Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
In a move that has sparked outrage among Jewish groups and pro-Israel activists, Hunter College, a publicly funded institution within the City University of New York (CUNY) system, has posted a job listing for a professorship in Palestinian Studies. The listing explicitly calls for "a historically grounded scholar who takes a critical lens to issues pertaining to Palestine including but not limited to: settler colonialism, genocide, human rights, apartheid, migration, climate and infrastructure devastation, health, race, gender and sexuality"– all within the context of Palestine.
Critics argue that the job posting is not an academic initiative but rather an attempt to institutionalize anti-Israel rhetoric under the guise of higher education.
The listing, part of a "Palestinian Studies cluster hire," seeks a candidate to join the one or more of the departments of Anthropology, History, Sociology, Political Science or Women’s and Gender Studies. While the job description claims openness to diverse theoretical and methodological approaches, opponents argue that the focus areas are inherently biased and promote a singular, hostile narrative against Israel.
Hunter College’s posting comes amid growing concerns over antisemitism within the CUNY system. An independent investigation commissioned by New York Governor Kathy Hochul last year found widespread instances of antisemitic incidents across CUNY campuses, including harassment of Jewish students and faculty, glorification of Hamas, and administrative inaction against hate speech.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
The controversy surrounding the job posting is the latest in a series of antisemitism-related scandals at CUNY. In January, CUNY’s faculty union, the Professional Staff Congress, approved a resolution to divest from Israel over the war in Gaza. Following public backlash, the resolution was overturned. Similarly, past graduation ceremonies have featured speakers who delivered virulently anti-Israel speeches, further cementing CUNY’s reputation as a hotbed for anti-Zionist and antisemitic rhetoric.
Hunter College, in a statement, attempted to downplay concerns, saying, "Hunter College has zero tolerance for hate of any kind. Our current and future faculty are expected to be well-versed in all scholarship so they can dissect and debunk theories, not promote them." However, critics remain unconvinced, pointing to the specific language of the job listing and the college’s history of tacitly endorsing anti-Israel activism.
Hochul’s executive budget proposal includes $2.25 billion in operating funds for CUNY’s 25 schools for the upcoming fiscal year, as well as $1.8 billion for capital construction and maintenance. The controversy over Hunter College’s hiring decision raises questions over whether taxpayer dollars should be used to fund what many consider to be state-sponsored antisemitism.
Critics are urging Hochul to take decisive action, warning that the longer antisemitism festers within CUNY, the more difficult it will be to reverse course.