ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Over the weekend, many flyers depicting several Jewish faculty members as “wanted” were placed around the University of Rochester campus in upstate New York, according to university officials.

The Department of Public Safety at the university reported that they learned about the posters late Sunday and swiftly took them down. These posters were discovered in various buildings, including classrooms, stated Quchee Collins, the chief of public safety at the university.

The flyers charged Jewish faculty members—including high-ranking university officials and Trustees—with taking controversial stances regarding the ongoing Gaza conflict. Some claimed that one faculty member was involved in “ethnic cleansing” and contributed to the “displacement of Palestinians,” while another was accused of “racism,” “hate speech,” and intimidation.

University officials condemned the actions, with President Sarah Mangelsdorf denouncing the event as an act of antisemitism.

“I want to clearly express that the University of Rochester strongly condemns the recent appearance of ‘wanted’ posters targeting our senior leaders and faculty, staff, and Board of Trustees,” Mangelsdorf stated on Tuesday. “This act is unsettling, divisive, and intimidating, going against our university values.”

Collins emphasized that the display is considered vandalism, as removing the posters resulted in damage to walls, floors, chalkboards, and other surfaces.

“Any actions, including putting up these posters, that disrupt our normal operations and classroom activities will not be tolerated,” Collins asserted in a statement on Monday. “It appears that the intent behind this vandalism is to intimidate members of our University community, which goes against our Meliora values.”

Poster incident occurs amid increasing tensions on college campuses

This week, university officials made efforts to inform those depicted on the posters. James Newell, who retired as the assistant security director in August, mentioned he was notified on Tuesday that he appeared on one of the posters.

Newell speculated that a controversial arrest of a student—accused of assaulting a school officer—led to his inclusion among the targeted staff. He served in security during a pro-Palestinian protest in December 2023, during which the arrest occurred.

Joy Getnick, a member of the university’s Hillel organization, stated to WHEC-TV that she was among those shown on the posters. She expressed that the posters “propagate harmful antisemitic views about Jewish people and Israel” and contribute to the spread of antisemitic hatred on campus, instilling fear.

This incident is the latest in a series of escalating tensions at the University of Rochester and other universities across the nation. Following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the ensuing escalation in Gaza, campuses have experienced a surge in anti-war demonstrations alongside a rise in hateful incidents.

Last month, AI-generated images portraying a Lego set of war-torn Gaza that mocked the devastation of the area were spotted at the Eastman School of Music’s Living Center. In February, swastikas and other antisemitic graffiti appeared on the walls of a tunnel on the university’s River Campus.

Anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim incidents have markedly increased in the U.S. over the past year. The Anti-Defamation League reported over 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the year following the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, as noted by YSL News.

Similarly, the Council on American-Islamic Relations reported over 8,000 complaints regarding anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian sentiments in 2023, with nearly 5,000 complaints registered within the first half of 2024.

Responses from local and campus organizations regarding the posters

The Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester urged the university to take action regarding the incident, emphasizing the need to “ensure the campus is a safe and welcoming space for all, particularly for Jewish faculty and students.”

“We are greatly disturbed by these antisemitic posters at the University of Rochester, which have significantly heightened an already tense environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff,” the organization stated. “These hateful messages are not isolated; they contribute to an ongoing troubling trend that compromises the safety and civil rights of Jewish community members at the university.”

The university’s Hillel chapter condemned the posters as “deeply disturbing,” stating that the display “unfairly singled out Jewish faculty and staff, spreading harmful antisemitic sentiments about Jewish people and Israel.”

“These posters contribute to the proliferation of antisemitic hatred on our campus, attempting to instill fear,” added Hillel at the University of Rochester in a statement released on Tuesday.

The student-led group Jewish Voice for Peace at the University of Rochester criticized the university’s swift conclusion linking the posters to antisemitism.

“While we do not know who put up these posters or their intent, we believe they aimed to highlight the support from administrators and professors for the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza,” the organization stated to WHEC-TV. “These posters spotlighted both Jewish and non-Jewish faculty members and explicitly condemned their backing of the Israeli government and military.”