Sarah Miriam Schulman is a professor who has used her academic standing to promote anti-Israel activism and provide cover for extremist groups on campus. As of May 2023, she had been a professor at the College of Staten Island (CUNY) since 1999 and, since September 2022, held the Ralla Klepak Chair in Creative Writing at Northwestern University. She has also been affiliated with the New York Institute for the Humanities at NYU since 2009. Schulman has served as faculty advisor for the Students for Justice in Palestine (CSI SJP) chapter and has been on the advisory board of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) since 2010, both groups central to promoting anti-Israel rhetoric on campuses.
In addition, Schulman is a board member of Researching the American-Israeli Alliance (RAIA), a group that frames U.S.–Israel cooperation as “state violence,” further embedding her in networks that push antisemitic narratives and delegitimize Israel.
Antisemitic Narratives and Holocaust Comparisons
Schulman has a documented record of spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories and using inflammatory comparisons. In an October 2022 podcast, she claimed that “the minority that is supporting Zionism controls the finances, the U.S. government,” repeating the antisemitic trope of Jewish financial and political control.
She has published in outlets such as Mondoweiss, where she defended Alice Walker’s antisemitic writings and described Israel as defined by “cruelty, violence, self-righteous racism, and supremacy ideology.” In 2014, during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge, Schulman tweeted: “The murder of 2,000 Gazans also reflects Jewish values.”
Her 2016 book Conflict Is Not Abuse drew a direct comparison between Gaza and the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, a comparison explicitly listed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) as a form of contemporary antisemitism. These statements fit IHRA’s examples of antisemitism: denying Jewish self-determination and equating Israel with Nazi Germany.
Support for Terrorists and Extremist Figures
Schulman has repeatedly defended or promoted individuals tied to terrorist organizations. In a 2013 interview, she dismissed Hamas’s role as a terrorist group, saying: “HAMAS is like the Republican party… HAMAS is no worse than any other political party in power.” Hamas is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization responsible for mass murder, kidnappings, and rocket attacks targeting civilians.
She also promoted rallies supporting Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) operative Muhammad Allan and events featuring Leila Khaled, a PFLP hijacker. Schulman signed a petition defending PFLP terrorist Rasmea Odeh, who orchestrated a supermarket bombing in Jerusalem that killed two students. She has shared social media posts honoring Palestinian terrorists, including those responsible for the murder of British-Israeli sisters Maia and Rina Dee and their mother, Lucy.
Demonization of Israel
Schulman consistently portrays Israel as a genocidal, apartheid state. In July 2014 she tweeted that she was “watching genocide unfold in real time.” In 2022, she compared Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to what Israel “is doing to Palestine.” She has endorsed academic boycotts of Israel, calling on scholars never to work with Israeli universities, and framed Columbia University’s establishment of a Tel Aviv campus as complicity in “apartheid.”
She has also amplified campaigns such as JVP’s Deadly Exchange, which blames U.S. Jewish organizations for violence against minorities in the United States, extending her demonization of Israel to attacks on American Jewish institutions.
Campus Impact and Role in Antisemitic Activism
Schulman’s influence on campuses has been extensive. As faculty advisor for SJP at CUNY, she defended the group before a CUNY Task Force on Antisemitism despite its record of harassment against Jewish students. She has publicly aligned herself with BDS founder Omar Barghouti and met with him in Ramallah. Her activism has been deeply tied to the promotion of BDS, which openly seeks to dismantle Israel as a Jewish state.
By normalizing antisemitic conspiracy theories, defending terrorist operatives, and demonizing Israel, Schulman has fostered an environment of hostility and intimidation for Jewish students. Her dual roles at Northwestern and CUNY amplify her influence, allowing her to spread extremist rhetoric under the guise of scholarship and activism.
Conclusion
Sarah Schulman exemplifies the use of academic standing to legitimize antisemitism and extremist activism. She has promoted conspiracy theories about Jewish power, defended terrorist figures, and repeatedly equated Israel with Nazi Germany. Her leadership roles in JVP, SJP, and RAIA tie her directly to organizations known for spreading antisemitic narratives and creating hostile campus climates. Her actions compromise the safety of Jewish students, distort public understanding of Israel, and demonstrate the dangers of embedding radical activism within academia.
