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A string of antisemitic threats made against the Cornell University Jewish community prompted the lockdown of a kosher dining hall located at 104 West after one of the posts threatened to shoot up the location on Sunday, October 29, 2023.
The anonymous posts on a Cornell discussion forum unaffiliated with the university began making their rounds on social media after an alum highlighted the contents on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The posts that advocated s*xual violence against Jewish women on campus and the death of Jewish people have triggered an investigation into the incident.
Cornell University antisemitism threats trigger widespread backlash
A series of antisemitic posts threatening to r*pe Jewish women and shoot up a Kosher Dining Hall at Cornell University has rattled the students on campus. A social media user who highlighted the threats posted on an online forum unaffiliated with the university said that the kosher dining hall was under lockdown.
The post added students were scared to leave their rooms after one message read:
“If you see a Jewish ‘person’ on campus, follow them home and slit their throats. rats need to be eliminated from Cornell.”
Another post read:
“the genocidal fascist zionist regime will be destroyed. rape and kill all the jew women, before they birth more Jewish Hitler. Jews are excrement on the face of the earth. no jew civilian is innocent of genocide”
The message also read:
“Allahu akbar! From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free! Glory to Hamas! liberation by any means necessary!”
The disturbing posts had sparked outrage online, prompting a stunned social media user to wonder:
“Is this 1933 in Germany or 2023 in America? Getting harder to tell.”
Several others also condemned the antisemitic threats:
University students and staff advised to avoid the Kosher dining hall
In response to the antisemitic posts, a statement from Martha Pollack, president of Cornell, condemned the threats against innocent students.
“Threats of violence are absolutely intolerable, and we will work to ensure that the person or people who posted them are punished to the full extent of the law. Our immediate focus is on keeping the community safe; we will continue to prioritize that.”
The university also said that the FBI have also been alerted of the incident, and numerous law enforcement agencies are currently on campus where students and staff were advised to avoid the Kosher dining hall targeted in the threatening posts:
“At this time, we advise that students and staff avoid the building out of an abundance of caution. We will continue to provide updates as additional information becomes available.”
Zoe Bernstein, the president of the group, 'Cornellians For Israel,' told the Jerusalem Post that the students have been living in a constant state of fear after Jewish students awoke to incendiary graffiti strewn across the campus last week which read "F*** Israel," "Israel is Fascist," and "Zionism= Genocide."
Shortly after, they reportedly heard students marching on the campus chanting an age-old call for violence: “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free.”
Bernstein said:
“It is terrifying to be a Jewish college student right now. Plain and simple. A shared sentiment among Cornellians, and across campuses right now is that we feel abandoned.”
Meanwhile, the university assured students the recent incident is currently under investigation.
