Faculty Groups Say City Antisemitism Plan Omits Colleges

Faculty groups at CUNY and NYU say Mayor Mamdani's antisemitism strategy largely leaves out higher education.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Judaism

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a plain limestone building facade with a single empty flagpole, in deep red and cream with a navy accent, evoking an institutional gap in civic policy. — Faculty groups at CUNY and NYU say Mayor Mamdani's antisemitism strategy, released in September, largely omits colleges and universities from its response. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Faculty groups at CUNY and NYU said Mayor Mamdani's antisemitism strategy, released in September, makes scant mention of colleges and universities. They called for higher education to be an explicit priority in the city's response.

Why it matters

The groups argue antisemitism on campuses extends to departments, faculty governance, professional associations, and labor and graduate-worker organizations. For New York City's large university system, the gap raises questions about how the strategy will address Jewish academics' experiences.

A 2025 survey of 209 Jewish-American professors found nearly three-quarters observed anti-Jewish activity or statements by colleagues, and 43% felt unwelcome at faculty events. Whether the city will expand the strategy to cover campuses has not been addressed.

The players

Mayor Zohran Mamdani

The mayor of New York City, whose administration released the antisemitism strategy and who visited the Kupferberg Holocaust Center in April.

CUNY Alliance for Inclusion

A faculty group within the City University of New York that issued a joint statement criticizing the strategy's treatment of higher education.

Faculty and Staff Against Antisemitism at NYU

A faculty group at New York University that joined the CUNY Alliance in criticizing the strategy.

The details

City Hall said it met with Jewish leaders, including parents, students and educators, and cited hate crime prevention funding rising from $3 million to $29 million annually. The faculty groups said the strategy does not mention Zionism in its 33 pages and does not adopt a formal definition of antisemitism.

2022: The city Commission on Human Rights launched its "Understanding Jewish Experience" training with the Wagner College Holocaust Center.
2025: A survey of 209 Jewish-American professors was conducted.
April 2026: Mayor Mamdani visited the Kupferberg Holocaust Center at Queensborough Community College.
September 2026: The administration released its antisemitism strategy.
November 9, 2026: Faculty groups' criticism was published in the New York Post.

Legacy Comparison

The city's new K-12 Title VI coordinator addresses schools under federal civil rights law, but the faculty critique shows the strategy has not extended that same explicit focus to universities. This places the policy gap in higher education in contrast to the K-12 measures.

Students and faculty at CUNY and NYU may see whether the city expands its antisemitism response to campuses, affecting how Jewish academics report harassment. Residents who rely on the city's hate crime prevention funding will see the increase from $3 million to $29 million annually take effect.

The takeaway

Whether a city strategy names colleges explicitly can shape whether campus harassment is tracked and addressed. Readers following the issue can watch for any revision that brings universities into the plan.