State: Illinois
City: Evanston/Chicago
Campus: Northwestern University (Northwestern)
Wendy Pearlman is a professor of political science whose work focuses heavily on Palestine, Israel, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Beyond her academic research, she has established a record of aligning herself with campus activism that promotes hostility toward Israel and fosters an environment of antisemitism on campus.
Support for Encampments and Student Protests
Pearlman has repeatedly defended disruptive campus protests. On April 25, 2024, she shared a letter from Northwestern faculty backing students’ right to protest. Days later, she appeared in a video posted by Educators for Justice in Palestine, voicing her support for student demonstrators. On May 1, 2024, Pearlman went further by personally leading a discussion inside the campus encampment on “Palestinian national mobilization and resistance.” By legitimizing these encampments and student-led disruptions, Pearlman has helped shield activists whose actions have created an unsafe climate for Jewish and pro-Israel students.
Public Endorsement of Protests and Rallies
Pearlman has actively promoted protests that frame Israel as committing “genocide.” On November 11, 2023, she amplified a demonstration organized by the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine under the slogan of “stopping the US-funded genocide in Gaza.” By endorsing such rhetoric, she provides academic cover for movements that vilify Israel in extreme terms and blur the line between political protest and antisemitic hostility.
Social Media Activity
Through her X account, Pearlman has circulated a steady stream of posts critical of Israel. This includes:
Posts accusing Israel of “war crimes.”
Criticism of U.S. officials for revoking visas of pro-Palestinian students.
Supportive posts regarding the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil.
Promotion of petitions demanding an end to Israel’s “bombardment and siege” after October 7, 2023.
Use of the hashtag #FreePalestine.
These posts not only repeat antisemitic tropes of Israel as a uniquely malevolent actor but also normalize extremist rhetoric under the guise of academic debate.
Ties to Activist Groups
Pearlman’s activism predates her Northwestern career. As a graduate student, she served as president of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter at Harvard—an organization with a history of harassment of Jewish students. Today, she is an active member of Educators for Justice in Palestine at Northwestern, providing institutional weight to student activists and their campaigns.
Conclusion
By amplifying protests, legitimizing encampments, and using her platform to frame Israel as a perpetrator of “genocide” and “war crimes,” Wendy Pearlman has become more than an academic voice. She has positioned herself as a faculty member who provides cover for movements that blur the line between activism and antisemitism—leaving Jewish and pro-Israel students increasingly exposed to hostility on campus.
