Rachel Himes is a children’s writer and Columbia University PhD student who was arrested in January 2024 during a coordinated anti-Israel disruption in New York City that shut down major transportation infrastructure while Israel was at war with Hamas.
The protest occurred in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel. Hamas carried out mass murder, rape, torture, kidnappings, and other war crimes against civilians, killing more than 1,200 people and abducting hundreds.
Arrest at Anti-Israel Disruption
On January 8, 2024, Himes was arrested during an anti-Israel action titled “Shut It Down for Palestine,” in which protesters across New York City blocked three bridges and one tunnel.
Himes was among approximately 150 protesters who shut down traffic at the Holland Tunnel, which connects Lower Manhattan to Jersey City, New Jersey. Protesters chanted slogans equating U.S. law enforcement and the Israeli military, including: “NYPD, KKK, IDF—they’re all the same,” and demanded an end to U.S. aid to Israel.
At the protest, Himes told reporters that the goal was to intentionally restrict movement in Manhattan, stating that protesters wanted to “create that condition temporarily” to mirror conditions in Gaza.
Later that day, Himes posted a video of her arrest on X, writing: “watch to see me give a quote while getting arrested lol.”
In the arrest video, Himes stated that protesters needed to “move beyond ceasefire,” continue disruptions, demand an end to what she described as a “siege,” free Palestinian prisoners, and end U.S. aid to Israel.
More than 300 protesters were reportedly arrested citywide that day, including approximately 125 at the Holland Tunnel. Most received desk appearance tickets for disorderly conduct.
The disruption was organized by multiple anti-Israel activist groups, including Democratic Socialists of America, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Palestinian Youth Movement.
Campus and Activist Affiliations
In November 2023, Himes was affiliated with the Columbia University chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. She was also affiliated with Jewish Voice for Peace and the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.
As of January 2024, Himes was listed online as a writer for The Nation magazine.
She was also described online as a museum educator, children’s book author, and illustrator, with two children’s books published.
At the same time, Himes was listed on Columbia University’s website as a PhD student and teaching fellow in the Department of Art History and Archaeology. Columbia University is located in New York City.
Himes, who also uses the name Rachel Faith Hunter Himes, earned a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Brown University and a bachelor’s degree in illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2015.
