A great university must champion diversity and cultivate a tradition of civil discourse and engagement on complex issues and conflicts.

Watching the latest needless suffering of Palestinians and Israelis, we suffer with them. A just and lasting peace can only emerge by building trust through mutual respect and by recognizing the aspirations of two peoples, both with legitimate claims for a sovereign homeland.

We recognize the aspirations of the Palestinian people and we support Israel’s right to exist in peace and to protect its citizens. Denying Israel the right to defend itself from thousands of rockets launched by Hamas is to deny its right to exist. The one-sided “CUNY Community Statement of Solidarity with the Palestinian People” seeks to shut down discussion by condemning Israel for defending itself.  

Read the Statement

The inflammatory language of this statement creates a hostile environment at CUNY, particularly for Jewish students, many of whom have been threatened and harassed by activists who seek to delegitimize Israel. It is CUNY’s responsibility to ensure the security and safety for all students.

We therefore reject calls for an academic or cultural boycott of Israel and urge the CUNY community to engage in informed, respectful, and civil conversation on conflicts at home, in the Middle East, and around the world. The university must make the safety of students a priority so that verbal threats do not lead to physical violence when students return to campus this fall.

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Links for Reference:
CUNY Community Statement of Solidarity with the Palestinian People: bit.ly/3w5KxCu
Accounts from Jewish Students: bit.ly/cunyjewish

Signatures

Alexander Lisyansky, Queens

Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Herbert H. Lehman College and Graduate School, Faculty/Staff

