The New School Launches Investigation into Student Leaders Who Voted to Defund Hillel Over Alleged Genocide Complicity
This story was initially published in Prism on June 04, 2026. In a significant decision, members of The New School's Student Senate voted on May 1 to sever all ties with their campus chapter of Hillel International, a national Jewish college network, and to withdraw its funding, after being presented with a report that detailed the organization's provision of material and logistical support to Israel's actions in Gaza. The student leaders had hoped that the school's administration would subsequently investigate Hillel's presence on its New York City campus, taking into account the evidence outlined in the report. However, following an intense pressure campaign waged by pro-Israel groups, advocates, and elected representatives, the university's administration has instead chosen to investigate the student senators who voted in favor of cutting ties with Hillel. According to Ryder Glickman, chair of The New School Student Senate, who played a key role in compiling the report, "We had expected the university to take action based on the evidence presented in the Student Senate report regarding Hillel's complicity in genocide, but instead, they are investigating us." The Student Senate's decision to cut ties with Hillel was made in response to the recommendations of the Registered Student Organizations (RSO) Compliance Committee, which had conducted a thorough investigation into Hillel's activities and presented a comprehensive report outlining the ways in which the organization had assisted the Israeli military during its ongoing actions in Gaza. The report revealed that students from The New School, as well as from other New York City-based schools, had participated in a volunteer program at the Israeli military's Hatzerim Air Force Base in January 2024, as part of the Hillel on Base program. An Instagram story posted by Hillel at Baruch College, the umbrella organization of Hillel at The New School, stated, "Our students are packaging a day's worth of rations to our soldiers," and included a photo from the airbase, as cited in the report. It is worth noting that the Hatzerim airbase has reportedly been used by the Israeli Air Force to carry out hundreds of airstrikes in Gaza, with F-15s from the base dropping bombs in civilian areas. In the aftermath of the report's publication and the Student Senate's vote to terminate funding to The New School's Hillel, the university's administration moved quickly to discredit the findings. In a schoolwide email sent by President Joel Towers, Provost Richard Kessler, and Vice Provost Robert Mack, the administration asserted, "To avoid any misunderstanding, the University Student Senate does not have the authority to determine official status, funding eligibility, or the recognition of RSOs. Our Hillel chapter remains, as it always has been, in good standing, eligible for funding, and supporting Jewish life at The New School."
The statement went on to express concern, stating, "By distorting a qualified student organization and characterizing it as something it is not," the University Student Senate is essentially using its platform to target fellow students in a misguided attempt to hold those students responsible for the acts of governments, which is a troubling development.
On May 3, two days after the vote, Ilya Bratman, the executive director of Hillel at Baruch College, wrote an email to Towers and other members of The New School's leadership, emphasizing that the Student Senate's actions were "a direct attack on Jewish students," which highlights the sensitive nature of the issue at hand. Bratman had also bcc'd the Student Senate email address, and members subsequently shared the email with Prism, allowing for further insight into the situation. In the email, Bratman expressed the hope of meeting with the university's leadership in the coming days, explaining, "We hope to meet with you in the coming days so that you can hear directly from the students affected by this action, and so that we can better understand the university's plan of action moving forward," which underscores the need for open communication and understanding. Furthermore, Bratman noted, "The University Student Senate has shown no indication that it intends to step back from these egregious and deeply troubling actions," indicating a sense of urgency and concern regarding the matter. However, The New School administration and Hillel at Baruch College did not respond to Prism's inquiry about whether university leadership and Hillel officials had the meeting, leaving the status of the meeting uncertain.
Days later, on May 8, Glickman received an email from The New School's office of Student Equity, Accessibility & Title IX, which was viewed by Prism, stating that the school was investigating him for an allegation that the Student Senate's decision to cut ties with Hillel was in "potential violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." The administration later clarified to Glickman that the university is investigating all student senators involved in the vote, which expands the scope of the investigation and highlights the university's commitment to addressing the allegations.
