Elaine Freedgood is a professor of English at New York University (NYU). Beyond her academic research, she has repeatedly aligned herself with faculty efforts to defend antisemitic campus protests and promote boycotts targeting Israel. Her record demonstrates a consistent willingness to give faculty legitimacy to movements that marginalize Jewish students and spread hostility toward Israel.
Defense of Campus Protesters
In April 2024, Freedgood signed a letter denouncing NYU’s response to pro-Palestine protests, accusing university leadership of “repression of pro-Palestine activism” and expressing “deep concern over the state of academic freedom.” She also signed a petition calling on NYU to divest from Israeli companies, echoing student demands that often fuel campus polarization and antisemitic hostility.
Support for Divestment Campaigns
Freedgood has supported multiple efforts to force NYU to sever ties with Israel. In May 2015, she signed a petition titled “Faculty call on New York University to reveal Israel investments.” The following month, she was cited in an article supporting NYU Out of Occupied Palestine, a campus campaign demanding divestment from companies linked to Israel’s army.
Promotion of Boycotts and Open Letters
Freedgood’s involvement in boycott campaigns spans over a decade. In April 2015, she signed an open letter endorsing the cultural boycott of Israel. She had previously signed a 2009 letter opposing U.S. funding of Israel and a July 2014 open letter to Israeli academics that accused Israel of provoking violence and using it as a pretext for attacks on Gaza.
Anti-Israel Messaging on Social Media
In July 2014, Freedgood posted a graphic created by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and called on Congress and the U.S. president to suspend military aid to Israel.
Conclusion
Elaine Freedgood’s public record illustrates her long-standing support for boycott campaigns and her willingness to legitimize antisemitic campus protests at NYU. By backing divestment efforts and lending faculty credibility to movements that excuse hostility toward Jewish students, she contributes to a campus climate that normalizes antisemitism under the guise of activism.