Irena Tsarevsky, Queens, Faculty/Staff

Azriel Genack, Queens College, Faculty/Staff

Fred Naider, College of Staten Island, Faculty/Staff

Anita Naider, CSI, Faculty/Staff

Steve Greenbaum, Hunter and Graduate Center, Faculty/Staff

Abraham Malz, CSI, Faculty/Staff

Leora Yetnikoff, College of Staten Island, Faculty/Staff

Sarah Berger, College of Staten Island, Faculty/Staff

Nan Sussman, College of Staten Island, Faculty/Staff

Sara Reguer, Brooklyn College, Faculty/Staff

Robert Shapiro, Brooklyn College, Faculty/Staff

Amy Posner, College of Staten Island, Faculty/Staff

Michal Kruk, College of Staten Island, Faculty/Staff

Elina Pargamanik, Faculty/Staff

Jack Stern, CSI, Faculty/Staff

Ken Gold, College of Staten Island, Faculty/Staff

Kevin O'Bryant, College of Staten Island and The Graduate Center, Faculty/Staff

David Rumschitzki, City College of New York, Faculty/Staff

Angelo Bongiorno, College of Staten Island, Faculty/Staff

Manfred Philipp, Lehman College & The CUNY Graduate Center, Faculty/Staff

Feridun Delale, City College, Faculty/Staff

Victor Pan, Lehman, Faculty/Staff

Anshel Gorokhovsky, CSI, Faculty/Staff

Morton Denn, CCNY, Faculty/Staff

Osnat Laske-Greenbaum, Lehman/Hunter, Faculty/Staff

Prof. David Brodsky, Brooklyn College, Faculty/Staff

Mitchell Schaffler, City College, Faculty/Staff

Florette Cohen, College of Staten Island, Faculty/Staff

Lana Karasik, College of Staten Island, Faculty/Staff

Bertram O. Ploog, CSI, Faculty/Staff

Igor Vish, College of Staten Island, Faculty/Staff

Jane Kizner, SI, Faculty/Staff

Sasha Kizhner, Baruch College, Faculty/Staff

Boris Kizhner, Brooklyn College, Faculty/Staff

Lawrence Sher, Queens College, Faculty/Staff

Patricia Brooks, College of Staten Island, Faculty/Staff

Irina Guberuk, Staten Island, Faculty/Staff

Eitan Friedman, CCNY, Faculty/Staff

Lee A. Spielmann, Queens College, Faculty/Staff

Itzik Mano, CUNY Sch of Med, Faculty/Staff

Alan J. Siegel, CSI, Faculty/Staff

Alan M. Lyons, College of Staten Island and Graduate Center, Faculty/Staff

Neila Green, The College of Staten Island, Faculty/Staff

Victoria Baker, College of Staten Island, Faculty/Staff

Manfred Philipp, Lehman College & the CUNY Graduate Center, Faculty or Staff

Steve Greenbaum, Hunter; Grad Center, Faculty or Staff

Roman Kezerashvili, New York City College of Technology, Faculty or Staff

Alexander Greer, Brooklyn, Faculty or Staff

Marina Chudnovsky, Lehman College, Alumni, 1995

Alan Lyons, College of Staten Island and Graduate Center, Faculty or Staff

Julia Laibstain, Hunter, Community Member, 2023

David Marias, Community, Member

Ilya Bratman, Baruch College, Faculty or Staff, 2013

Yehuda Wexler, Baruch College, Current Student, 2021

Dalia Zargari, CCNY, Alumni, 2021

Michelle Schneider, City, Current Student, 2023

Tzvia Waronker, John Jay, Current Student, 2023

Jordy Gross, City College of New York, Current Student, 2023

MICHAL, MORYOSEF, CCNY, Current Student, 2022

Danielle Ryba, City College, Current Student, 2024

Natalie Ryba, Hunter, Current Student, 2025

Lola Dichy, Brooklyn Colege, Alumni, 2000

Anthony Rubin, College of Staten Island, Alumni, 2021

Robert Feinerman, Lehman, Faculty or Staff

Sabrina Schochet, John Jay, Current Student, 2023

Linda Friedman, Baruch, Faculty or Staff

Miriam Perel, City College, Current Student, 2025

David Maltz, Baruch College, Current Student, 2023

Brenda Lazar, Alumni, 2020

Anastasia Cohan-Maximenko, College of Staten Island, Current Student, 2021

Yael Yehoshua, Queens College, Current Student, 2021

Elisabeth Caruso, College of Staten Island, Alumni, 2014

Esther Pesochin, Csi/kbcc, Current Student, 2022

Hadassah Schneider, Queens, Alumni, 2020

Jane Castle, Queens College, Current Student, 2023

David Rabinovich, QC, Current Student, 2023

Nechama Schneider, City, Current Student, 2023

samuel krichavets, College of Staten island, Current Student, 2022

Hailey Shapiro, Hunter College, Current Student, 2022

Jacob Schneider Queens, Community Member, 2025

Rachel Duenyas, College of Staten Island, Current Student, 2022

Zack Bernstein, Baruch, Current Student, 2022

Chesky Samet, Queens College, Current Student, 2022

Ira Taub, College of Staten Island, Current Student, 2022

Sean Feldman, CSI, Current Student, 2021

Jennifer Taub, College of Staten Island, Alumni, 2021

Niva Heskia, Queens, Current Student, 2021

Batel Levy, College of Staten Island, Current Student, 2021

Daniel Vogel, John Jay, Current Student, 2023

Melissa Jones, CSI, Alumni, 2005

Steven Serebro, Baruch, Alumni, 2019

Mitch Harris, College of Staten Island, Alumni, 2016

Aderet Averick, College of Staten island, Alumni, 2018

Nora Shvartsberg, College of Staten Island, Faculty or Staff

Avigail Amos, College of Staten Island, Current Student, 2021

Tobi Herzlinger, College of Staten Island, Current Student, 2022

Michael DeMartino, College of Staten Island, Alumni, 2015

Zachary Beer, CCNY, Current Student

Judy Zakarin, Staten 3, Community Member, 2018

Tamar Danan, Staten island, Current Student, 2021

Jacqueline Blyudoy, Macaulay Honors College at CCNY, Current Student, 2022

Ophir Amon, The City College of New York, Current Student, 2022

Frimchie Fuchs, Staten Island, Current Student, 2022

Amit Daniell, Baruch Current Student, 2024

Jordan Zar, Baruch, Alumni, 2021

Claire Orikher, Community Member

Aharon Grama, Brooklyn College, Current Student, 2023

Joseph Sardar, Baruch, Current Student, 2024

Joey Sardar, Baruch Current Student, 2024

David Rosenblatt, Baruch college, Current Student, 2022

Josh Kampin, City tech, Current Student, 2023

Danielle Ohana, CSI, Current Student

Adar Revivo, Csi, Alumni, 2020

Rogelio Castilla, Community Member

Philip Barnett, City College, Faculty or Staff

Chana David, Current Student, 2021

Nev Yakubov, Queens College, Current Student, 2023

Karen Klein, Community Member

Shelby Hakakian, Baruch Current Student, 2024

Eli Simmons, Community Member, 2023

Josef Khaimov, John Jay, Current Student, 2021

Vivian Shulman, College of Staten Island, Faculty or Staff

Binyamin Pomeranz, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Alumni2021

