PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Maya Gavriel, Student from Baruch College, on CUNY's Response to Antisemitism
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Maya Gavriel, a student from Baruch College, testified about her experiences with antisemitism at CUNY and urged the adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism. She emphasized the need for clear guidelines to identify and address antisemitic incidents on campus.
- Gavriel shared personal experiences of being targeted with harmful stereotypes and excluded due to her Israeli background
- She highlighted the lack of accountability and support from the administration when reporting antisemitic incidents
- Gavriel advocated for the formal adoption of the IHRA definition to provide a comprehensive framework for identifying and addressing antisemitism at CUNY
Maya Gavriel
3:27:29
Thank you.
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Honorable members of the city council, I'd like to begin by thanking councilman Danowitz for inviting the chancellor to come and hear our community, although he is not here at the moment.
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My name is Maya Gabriel, and I join you as student from Baruch College, and I'm seeking protection and justice for the Jewish population on the CUNY campuses, who, like me, have been constantly subjected to harassment and hate with little to no accountability.
3:27:56
The Littmann report recommends that CUNY ensures that all its staff, especially the chief diversity officers, understand and follow the legal definition of antisemitism.
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I'm here today to ask you to help make that recommendation a reality by formally adopting IHRA as the definition of antisemitism at CUNY.
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Being a student that has personally experienced forms of antisemitism, where students have openly targeted me with harmful stereotypes and excluded me because of my Israeli background, I know the frustration of being ignored when incidents get reported.
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I saw no reprimand for these actions and was left feeling invisible and unsupported by my administration.
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The lack of clear universally accepted guidelines for identifying antisemitism antisemitism allowed for this harassment to go unchecked.
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The Ira definition would provide clear, CUNY with a comprehensive, clear framework to identify antisemitism in all its forms, whether in speech, action, or written content.
3:28:56
It would ensure that all members of the CUNY community from administration down to the student body have a shared understanding of what constitutes anti semitism and there are that there are firm policies in place to address it.
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The IRA definition acknowledges the criticism of Israel and it it that criticism is of Israel is not inherently anti Semitic but offers guidance on what crosses the line into anti Semitism.
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This distinction is especially important in the context of debates on campus regarding the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
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Schools like Brooklyn College, City, PACE, and others have already endorsed this, and I think that we can too.
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Yeah.
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I urge you to
Eli Meron
3:29:38
speak to formal adoption.
