Individuals

Ali Karjoo-Ravary is an Islamic history professor at Columbia University whose academic credentials mask a growing pattern of political activism on campus. While specializing in premodern Islam, he has aligned himself with contemporary pro-Palestinian movements and faculty networks that amplify radical rhetoric. His participation in the 2024 pro-Hamas encampment placed him directly inside one of the most hostile and intimidating protest spaces Columbia has seen in years.

Dara Orenstein is an Assistant Professor in the Department of American Studies at George Washington University, where she teaches courses on cultural and political economy. While her scholarship focuses on U.S. capitalism and infrastructure, Orenstein has become a prominent faculty activist whose public record shows deep alignment with anti-Israel campaigns and politicized faculty organizing. She is also a founding member of the Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine (FSJP) chapter at GWU, the group leading faculty coordination of pro-Palestinian and anti-Zionist advocacy on campus.

Amr Madkour is an Obstetrician-Gynecologist with The GW Medical Faculty Associates and an Assistant Professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Based in Ward 5 of Washington, D.C., and with family ties to Gaza, Madkour has become an outspoken political activist on campus, using his position in medicine to advance pro-Palestinian advocacy and promote controversial claims about the Israel–Hamas conflict. He is also a founding member of the Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine (FSJP) chapter at GWU, a group known for its involvement in organizing anti-Israel demonstrations and faculty petitions.

Helen DeVinney, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the Professional Psychology Program at George Washington University, where she teaches and supervises graduate students in clinical psychology while also working with patients through the program’s community-based clinic. Though positioned within clinical education, DeVinney has become an active participant in faculty-led political movements and pro-Palestinian organizing, bringing overt activism into professional and academic spaces under the guise of mental health discourse.

Shira Robinson is an Associate Professor of History and International Affairs at George Washington University. Her teaching and writing focus on Israel and Palestine, but her record extends far beyond academic analysis—into open political advocacy against Israel and the normalization of anti-Zionist ideology within the classroom. From her undergraduate years leading anti-Israel activism to her current faculty position, Robinson has consistently aligned with movements and organizations that depict Israel as an apartheid and colonial state.

Ashwini Tambe is a Professor and Director of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at George Washington University, where she also serves as the Editorial Director of Feminist Studies. Her academic role situates her within the intersection of feminist and postcolonial scholarship, yet her public actions reflect an explicit political alignment with anti-Israel campus activism.

Michael Barnett is a Jewish American University Professor of International Affairs and Political Science at George Washington University. Born on November 10, 1960, Barnett’s research covers the Middle East, humanitarianism, global governance, and ethics—fields he uses to critique Israeli policy and U.S. foreign relations with Israel. Through a long record of publications, public panels, and interviews, Barnett has advanced narratives portraying Israel as an apartheid-like state engaged in systemic oppression, while minimizing or rationalizing the actions of Hamas as “resistance.”

Gayle Wald is a Professor of American Studies at George Washington University, where she teaches courses on cultural history, popular music, and African American studies. Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and born on October 25, 1965, Wald is also the co-editor of the NYU Press series Postmillennial Pop and section editor for Public Books. While her academic expertise centers on American culture and music, Wald has used her platform to engage in faculty activism tied to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, aligning publicly with academic campaigns critical of Israel.

Angela Elizabeth Zimmerman is a professor of History and International Affairs at George Washington University, specializing in modern Germany, the United States, and West Africa. Though her research focuses on imperial and colonial history, Zimmerman has become increasingly active in contemporary political campaigns against Israel, aligning herself with academic movements that frame Israel’s actions as genocide and “scholasticide.” Her public activism demonstrates how scholarly authority in unrelated fields is being repurposed to legitimize anti-Israel narratives within the academy.

Orian Zakai is an Israeli author, poet, and scholar of Hebrew literature who serves as an Associate Professor of Hebrew Literature and Culture at George Washington University. Born October 6, 1974, in Kibbutz Dan, Israel, she once served in the Israeli military as a secretary. Despite her background, Zakai has become a vocal critic of Israel’s government and military, using her academic platform and public presence to promote narratives that highlight Palestinian suffering and condemn Israeli policy. Her writing and activism frequently center on “academic freedom,” both in the U.S. and Israel, often defending faculty and students who face backlash for anti-Israel expression.

Peter Douglas Calloway is a former public defender in San Francisco and a Visiting Associate Professor of Clinical Law in the George Washington University Law School’s Criminal Defense and Justice Clinic. Known for his activism and outspoken politics, Calloway has blended his legal background with a pattern of advocacy that extends beyond the courtroom and into organized protest movements. His activism includes repeated public statements accusing Israel of genocide and direct participation in campus demonstrations.

Desmond Francis Goss is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at George Washington University. A self-described sociologist focused on justice and social issues, Goss is also an active participant in pro-Palestinian faculty organizing. His affiliations and public statements connect him directly to academic networks that promote the Palestinian cause and denounce Israeli policy through activist, rather than scholarly, frameworks.