The university launched its investigation into student senators following a string of social media activity by pro-Israel groups, advocates, media, and elected representatives attacking the report, which has contributed to a complex and sensitive situation. Glickman was called a "virulent anti-Israel activist" in an X post by Canary Mission, a secretive group notorious for doxing and targeting pro-Palestinian activists, which has raised concerns about the safety and well-being of the individuals involved. A string of articles by pro-Israel publications, including The New York Post and The Times of Israel, reported on The New School administration rejecting the Student Senate vote while omitting the details and evidence found by the RSO about Hillel's ties with the Israeli military, which has led to accusations of biased reporting and a lack of transparency. Two New York members of Congress took to social media to denounce the report, with Rep. Dan Goldman, who recently marched in New York's Israel Day parade featuring Israeli cabinet ministers who are wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes or have made genocidal statements about Palestinians, stating that the students were engaged in "hateful and vile antisemitism," which has further exacerbated the situation and highlighted the need for nuanced understanding and dialogue.
Ritchie Torres has also strongly condemned the vote, characterizing it as "shameful" and "discrimination against Jewish individuals and institutions." Both Goldman and Torres receive significant backing from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. According to Glickman, "The fact that there was such open repression and universal condemnation of the report shows that the administration's response was coordinated with Zionist organizations accusing us of antisemitism." Glickman further emphasized, "This is extremely worrying when we made a very basic case about international law."
Hillel at Baruch, which has organized trips to Israel, serves as an umbrella organization for chapters in multiple New York schools, including The New School, as well as Fordham University, John Jay College, and City College. On Hillel at Baruch's website, a description of one of their programs reads, "Volunteer on an IDF (Israeli Defense Force) base in Southern Israel, wear IDF uniform, give back to the community on base, and explore Israel!" A 38-page report by the RSO compliance committee found that Hillel at Baruch organized several trips between May 2022 and January 2025 for students to volunteer at multiple Israeli army and air force bases. Additionally, Hillel International operates the Onward Israel program, which organizes internship trips for American students to Israel and facilitates volunteering opportunities within the Israeli military. The report further discovered that in July 2024, a post on Hillel at Baruch and New School Hillel's Instagram account stated, "Tonight, some of our onward students had the incredible opportunity to volunteer at the Tze'elim army base, where they helped prepare a barbecue for over 700 soldiers from the Oketz, Kfir, Golani, and Handasa units in the IDF."
An investigation by Haaretz revealed that soldiers of the Golani Brigade's 631st Reconnaissance Battalion were responsible for the killing of 15 Palestinian emergency responders, including Red Crescent ambulance workers, in Rafah on March 24, 2025. Furthermore, a BBC analysis in May 2024 found that 11 soldiers of the Kfir brigade were responsible for posting photos and videos of Palestinian prisoners being abused. The report also found that by registering for the Hillel on Base program, participants automatically register for the Volunteers for Israel (VFI) program. According to the program's description, "VFI is the ONLY organization that creates opportunities for American students to volunteer in Israel on IDF bases," with activities including packing medical supplies and repairing machinery and equipment for military units. The VFI program is run by Sar-El, an Israeli volunteer nonprofit organization under the direction of the Israeli Logistics Corps, a support branch of the Israeli military, establishing direct collaboration between Hillel and the Israeli government, as stated in the report. Glickman expressed their outrage, saying, "I am nauseated by the fact that I have classmates who have provided direct material and logistical support to genocide."
According to official sources, it has been reported that more than 75,000 Palestinians, including over 35,000 women, children, and the elderly, have been killed by the Israeli military since October 7, 2023, a situation that the United Nations Human Rights Council, Amnesty International, and multiple Israeli human rights groups have concluded constitutes a genocide. Furthermore, experts have estimated that the actual death toll could be significantly higher than the reported number.
