NYU’s study away site in Tel Aviv was not impacted by a shooting in the city on Oct. 1, which took place less than seven miles away from the campus.
“The university is monitoring developments and conditions and is focused on the safety of the members of the NYU Tel Aviv community,” NYU spokesperson John Beckman told WSN. “We are glad to be able to say that we have had no reports of any injuries or harm to our community members, and that they are all accounted for and safe.”
The attack took place in the Jaffa neighborhood, which is roughly a 20-minute commute via car from the NYU Tel Aviv academic center. The Washington Post reported that seven people were killed and over a dozen were injured after two men opened fire on a stopped railcar. According to Israeli police, the assailants continued walking and “hitting passersby” until they were “neutralized” by local authorities and citizens who used their personal firearms.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group controlling the Gaza Strip, claimed responsibility for the incident the next day. Iran also launched at least 180 missiles into Israel hours after the Tel Aviv shooting, which came in response to Israeli airstrikes against the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Benjamin Hary, the director of NYU Tel Aviv, also said that the incident did not have “any effect” on classes or student life in a statement to WSN.
Last fall, students studying abroad at NYU Tel Aviv completed the rest of their semester remotely due to safety concerns in the region amid the war in Gaza. At the time, the university said it was “fully prepared” for students to return to the study away site in the spring 2024 semester, but was still in the process of making the decision. Last semester, NYU did not respond to multiple requests for comment asking if the site had reopened in the spring 2024 semester or if it was going to reopen in the fall 2024 semester.
Pro-Palestinian protesters have repeatedly called on the university to shut down its Tel Aviv site at several demonstrations on campus — including at two encampments in Gould Plaza and outside the Paulson Center last spring that led to the arrest of dozens of students, faculty and alumni. Students have argued that the Tel Aviv campus violates NYU’s Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment policies and Code of Ethical Conduct due to an Israeli law that prevents foreigners who have called for a boycott of the country from entering its borders. The university has reiterated its commitment to the Tel Aviv site, stating that ending the program would violate academic freedom.
Contact Mariapaula Gonzalez at [email protected].
