Sonya Posmentier is an Associate Professor of English at NYU who has repeatedly used her position to defend pro-Palestinian activism on campus, sign statements framing Israel as an aggressor, and dismiss concerns about antisemitic harassment. Her activism has included public speeches, signatures on petitions, and direct participation in protests that disrupted campus life.
Defense of Pro-Palestinian Activism on Campus
In March 2024, Posmentier criticized NYU’s decision to limit access to a Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) event, writing in the Washington Square News that rules were being applied in ways that “discriminate against Palestine-related content, and that silence intellectual and political conversation on campus.” She has also condemned university conduct codes that classify terms like “Zionist” as discriminatory, arguing that this conflates pro-Palestinian protest with antisemitism.
Public Statements and Signatures
Posmentier has endorsed numerous pro-Palestinian petitions and resolutions:
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Signed support for Helyeh Doutaghi, suspended at Yale Law over terror-related allegations.
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Supported Haverford Faculty for Justice in Palestine after the shooting of three Palestinian students in Vermont.
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Signed NYU’s 2021 solidarity statement with Palestine.
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Signed an October 2023 Princeton faculty letter in solidarity with Gaza.
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Joined a Jewish writers’ letter rejecting the link between antisemitism and anti-Zionism.
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Signed the Resolution to Reaffirm Protection of Pro-Palestine Speech (Oct 2023).
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Signed a 2018 divestment resolution targeting companies tied to Israel.
These actions position her as a faculty voice repeatedly legitimizing movements that frame Israel as genocidal and normalize anti-Zionist rhetoric on campus.
Activism and Arrest
On March 10, 2025, Posmentier spoke at a Jews for Racial & Economic Justice press conference near Columbia, urging faculty nationwide to “stand with at-risk students” protesting “genocide in Gaza” and to “take on some of that risk” themselves. At an NYU rally, she went further, claiming: “The normal functioning of the university is letting right-wing supremacist terror groups threaten to meet up and blow up our students who fight for justice in Palestine.”
Her activism escalated to direct confrontation: Posmentier was arrested at an NYU protest alongside professors Andrew Ross, Lisa Duggan, Rebecca Karl, and Chenjerain Kumanyika. Following the incident, she was declared “Persona Non Grata” by NYU.
Conclusion
By consistently signing statements that frame Israel as an apartheid or genocidal state, dismissing concerns about antisemitic harassment, and taking part in disruptive protests, Sonya Posmentier has become a prominent faculty defender of radical campus activism. Her rhetoric—accusing universities of enabling “terror groups” and urging colleagues to embrace protest “risk”—has fueled polarization and intensified hostility toward Jewish and pro-Israel students on campus.
