The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) welcomed on May 3 the decision by The New School to suspend funding for its Hillel chapter. This action follows findings by a university student committee that linked the organization’s activities to violations of international law involving Israel’s armed forces.
The university’s Undergraduate Student Senate committee found that some programming and affiliations of the Hillel chapter raised concerns about compliance with institutional policies and ethical standards. The suspension will remain in place pending further review.
According to the USS committee report, “The clearest and most direct evidence of material ties between Hillel at The New School and foreign military activity is the Hillel on Base (HOB) program, described on Hillel at Baruch’s official website as follows: ‘HOB (Hillel on Base) is a 7-day trip to Israel with all your best friends! Volunteer on an IDF (Israeli Defense Force) base in Southern Israel, wear IDF uniform, give back to the community on base, and explore Israel!’ It is further described as ‘a 10-day trip to Israel volunteering on an IDF (Israeli Defense Force) base. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to help support Israel during this time…You will… be on an IDF base in IDF uniform and alongside soldiers’.”
The report also states: “Numerous leading human rights organizations – including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Lemkin Institute, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, the International Federation for Human Rights, Genocide Watch, and Oxfam , amongst numerous others – have found that Israel is committing genocide. ThreedifferentUN bodies have found Israel in violation of the UN Genocide Convention of 1948. And the International Court of Justice ruled that it is plausible the IDF committed genocide in Gaza.”
Afaf Nasher, CAIR-NY Executive Director said: “We welcome The New School’s decision to suspend funding for Hillel as a necessary step toward accountability and adherence to international human rights principles. Student organizations should be spaces that foster inclusion, critical dialogue, and respect for human dignity, not platforms that legitimize or support genocide.
“At a time when communities around the world are calling for justice and an end to violence against civilians, universities have a responsibility to ensure that their resources are not used in ways that may contribute to harm or discrimination.”
CAIR-NY says its mission includes protecting civil rights and empowering American Muslims.