Cornell University’s Center for Jewish Living was targeted with antisemitic "threats of violence" online this past weekend, prompting the school to notify campus police and the FBI, NBC News reported.
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“Earlier today, a series of horrendous, antisemitic messages threatening violence to our Jewish community and specifically naming 104 West — the home of the Center for Jewish Living — was posted on a website unaffiliated with Cornell,” Cornell President Dr. Martha E. Pollack said in a statement.
Campus police referred the case to the FBI as a potential hate crime and issued a community threat crime alert, announcing that they were "investigating posts located on a website that contain threats of violence directed at religious groups across the campus."
“Evidence suggests the targeted locations were intentionally selected because of the perpetrator’s bias,” police said, not elaborating further on the threats.
These threats made towards Cornell’s Jewish community are the most recent of incidents on U.S. colleges since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, which has increased tensions on campuses.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, the U.S. saw a 388% increase in antisemitic incidents since the attacks in Israel, compared to the same period in 2022.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul condemned the message board posts on social media.
“While it is unclear if these are credible threats, [New York State Police] is engaged & we’ll take any steps needed to keep students safe,” Hochul posted.
On a federal level, the Biden administration announced that the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security will be partnering with campus law enforcement to track hate-related rhetoric online and give federal resources to schools.