In a related development, a week after a vote was held at The New School, the student leadership of the Hillel chapter at Middlebury College in Vermont decided to change its name to the Jewish Association at Middlebury, following growing demand from its members to disaffiliate from Hillel International and its activities, as reported by the school's newspaper.
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The Real News Network operates independently, as a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, and its work is sustained by viewers who value fearless and fact-based reporting, and it is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. The network's reporting is focused on telling the stories that matter, and it relies on the support of its viewers to continue producing high-quality, independent journalism.
Additionally, The Real News Network allows for the republication of its articles, and it provides an HTML code that can be used to preserve the attribution and link to the article's original location, and it only requires that minor cosmetic edits be made to the content, ensuring that the original meaning and message are preserved.
This particular article was published on June 5, 2026, and it is part of The Real News Network's ongoing effort to provide fearless and fact-based reporting on the stories that matter, and it is available for republication under the terms of the Creative Commons license.
The statement went on to express concern, stating, "By distorting a qualified student organization and characterizing it as something it is not," the University Student Senate is essentially using its platform to target fellow students in a misguided attempt to hold those students responsible for the acts of governments, which is a troubling development.
On May 3, two days after the vote, Ilya Bratman, the executive director of Hillel at Baruch College, wrote an email to Towers and other members of The New School's leadership, emphasizing that the Student Senate's actions were "a direct attack on Jewish students," which highlights the sensitive nature of the issue at hand. Bratman had also bcc'd the Student Senate email address, and members subsequently shared the email with Prism, allowing for further insight into the situation. In the email, Bratman expressed the hope of meeting with the university's leadership in the coming days, explaining, "We hope to meet with you in the coming days so that you can hear directly from the students affected by this action, and so that we can better understand the university's plan of action moving forward," which underscores the need for open communication and understanding. Furthermore, Bratman noted, "The University Student Senate has shown no indication that it intends to step back from these egregious and deeply troubling actions," indicating a sense of urgency and concern regarding the matter. However, The New School administration and Hillel at Baruch College did not respond to Prism's inquiry about whether university leadership and Hillel officials had the meeting, leaving the status of the meeting uncertain.
Days later, on May 8, Glickman received an email from The New School's office of Student Equity, Accessibility & Title IX, which was viewed by Prism, stating that the school was investigating him for an allegation that the Student Senate's decision to cut ties with Hillel was in "potential violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." The administration later clarified to Glickman that the university is investigating all student senators involved in the vote, which expands the scope of the investigation and highlights the university's commitment to addressing the allegations.
The university launched its investigation into student senators following a string of social media activity by pro-Israel groups, advocates, media, and elected representatives attacking the report, which has contributed to a complex and sensitive situation. Glickman was called a "virulent anti-Israel activist" in an X post by Canary Mission, a secretive group notorious for doxing and targeting pro-Palestinian activists, which has raised concerns about the safety and well-being of the individuals involved. A string of articles by pro-Israel publications, including The New York Post and The Times of Israel, reported on The New School administration rejecting the Student Senate vote while omitting the details and evidence found by the RSO about Hillel's ties with the Israeli military, which has led to accusations of biased reporting and a lack of transparency. Two New York members of Congress took to social media to denounce the report, with Rep. Dan Goldman, who recently marched in New York's Israel Day parade featuring Israeli cabinet ministers who are wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes or have made genocidal statements about Palestinians, stating that the students were engaged in "hateful and vile antisemitism," which has further exacerbated the situation and highlighted the need for nuanced understanding and dialogue.
Ritchie Torres has also strongly condemned the vote, characterizing it as "shameful" and "discrimination against Jewish individuals and institutions." Both Goldman and Torres receive significant backing from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. According to Glickman, "The fact that there was such open repression and universal condemnation of the report shows that the administration's response was coordinated with Zionist organizations accusing us of antisemitism." Glickman further emphasized, "This is extremely worrying when we made a very basic case about international law."
