A group of anti-Zionist Jewish students at NYU said in a statement that the university “was aware of credible threats of violence” around a pro-Palestinian sukkah they had built on Tuesday, which ended ahead of schedule due to “aggressive agitators” in Washington Square Park. 

In a post on Instagram, the on-campus group Jews Against Zionism accused Campus Safety officers of engaging in “hostile behavior toward students” at the sukkah, pushing them to move the structure from its initial location in Schwartz Plaza to the park. The group also said the sukkah was met with a group of counter-protesters later in the day who grew “increasingly physically invasive,” and prompted the students, faculty and outside demonstrators to dismantle the sukkah and leave the scene. 

Among the counter-protesters were members of the Zionist group Betar USA, who told WSN that they “happily and proudly” disrupted the event. NYU and a group of pro-Palestinian faculty had previously condemned the right-wing organization for engaging in acts of “violence and vandalism” on the university’s campus. Jews Against Zionism also claimed that the group “has sent death threats” to NYU’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine — which it had also called for the expulsion of. 

In a statement, university spokesperson John Beckman said the act of “putting up a structure on NYU property without permission” was against its rules, and that its relocation to Washington Square Park brought the incident “to a calm conclusion.” Beckman did not respond to questions about Betar’s threats to NYU SJP.

In its Instagram post, Jews Against Zionism also criticized Campus Safety officers in Schwartz Plaza for refusing to allow Jewish students, a rabbi and other community members from entering the sukkah. 

Jews Against Zionism, alongside other groups on campus like NYU SJP and the university’s chapter of Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine, have been calling on NYU to divest from companies with ties to Israel since the start of the war in Gaza last year. Earlier this semester, the groups encouraged students to boycott NYU’s modules required for non-first years, which cite updated student conduct policies that include “code words, like ‘Zionist,’” as examples of potentially discriminatory speech. Pro-Palestinian groups on campus have also continually called on the university to remove police from campus and shut down its study away site in Tel Aviv.

Contact Liyana Illyas at [email protected].