Ariella Shamash, Baruch college, Current Student, 2022

Rebecca Gelbstein, Queens, Current Student, 2022

Yael Yehoshua, Queens College, Current Student, 2021

Sarah Feder, Current Student, 2022

Lauren Haller, Queens, Current Student, 2023

Ben Zalaznick, Community Member

Eleanor Kotov, Community Member

Aliyah Jacobson, Brooklyn College, Current Student, 2022

Tal Shwartzman, Community Member, 2023

Zachary Rosman, CCNY, Current Student, 2024

Miri Elbogen, Queens College, Current Student, 2022

Nathaniel Rakhman, Queens College, Current Student, 2021

Ayla Karlin, Community Member

Jessica Shenfeld, Brooklyn college, Alumni, 2006

Robert Tawil, Brooklyn College, Current Student, 2022

Ayelet Teitelbaum, ccny, Current Student, 2025

P.J. Javaheri, Community Member

Inna Feldman-Gerber, Community Member

Shimona Shriki, Queens College, Alumni2000

Mark Deutsch, College of Staten Island, Current Student, 2022

Ian Kadish, Community Member

Kayla Desormeaux, Community Member

Amanda Koptyev, Baruch, Current Student, 2021

Gabriella Shayani, Community Member

Lena Maltseva, Current Student

Lev Deych, Queens, Faculty or Staff

Dina Travis, Queens College, Current Student, 2023

Iris Kosene, Community Member

Natalie Lazar, Community Member

Jordan Cope, Community Member

Sarah Locker, Community Member, 2021

Moshe Hecht, Community Member

adira levine, Current Student, 2022

Miriam Kaplan, Community Member

Michael Spizzirri, Community Member

Esther Weiss, Queens college, Current Student, 2023

Ross Engelhardt, Community Member

Sophia Breslauer, Community Member

Idan Sela, Hunter Current, Student2024

Rachel Waldman, College of Staten island, Alumni, 2019

Stephanie Katz, Queens College, Alumni, 2013

Alla Aronov, Alumni, 2005

Abigail Wasserman, College of Staten Island, Current Student, 2022

Hayley Zawadzki, Community Member, 2013

Ben Huisman, New York, Community Member, 2018

Rachel Weintraub, College of Staten Island, Alumni2019

Shoshana Silber, Alumni2003

Lauren Brodsky, Community Member

Jordie Yule, Community Member

Lev Deych, Queens & Graduate Center, Faculty or Staff

Nadine Gabai, Alumni

Eliel Mizrahi, Brooklyn college, Current Student, 2023

Mark J, Community Member

Carly Schlafer, Community Member

Deborah Soufian, Community Member

Gabriela Trubowitz, Current Student

Brian Katz, Baruch, Alumni, 2020

Rebecca H, Queens, Community Member, 2022

tzippy Feldman, Community Member

Igor Gavrilov, Alumni, 1999

Ben Katz, Community Member

Daniel Goldstein, Queens, Current Student, 2022

Chaya Green, Community Member, 2020

Elena Shulman,  Community Member

Nina Weiss Hunter college, Alumni, 2017

Shoshana Waronker, Queens, Alumni, 2020

Naomi Ben-Haim, CCNY, Current Student, 2021

Marcia Borensztajn, Community Member

Eden Aroshas, Community Member

Juliet Shubaev, CCNY, Alumni, 2016

Jessica Yeroshalmi, Baruch, Current Student, 2023

Alla Gavrilov, Brooklyn college, Alumni, 2007

Moti Ankari, Baruch, Alumni, 2014

Karen Biderman, Queens College, Current Student, 2022

Roman Shmulenson, Brooklyn College, Alumni, 1999

Deborah Sr, Alumni

Kineret Leben, Baruch, Current Student, 2024

Rhiannon Chajmovicz, Current Student, 2021

Michelle Rosenberg, Community Member

Danit BM, Community Member

Rina Yarmish, Kingsborough Community College, Faculty or Staff

Aviva Barth, Queens college, Current Student, 2021

Ashley Nedelman, Baruch College, Alumni, 2016

Nat dagan, Community Member

Robyn Rothman, CUNY Queens, Alumni2012

Hershey Friedman, Brooklyn College, Faculty or Staff

George Kaposi, Kingsborough Community College, Faculty or Staff

Yaffa Barsky, Current Student

Rachel Tuchman, Alumni, 2006

Miha Mizrahi, Nyu, Current Student, 2021

Michelle Hershkowitz, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Alumni, 2010

Bar Markovich, Community Member

Joseph Levine, Community Member

Sheri Schreier, Brooklyn College, Alumni1990

Sharon Levine, Community Member

Adi Cohen, Bmcc, Alumni

Gili Weintraub, Community Member

Elizabeth Mordukhayeva, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Alumni, 2020

Slava Nisonov, Hunter college, Alumni, 2010

Shannon N, Baruch, Current Student, 2022

Shirin B, Baruch, Alumni201

Jenna Wise, Community Member

Emmanuelle Chriqui, Community Member

Alex cohen, Community Member

Frimette Kass, Brooklyn College, Faculty or Staff

Milana cohen, Alumni

Frimette Kass, Queens College, Alumni,1977

Elliot Neiman, Alumni, 2016

Anna Novosyolok, Baruch, Alumni, 1999

Esther Feldman, Community Member

Henry Shraibman, Brooklyn College, Alumni, 1974

Marc Dubois, Community Member

Avi Shraibman, City College, Alumni, 2011

Daniella A, Alumni

Jacqueline Tawil, Hunter, Alumni2017

Sarah Sass, Macaulay Honors at Queens College, Alumni2020

Lisa Hecht, Alumni

Aron Shami, Community Member, 2022