CAIR-NY Welcomes Suspension of Funding for The New School’s Hillel Over Programs Supporting Israel’s Genocidal Forces
The email follows immediate and immense pressure on the university from right-leaning and Israeli media outlets, public figures, including City Council Member Eric Dinowitz, and TNS students and alumni on Instagram, tagging the Justice Department, Donald Trump, and international organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League.]
(NEW YORK, NY, 5/2/2026) - The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed The New School’s suspension of funding for its Hillel chapter following findings by a university student committee that it had activities linked to violations of international law by Israel’s genocidal armed forces.
According to reporting, the university’s Undergraduate Student Senate (USS) committee determined that the organization’s programming and affiliations raised serious concerns about compliance with institutional policies and ethical standards. The suspension of funding is pending further review.
The USS committee report states in part:
“The clearest and most direct evidence of material ties between Hillel at The New School and foreign military activity is the Hillel on Base (HOB) program, described on Hillel at Baruch’s official website as follows: ‘HOB (Hillel on Base) is a 7-day trip to Israel with all your best friends! Volunteer on an IDF (Israeli Defense Force) base in Southern Israel, wear IDF uniform, give back to the community on base, and explore Israel!’ It is further described as ‘a 10-day trip to Israel volunteering on an IDF (Israeli Defense Force) base. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to help support Israel during this time…You will… be on an IDF base in IDF uniform and alongside soldiers”…
It also states: “Numerous leading human rights organizations – including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Lemkin Institute, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, the International Federation for Human Rights, Genocide Watch, and Oxfam, amongst numerous others – have found that Israel is committing genocide. Three different UN bodies have found Israel in violation of the UN Genocide Convention of 1948. And the International Court of Justice ruled that it is plausible the IDF committed genocide in Gaza.”
In a statement, CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher said:
“We welcome The New School’s decision to suspend funding for Hillel as a necessary step toward accountability and adherence to international human rights principles. Student organizations should be spaces that foster inclusion, critical dialogue, and respect for human dignity, not platforms that legitimize or support genocide.
“At a time when communities around the world are calling for justice and an end to violence against civilians, universities have a responsibility to ensure that their resources are not used in ways that may contribute to harm or discrimination.”
CAIR-NY's mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR-NY es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT
Afaf Nasher, Esq. CAIR-NY Executive Director, ANasher@cair.com
CAIR-NY Communications Team, comms@ny.cair.com