BUZZ
‘F**k the settler Zionist state,’ ‘Zionism is terrorism,’ and ‘NYC rejects all Zionists’
Approximately 40 activists associated with the Columbia University Students for Justice in Palestine protested outside the Jewish Theological Seminary last week as Israeli President Isaac Herzog delivered a virtual commencement address.
Herzog originally planned to give his speech in person, but noted “circumstances” had “prevented travel to New York at this time.”
Columbia and Barnard College have joint programs with the Jewish Theological Seminary.
According to the Columbia Spectator, on May 19 the SJP activists “used drums, megaphones, and other noisemaking devices in an attempt to disrupt” Herzog’s speech, and held placards reading “Silence is complicity” and “Zionism is terrorism.”
The activists also chanted “Fuck the settler Zionist state” and “It is right to rebel, Herzog go to hell,” and handed out flyers stating “Herzog the war criminal is not welcome in NYC” and “NYC rejects all Zionists.”
According to the report, the flyers alluded to a 2025 U.N. report which declared Herzog guilty of “inciting genocide” following Hamas’ attack against Israel in October, 2023 (which killed the equivalent of over 40,000 Americans).
One activist said “We are dedicated to the liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea, and it is because of that, that even though he is on Zoom, we cannot let Herzog’s presence here slide.”
The phrase “From the river to the sea” is considered by many to be a call for the eradication of Israel.
“This latent promotion of figurehead of Zionist violence is repulsive and must be confronted” was posted to the Instagram pages of the Columbia Intifada, Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition, NYC Students for Justice in Palestine, and Barnard/Columbia Jewish Voice for Peace.
In his speech, Herzog “emphasized the importance of Jewish unity and dialogue” and said Israel “will exhaust every effort to ensure a safe and peaceful future for [itself], for our neighbors, including the Palestinians, for all peoples of the Middle East.”
The Israeli president was slated to receive an honorary degree from the JTS at the ceremony, but will get it at a later date. Among those present who were so bestowed was actress Debra Messing, famous for her role in the sitcom “Will and Grace,” who faced a shout of “Islamophobic bigot” by a lone protester as she accepted her degree.
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