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Two weeks ago, hundreds of “wanted” posters targeting Jewish faculty and staff, allies, and leadership from the University of Rochester were plastered across the River Campus. These posters featured photos and names of individuals, accusing some of censorship, intimidation, abuse of power—and others of genocide and ethnic cleansing. To be clear, such claims of heinous crimes are patently untrue. The individuals targeted have no connection to the actions of a foreign government.
At first glance, these posters might appear as political activism, free speech, or protests aimed at holding people accountable for their views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, nothing could be further from the truth. The accusations on these posters go far beyond political discourse and free speech. They are a public shaming campaign that seems to play intentionally on longstanding antisemitic tropes. They risk the safety of not only those on the posters, but Jewish students across campus. To say otherwise is to turn a blind eye to a long history of antisemitism and, ultimately, genocide.
One of the oldest forms of antisemitism is the idea of “collective Jewish guilt” and that Jews carry the responsibility for the ills of the world. Accusations against Jews are myriad—from the crucifixion of Jesus to the Black Death to modern conspiracy theories about global control of media and banks. These dangerous ideas have justified centuries of violence against Jewish communities.
The wanted posters at the University of Rochester—either explicitly or in their subtext—follow this pattern by targeting certain individuals not for their personal actions, but for simply being Jewish or allies of the Jewish community. The tactic of targeting allies has been used to intimidate people from showing support of the Jewish people and aims to isolate the community by engendering fear to stand in solidarity. Isolation of the Jewish community leads to alienation and often violence, as we have seen recently in events in Amsterdam, Montreal and United Arab Emirates. Even if the claims about Israel on the posters were true (which they are not), holding any Jews or allies of the Jewish community responsible for acts of the Israeli government is not only preposterous, but also an example of collective blame and Jew hatred.
Furthermore, the current discourse by some faculty, staff, and students on campus is only fanning the flames of antisemitism. I have heard that some blame the Jewish community for the arrests of four UR students, alleging undue influence and power. This negates the fact that a crime was committed and continues to feeds into centuries-old propaganda that is mired in Jew hatred, rather than fact.
The hateful crimes perpetrated on campus delegitimize Jews and force people to defend not only their personal beliefs but also their very identities. While none of these posters targeted students, our Jewish students are fearful and disheartened. No person on campus should be afraid to express their identity openly.
Universities are meant to be bastions of free thought and respectful discourse. The wanted posters undermine the academic environment by attempting to silence Jews through fear and intimidation. How can anyone participate in meaningful dialogue when they are afraid of being publicly shamed or physically hurt simply because of religion, race or creed?
Free speech is a cornerstone of academic life, but it does not grant immunity to those who use it to intimidate or incite hatred or damage property. Universities have a responsibility to ensure that their campuses are safe for all students, including those who are Jewish or who support Israel. This means condemning targeted harassment unequivocally and providing robust support for those affected and helping the community understand why this act is hateful and antisemitic.
The fight against antisemitism cannot be just a Jewish issue; it is a fight for the dignity and safety of all marginalized groups. Addressing the antisemitic nature of these posters and the ensuing support on campus is a moral imperative, not only for the Jewish community but for everyone who values justice, equity, and inclusion.
Meredith Dragon is the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester.
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Meredith, Thank you for your thoughtful article of which I completely agree.
You had to sign your name to the article you wrote, and I must sign my name to this comment or the Beacon will not publish it. But the
U of R students who published the posters with the names of the people they were trying to intimidate, did not sign their names to the bottom of the posters to take credit and ownership for their accusations. Also they covered and hid their faces in the TV news coverage of their arraignment. And the news stations that covered this story did not disclose the students by name, as they often do with others who are charged with criminal behavior.
Only Bob Lonsberry of WHAM radio mentioned their full names in his broadcast the day following their arrest. Interesting…
Sandy, this is hardly the case. Many if not most, are clear that one can both support Israel’s right to exist and defend itself and be opposed to the manner Netanyahu has chosen to answer Hamas’s massacre. Indeed, it would be inaccurate to think otherwise, and such a generalization would be misguided. What is clear is that the manner the students chose to express themselves was rife with at minimum dog-whistle racist undertones. To superglue “Wanted” posters to classroom whiteboards with all their implications, was somehow justified is to argue the hateful rhetoric we hear from the right and its leaders is also justified. You can’t have it both ways. Violent rhetoric is simply wrong whatever side it comes from.
The “October 7th tragedy?” Excuse me? Do you mean the genocidal attack on innocent people by the terrorist group Hamas which is STILL holding people hostage for more than a year?
That “tragedy?”
