel organization, which represents Jewish students, called the posters “deeply disturbing” in a statement to CNN and said its director was among the targets, as were Jewish faculty and staff, but no students.

The organization called the incident “an opportunity for the university to reflect on what it takes to provide meaningful education about Jewish people and anti-Semitism so that UR is a place where Jewish life can flourish fully and safely.”

University public safety director Quchee Collins in a letter posted on the school’s website called the incident “an act of vandalism” whose purpose appeared to be “to intimidate members of our university community.” He said his department is investigating.

CNN also contacted the Hillel director pictured in a poster, who responded with an automated email response.

“We appreciate everyone’s support in light of the recent anti-Semitic and hate speech incident on campus,” the response said.

This is not the first incident targeting the university’s Jewish community. According to the university, swastikas and anti-Semitic language written on the tunnel walls of the River Campus were discovered in February. The Ministry of Public Security immediately removed the “harmful symbols and words,” the university said.

The tunnels where the “disturbing discovery” was made are used by students to share news about campus activities and express the university’s multicultural identity, a researcher said. press release.

‘I’m just tired. It’s been a long year and I desperately want peace, but doing things like this, targeting the faculty, administration, and staff to intimidate them and spread hatred while only adding more work to the maintenance staff, is wrong,” said a Jewish student at New York University. Rochester, who declined to be identified for fear of retaliation, told CNN on Tuesday.

“Yesterday we were scared and worried,” the student said. “Today we work for understanding and peace.”

Another Jewish student, who also declined to be identified for fear of retaliation, said they discovered the posters Sunday around 10 p.m.

“When I first saw this, I was shocked and upset,” the student said.

The Ministry of Public Security was informed of the posters and removed them.

“This process is painstaking due to the strong adhesive used to attach the posters, which in some cases caused damage to walls, floors, blackboards and other surfaces,” Collins said.