Fighting Antisemitism at CUNY: The CAFI Initiative
America has been a place of almost unlimited opportunity for its Jewish citizens. The percentage of American Jews, less than 0.1% at the time of the Revolution, peaked at about 3.5% in the middle 20th century. From 2010 to 2020 one third of the supreme court justices and more than 10% of the United States Senate were Jewish. Nearly 30% of American Nobel laureates have been Jewish. Jews should be proud of these achievements.
I was born in NYC in 1945. For nearly 50 years I lectured wearing a kippa srugah (a knitted head covering) at the City University of New York (CUNY). I taught and mentored Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and Jews. In 2020 at the age of 75 I left CUNY and we moved to Israel to be close to our children and grandchildren.
Early in the 21st century flagrant antizionist and antisemitic actions began to occur at various CUNY colleges. Such activities increased markedly on college campuses after the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by Omar Barghouti around 2005. This proved to be a rallying point for “pro-Palestinian” college students (Students for Justice in Palestine, SJP) who used divestment as a tactic to promote anti-Israel resolutions.
Dr. Einat Wolf has eloquently demonstrated that the history of Israel-Arab relations dispels the illusion that the Arabs want to live in peace with Israel. Indeed, Wilf who was a Member of Knesset in Labor and Independence parties, both left on the Israeli political spectrum, has stated that Palestinianism is synonymous with being opposed to Jewish sovereignty anywhere in the land now being contested. One concludes that Hamas and its fellow terrorists are not pro-Palestinian they are anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli. Supporting this conclusion were statements by President Mahmoud Abbas that not a single Israeli could live in a future Palestinian state (https://www.reuters.com/article/world/abbas-wants-not-a-single-israeli-in-future-palestinian-state-idUSBRE96T009/).
College campuses have historically sheltered views on the fringes of societies. The concept of free speech is a hallmark of campus life and is the holy grail of democracy. Anti-Israeli students have every right to advocate for Palestinians. Even if their arguments are flawed or distasteful or hateful, their right to speak must be protected. However, when this speech is directed against fellow students and is accompanied by physical threats and violence, their targets must be safeguarded.
The anti-Israel protests at CUNY became both physical and threatening at about 2015. Swastikas and antisemitic slogans were scrawled on buildings at John Jay College. In May of 2023 the graduation speaker elected to represent students at the CUNY School of Law graduation used her platform to bash Israel and the United States. It is telling that Fatima Mousa Mohammed, of Yemini origin, described her adopted safe haven country as a racist, white imperialist capitalist bastion that oppresses its citizens (https://vinnews.com/2023/06/13/read-full-transcript-of-fatima-mohammeds-antisemitic-speech-at-cuny-law-school/.) Many anti-Israel activists harbor a deep hatred for America. Nerdeen Kiswami was chosen to speak at the Law School Graduation in 2022 and similarly demonized Israel.
As the Provost of the College of Staten Island from 2012 to 2015 I observed that members of the SJP had no interest in discussing differences with their Jewish counterparts. In fact, I witnessed Palestinian students refusing to talk to Jewish students at the campus Hillel. The scourge of antizionism festered and ultimately turned into a full epidemic following the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023.
In the face of the atrocities by Hamas, student support for this terrorist entity only increased. An anti-Israel encampment at City College interfered with student access and led to considerable destruction. The encampment was ultimately cleared by the NYPD. Furthermore, anti-Israel resolutions were passed by the Graduate School student organization and by the Professional Staff Congress (PSC), the union representing CUNY faculty and staff. Many of these actions were initiated without discussion or debate involving the broader faculty or student bodies. These motions were an attempt to isolate and marginalize Jews at CUNY.
Much has been written about the proper reaction to the anti-Israel/antisemitic activities by SJP and BDS advocates. Some have argued that it is futile to debate Israel’s enemies (https://www.thefp.com/p/sam-harris-why-its-futile-to-debate-israel-enemies). Others, including the federal government, have used legal pathways to protect Jewish students and faculty and have penalized campuses that allow a hostile antisemitic environment to exist. These actions are condemned by Palestinian activists as a violation of freedom of expression.
At CUNY a group of faculty members decided that remaining quiet was not the proper response to the growing anti-Jewish hostility throughout CUNY. Led by Distinguished Professor Azi Genack, the CUNY Alliance for Inclusion (CAFI) was established. More on CAFI may be found on its website (https://cunyallianceforinclusion.org). CAFI’s mission statement says it “seeks to foster an environment of academic integrity, moral clarity, and open dialogue at CUNY.” CAFI stands against antisemitic and antizionist resolutions by faculty, the PSC and student governments, and seeks to promote educational opportunities for civil discourse and an environment devoid of hostility and intimidation. It is critical that small groups of activist students and faculty at CUNY not be allowed to hijack and manipulate the discourse on the Middle East.
CAFI values pluralism, integrity and unbiased presentation of facts. We understand that diverse views exist in an academic setting and champion the sharing of different views in a reasoned and respectful exchange. We oppose distortion of facts. CUNY’s educational mission is to teach students to think objectively and analytically, and to search for the truth. CAFI stands for excellence and for true academic freedom where multiple viewpoints are presented without rancor.
CAFI is galvanized to action when egregious resolutions are championed in the faculty union or the university and college faculty senates. In 2021 the PSC delegates passed a resolution condemning Israel for massacring Palestinians in Gaza and calling for support of the BDS campaign. In 2025 Hunter College posted an ad for a position in Palestinian studies “who takes a critical lens to issues pertaining to Palestine including but not limited to settler-colonialism, genocide, human rights, apartheid, etc….. In both cases CAFI was able to mobilize resistance. A petition against the union resolution in 2021 had more than 3000 signatures. The union leadership was made aware that many faculty want them to focus on job related issues and not the Middle East. Governor Hochul nullified the Hunter search and another one was initiated using modified language that would be less offensive to Jews. Although many faculty are outraged by the Governor’s intrusion into an academic hire, which is a violation of academic freedom, public awareness stimulated in part by CAFI members has had an impact
Such actions speaking out against one sided and bigoted portrayals of Zionists and Jews have helped us to provide critical facts to the CUNY leadership. It should be clear that we are not seeking to stifle criticism of Israel. What we oppose are attempts to homogenize the intellectual analysis of complex issues to eliminate critical discussion. Accordingly, CAFI sponsors seminars that attempt to present a balanced view on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We share information among Jewish faculty so that they feel part of a community and are aware of initiatives that seek to harm us, our students or the rights of Jews to a homeland. We participate as Jewish Americans alongside many non-Jewish colleagues who are proud of our people’s contributions to this country, and unwilling to succumb to the rising antisemitism in Academia.
The existence of CAFI at CUNY and the presence of similar groups at other universities serve as a necessary response to the hostility Jews face on college campuses. By working together we can impact the campus climate and counter attempts to demonize Israel and Jews. CAFI is not anti-anyone or any people. We stand only against bigotry, fabrication and hatred. Our mission is to return the Academy to rigorous scientific and humanistic inquiry, and to train students who will be the future leaders of society to think critically. We urge our colleagues to become involved. Silence in the face of intolerance is de facto support for discrimination and marginalization. The time to take a stand is now.