While I agree with much of Meredith Dragon’s column I am concerned with the actual response of the University’s Administration’s to the actions of the student’s involved. I deplore any attempt to promote any kind of anti semitic message that assumes all Jewish people thinks alike. And I agree that there is no room for this kind of discriminatory blaming in the university community but, I wonder, is not this an opportunity to invite people into deeper discussion? Would it not be better to explore models of restorative justice in dealing with the perpetrators of these offensive acts? Is it not the role of a university to teach students how to express their differences in a way that respects the other?
I hope that all of us are grieving at the huge loss of life and suffering that took place on Oct 7, and now is happening in Gaza. It is a tragedy of the worst order. It is understandable that people get enraged, but we are also aware that young people often express their rage inappropriately. Isn’t one function of the university community to help students channel their rage in social and politically constructive ways? I personally know both Jewish and Moslem people who grieve this mass loss of life. But I also know many who seek to have a common dialogue in face of their grief. Please consider a similar approach and instead of criminalizing these young people show them how a restorative justice approach might enable them to channel their rage in a better way.
Peter, under different circumstances perhaps this would be preferred. No one prevented these college students, presumably of higher intellectual aptitude than most adults their age, from engaging in deeper discussions of the issues in question. In fact, there were countless opportunities to do so. It was their choice to do otherwise, not only damaging property but targeting individuals with veiled violence. Their intent was to instill fear, not promote a point of view. You ask if it is the role of a university to help students express their rage in some other fashion, yet we know the university has done this. There are numerous avenues offered at the university to do just that. It is hardly the case the students voice was being suppressed. The students simply didn’t like the answer the university gave and decided to terrorize others.
Additionally, the university also serves a function in providing a safe environment for students, staff and others. Universities do not exist outside reality, the university is also responsible to show all its students that in the real world crimes come with consequences; and that crimes harm everyone, not just the specific victims. This was a well thought out plan intended to instill fear. I appreciate your position but please understand society has a right, and government a responsibility, to initiate criminal proceedings, Remember the complaint is not the “University of Rochester versus the defendants”, but “The People of New York versus the defendants.” We are all harmed when individuals take it upon themselves to instill fear and damage property particularly when it involves racism.
It is very sad that many Rochester Jews, while supporting the right for Israel to exist, are categorized as “anti-semitic” if they abhor the recent and inhumane actions of Israel in response to the October 7th tragedy. The politics behind Netanyahu’s extreme response by killing over 44,000 Gazans, many of whom are children, have never been brought to the fore…his extreme right-wing cabinet, his desire to remain out of jail, and his intelligence failure in the face of threats by Hamas prior to the event. The United States of America has abetted this response by its supply of lethal weapons to the Jewish state, all in the name of Israel needing to defend itself. As a Jewish American ( with family in Israel who feel as I do), I cannot abide the actions of Israel nor the categorization of being an anti-semite if I disagree with what Netanyahu has brought upon the people of Gaza. Such postures on the part of the Jewish Federation do not serve our Jewish community’s civil discourse nor unity.
Thank you, Sandy! Great response.
The posters do not condemn support of Israel’s action in Gaza in response to the October 7th atrocities. One poster condemns a professor for his statements about those demonstrating in support of the Hamas murders of Israeli’s prior to any response by Israel. Another poster falsely states that Modim in the West Bank and says the person is wanted for working with the Rochester Jewish federation withn Modim as a Sister city. Modim is a city in central Israel. Don’t confuse your opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza with the content of the posters.
Clearly, wanted posters targeting specific individuals was intended to instill fear, not to petition the university in regards a grievance.
It’s good that they caught the culprits. However, I can’t help but think about the fact that when such heinous acts affect certain groups of people, the criminals are usually identified rather quickly (with no help from the FBI, Justice Department, State Attorney General), or anyone else, except local law enforcement. On the other hand, when similar, but in some ways worse types of acts happen to other groups of people, the criminals are usually NEVER identified (even when the FBI, Justice Department, and State Attorney General) are all supposedly involved. And of course, in one case, such matters usually stay in the media for prolonged periods — while in the other, they vanish into thin air in no time. Am I tripping, or onto something??? Of course, the question is purely rhetorical WE ALL KNOW THE ANSWER — DON’T WE???
There’s a feature that allows you to listen to the article. Click on the link below. When the article comes up, to listen, click on this symbol ⧁, right above the photo.
https://medium.com/@howardjeagle/racist-text-messages-sent-nationwide-including-modern-day-slave-town-u-s-a-91bdea847056
https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2024/11/26/wanted-posters-at-university-of-rochester-a-hate-crime-or-not/76366692007/
Thank you for calling this out. It’s absurd for these students to argue they were “censored” after the unlawful “encampment”, the widespread press, and the many opportunities for them to speak out. Freedom of speech does not include freedom to commit criminal acts. One can debate issues, whether Israel has gone too far, what proper responses should be to terrorism, or political solutions without racist implications and veiled threats. If those “Wanted” were captured, what punishment were the students ready to impose on them?