Stuyvesant High School in New York is facing calls for action after its student chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America co-signed an Instagram post declaring: “Intifada Until Victory!”
The October 8 post was also signed by YDSA chapters at Hunter College, the New School, City College and Lehman College. It accused the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America of silencing student activists seeking to protest Mayor Zohran Mamdani over his position on Israel.
The groups accused Mr Mamdani of betraying the Palestinian cause and criticised his decision to retain NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, describing her as a “Zionist billionaire”. Ms Tisch is Jewish and has described herself as a Zionist.
The term “intifada”, used to describe uprisings against Israel, is regarded by many Jews as a call for violence against them.
Moshe Spern, president of United Jewish Teachers, has demanded that the posts be removed and that the Stuyvesant group issue a public apology. In an email to principal Seung Yu and New York City Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels, he said city schools had experienced “hundreds of antisemitic and anti-Israel incidents” since October 7, 2023.
“When a school-recognized club amplifies this rhetoric, it risks contributing to a hostile environment,” Mr Spern wrote.
He invoked Title VI, the federal law prohibiting discrimination based on race, shared ancestry and national origin, and called for a review of the chapter’s charter, faculty adviser and recent activities. He also cited a chancellor’s regulation requiring student clubs to operate under the principal’s supervision and remain consistent with a school’s educational goals.
Neither Mr Yu nor the mayor’s Department of Education responded to requests for comment. Mr Spern said he had still received no response from the principal.
“To flat out ignore it is extremely irresponsible,” he said.
The New York City DSA defended the student groups’ right to organise. Gustavo Gordillo, the organisation’s co-chair, said: “We support the right to organize. NYC-DSA did not organize or endorse this particular rally, but red scare tactics have never been effective tools for engaging with student movements.”
The dispute comes amid continuing tensions in New York over Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the war that followed. Mr Mamdani, a longstanding critic of Israel, faced criticism during last year’s mayoral campaign over his reluctance to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada”, although he later said he would not use it.
He has also faced criticism from pro-Palestinian activists, who say retaining Ms Tisch and failing to do enough to prevent New York synagogues from hosting events promoting land sales in Israel, including in the occupied West Bank, amounts to a betrayal of the Palestinian cause. Mr Mamdani has denied accusations of antisemitism.
