Radical pro-Palestine activists have placed hundreds of “Wanted” posters featuring Jewish faculty members across the University of Rochester campus.
The blatantly antisemitic act came as part of the radical left’s ongoing anti-Israel activism, which apparently includes targeting Jewish people and blaming them for the actions of the Israeli government — even though they are not Israeli.
The “Wanted” posters focused on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and featured accusations against the Jewish faculty members such as “ethnic cleansing,” “displacement of Palestinians,” and “war crimes,” — none of which have anything to do with Jewish people in America. The posters also accused the faculty members of “racism” and “hate speech.”
BREAKING: The pro-Hamas students and faculty plastered the University of Rochester with wanted posters of Jewish faculty.
These faculty were not Israeli, they were Jewish. This is textbook antisemitism. Reform has never been more needed at American universities. pic.twitter.com/jdMzlHEAr7
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) November 12, 2024
The president of the New York-based university, Sarah Mangelsdorf, issued a statement on Tuesday about the shocking incident.
“I want to be as clear as I can 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,” the statement read, according to The Rochester Beacon. “This act is disturbing, divisive and intimidating and runs counter to our values as a university. Furthermore, several of those depicted appear to have been targeted because they are members of our Jewish community. We view this as antisemitism, which will not be tolerated at our University. This isn’t who we are. This goes against everything we stand for and we have an obligation to reject it.”
The University of Rochester’s Hillel organization, which represents Jewish students, deemed the posters “deeply disturbing,” especially as the Hillel director was one of the targets of the antisemitic act.
University Public Safety Chief Quchee Collins also issued a statement in response to the news, writing: “Posters and displays affixed in this manner are unacceptable and considered to be vandalism to University property. Any activities, including the placement of these posters, that disrupt our normal operations and classroom instruction will not be tolerated. Additionally, it seems that the goal of this vandalism is to intimidate members of our University community, which is an action that runs counter to our Meliora values.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, no group has claimed responsibility for the posters, though the Rochester Beacon did reach out to the university’s chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine — which has been accused of supporting Hamas — and the so-called Jewish Voices For Peace. According to the outlet, these groups “have spearheaded the protests on campus,” but have yet to respond to the query about the posters.
