Who Is David Kurnick?
David Kurnick is a Rutgers University English professor whose academic focus on literature and gender studies sits alongside a very public track record of political activism. A member of the AAUP and Rutgers Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP), he has repeatedly signed letters labeling Israel’s actions as “genocide” and defended campus protests that Jewish students stated made them feel isolated and harassed. He has also taken these views public, brushing off concerns about slogans like “from the river to the sea” as a failure of imagination.
How Has David Kurnick Promoted Anti-Zionist Activism On-Campus At Rutgers?
Kurnick’s involvement in Rutgers activism goes beyond passive support. Through protests, faculty groups, and public messaging, he has consistently downplayed concerns about antisemitism on campus.
- May 2024 – he defended Rutgers’ handling of Gaza protests, asserting the campus was not antisemitic by stating “I’m not saying there is no antisemitism at Rutgers, but I’ve personally never seen it.” Sure, and Bigfoot is real.
- April 2024 – Kurnick co-wrote and signed Rutgers FJP letter resisting Congressional scrutiny over “a pervasive climate of antisemitism” at Rutgers and stating it “emphatically rejects this transparent attempt to defame growing support for Palestinian rights.” The letter made a show of support for fellow Rutgers professors Noura Erakat, who has spread antisemitic conspiracies, and Sahar Aziz, whose Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR) has been under investigation for antisemitism.
- April 2024 – he joined a Columbia-affiliated letter submitted to President Minouche Shafik ahead of her Congressional hearing on antisemitism, framing the investigations as attacks on academic freedom, stating they were “concerned about the false narratives that frame these proceedings.” The letter was also signed by professor-activists such as David Lurie and Rashid Khalidi.
- October 2023 – Kurnick held a sign at a public campus protest equating anti-war messaging with anti-apartheid activism.
What Statements and Petitions Has David Kurnick Signed About Israel?
Kurnick’s signature appears on a long list of coordinated faculty statements, many of which parrot the same themes: Israel as an apartheid or genocidal state, and any institutional response to antisemitism as overreach.
- July 2025 – in signing a joint faculty “Urgent Message”, he rejected policies that link criticism of Israel with antisemitism, saying “there is no rampant crisis of antisemitism on our campuses, despite prolonged attempts by the current administration to persuade the public that there is one…the public opposition to Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people in Gaza is based on firm legal and ethical principles.”
- February 2025 – Kurnick endorsed a Rutgers faculty statement opposing “Zionist hegemony” and calling for divestment tied to claims of Israeli “apartheid” and “genocide.”
- September 2024 – he signed onto a Rutgers FJP statement backing pro-Palestinian student activism, including BDS efforts and reinstatement of suspended students.
- November 2023 – he signed “A Dangerous Conflation,” rejecting the classification of anti-Israel speech as antisemitic and saying it was used to “obscure the deadly reality of occupation.”
- October 2023 – Kurnick joined a “Writers Against the War on Gaza” letter labeling the conflict as genocide and supporting Palestinian “resistance”.
- October 2023 – just ten days after October 7th, he criticized Rutgers leadership for failing to sufficiently center Palestinian perspectives in its response to the Israel-Hamas war. The letter was, again, also signed by Noura Erakat and Sahar Aziz.
- May 2021 – he signed a Rutgers faculty letter condemning Israel’s policies as” settler-colonial” and calling for “decolonization.”
What Has David Kurnick Said About “From the River to the Sea”?
In a post on X in October of 2023, David Kurnick responded to criticism of the antisemitic statement “from the river to the sea,” which openly calls for the extinguishing of the Jewish state, by saying “The call is for FREEDOM from the river to the sea, man. If you can only hear Jewish “annihilation” in that, that’s your poverty of imagination.” Tell that to the U.S. House of Representatives, which voted in a 2024 resolution to formally condemn the statement as antisemitic.
Conclusion: What Does David Kurnick’s Presence Mean for Rutgers?
From Rutgers FJP to cross-campus coalitions also active at Columbia University and beyond, David Kurnick’s pattern is coordinated. That has real implications. Universities are bound by federal civil rights law, including Title VI, to address hostile environments for Jewish students. When faculty repeatedly frame those concerns as overblown or illegitimate, they don’t just join a debate, they shape the conditions students are expected to navigate.