Hillel at Baruch, which has organized trips to Israel, serves as an umbrella organization for chapters in multiple New York schools, including The New School, as well as Fordham University, John Jay College, and City College. On Hillel at Baruch's website, a description of one of their programs reads, "Volunteer on an IDF (Israeli Defense Force) base in Southern Israel, wear IDF uniform, give back to the community on base, and explore Israel!" A 38-page report by the RSO compliance committee found that Hillel at Baruch organized several trips between May 2022 and January 2025 for students to volunteer at multiple Israeli army and air force bases. Additionally, Hillel International operates the Onward Israel program, which organizes internship trips for American students to Israel and facilitates volunteering opportunities within the Israeli military. The report further discovered that in July 2024, a post on Hillel at Baruch and New School Hillel's Instagram account stated, "Tonight, some of our onward students had the incredible opportunity to volunteer at the Tze'elim army base, where they helped prepare a barbecue for over 700 soldiers from the Oketz, Kfir, Golani, and Handasa units in the IDF."
An investigation by Haaretz revealed that soldiers of the Golani Brigade's 631st Reconnaissance Battalion were responsible for the killing of 15 Palestinian emergency responders, including Red Crescent ambulance workers, in Rafah on March 24, 2025. Furthermore, a BBC analysis in May 2024 found that 11 soldiers of the Kfir brigade were responsible for posting photos and videos of Palestinian prisoners being abused. The report also found that by registering for the Hillel on Base program, participants automatically register for the Volunteers for Israel (VFI) program. According to the program's description, "VFI is the ONLY organization that creates opportunities for American students to volunteer in Israel on IDF bases," with activities including packing medical supplies and repairing machinery and equipment for military units. The VFI program is run by Sar-El, an Israeli volunteer nonprofit organization under the direction of the Israeli Logistics Corps, a support branch of the Israeli military, establishing direct collaboration between Hillel and the Israeli government, as stated in the report. Glickman expressed their outrage, saying, "I am nauseated by the fact that I have classmates who have provided direct material and logistical support to genocide."
According to official sources, it has been reported that more than 75,000 Palestinians, including over 35,000 women, children, and the elderly, have been killed by the Israeli military since October 7, 2023, a situation that the United Nations Human Rights Council, Amnesty International, and multiple Israeli human rights groups have concluded constitutes a genocide. Furthermore, experts have estimated that the actual death toll could be significantly higher than the reported number.
In a related development, a week after a vote was held at The New School, the student leadership of the Hillel chapter at Middlebury College in Vermont decided to change its name to the Jewish Association at Middlebury, following growing demand from its members to disaffiliate from Hillel International and its activities, as reported by the school's newspaper.
The Real News Network is committed to producing fearless, fact-based reporting on the stories that matter, including those that corporate media often ignores, minimizes, or gets wrong, and it does so without any paywalls, advertisers, or billionaire owners, relying solely on the support of viewers like you. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, every dollar donated to The Real News Network goes directly toward supporting the type of reporting that corporate media is unwilling to do. The network's content is available for republication, free of charge, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license, and it encourages the republication of its original content, as long as the attribution and link to the article's original location are preserved, and only minor cosmetic edits are made to the content.
The Real News Network operates independently, as a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, and its work is sustained by viewers who value fearless and fact-based reporting, and it is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. The network's reporting is focused on telling the stories that matter, and it relies on the support of its viewers to continue producing high-quality, independent journalism.
Additionally, The Real News Network allows for the republication of its articles, and it provides an HTML code that can be used to preserve the attribution and link to the article's original location, and it only requires that minor cosmetic edits be made to the content, ensuring that the original meaning and message are preserved.
This particular article was published on June 5, 2026, and it is part of The Real News Network's ongoing effort to provide fearless and fact-based reporting on the stories that matter, and it is available for republication under the terms of the Creative Commons license.
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