Things are getting scary at Baruch College

Hillels serving the CUNY system have found themselves targeted by protesters using increasingly violent rhetoric

A protester demonstrating against Baruch Hillel in June flashes a symbol associated with Hamas. Photo by Getty Images

By Arno Rosenfeld September 10, 2024

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The impulse of many Jewish leaders to condemn and shine a spotlight on any campus incident with the faintest possibility of being antisemitic has made it difficult for the most upsetting events to break through the noise. Today I want to shine a bright light on two alarming incidents targeting the Baruch College Hillel, which serves Jewish students from several City University of New York campuses across Manhattan.

The ostensible complaint is that CUNY Hillels run student trips to Israel, including one in June where some students volunteered at an Israeli army base. Pro-Palestinian protesters have responded by treating the Hillels as if they are Israeli army bases themselves.

Activists, some of them wearing Hamas headbands, rallied at Baruch in June with a banner that included a red triangle over the Hillel’s logo — the same red triangle Hamas uses in propaganda videos to mark Israeli soldiers and tanks it is targeting in Gaza.

More recently, my colleagues at the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported, demonstrators have hoisted banners saying “bring the war home,” with an image of an assault rifle, outside the Hillels at both Baruch, which is in the East 20s, and Hunter College, about 40 blocks north.

And on Friday, the Baruch chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine organized a protest outside a kosher restaurant where Hillel was hosting an event, accusing Ilya Bratman, who leads 10 Hillels in Manhattan, of genocide. One demonstrator told the Jewish students “you aren’t going home tonight,” according to the Hillel organizers, while another crudely referenced the murder of several Israeli hostages by Hamas a few days prior: “Where’s Hersh, you ugly a– b—–? Go bring them home.”

Bratman is worried things will only get worse.

“We are anticipating violence,” he told me by phone.

He has a reason to. Over the weekend, Baruch’s SJP chapter called on Instagram for its followers to “adopt the fearlessness of our fighters” on Instagram: “What have fundraising, marching and speeches gotten us in the past year?” the post read in part. “Our true purpose lies in following our martyrs and those who have combated the Zionist entity for hundreds of years.”

This is starkly different than what is going on at most colleges. Sure, other SJP chapters have flirted with support for Hamas or protested campus Hillels for supporting Israel. But the actions at CUNY have consistently been more extreme. It’s possible this is a sign of things to come elsewhere, but I think there are specific reasons to believe that it’s more of a disturbing outlier.

The first is that CUNY is enormous, with 250,000 students, and Bratman said some of the recent protests seem to involve fewer than 30 people. That is more than enough to organize a series of a raucous demonstration, but it’s a tiny ratio and one that would represent just two or three students at most other places.

And many CUNY students remain in New York after they graduate — and often stay involved with campus activism, mentoring new student leaders and attending demonstrations.

“You only need a few dozen superstar activists to make this a really active, vibrant, ongoing, continuous protest story,” Bratman said.

So far, of course, student protesters around the country have compelled a few schools to cancel or modify graduations, but not changed how Israel is prosecuting its war in Gaza (Israeli protesters aren’t faring much better). Bratman is worried that frustration may push activists toward more radical action.

After the threats at the restaurant, Bratman said, many Jewish students are worried for their safety. Nevermind that they have no real sway over Israel.

“The idea is that they are out to get us,” he told me.

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Arno Rosenfeld is enterprise reporter at the Forward, where he covers antisemitism, philanthropy, sexual misconduct and American Jewish politics. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @arnorosenfeld.

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