(NewsNation) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday she has directed state police to increase security on college campuses after “vile antisemitic threats” made against Cornell University’s Jewish community over the weekend.
According to the Cornell Sun, the student-run newspaper, these threats were posted to Cornell’s Greekrank forums, where users typically discuss fraternities and sororities, on Saturday, Oct. 28 and Sunday, Oct. 29.
One of the online posts threatened a shooting at Cornell’s Center for Jewish Living and kosher dining hall. Others compared Jewish people to animals, the Cornell Sun wrote, and one threatened to rape female Jewish students and behead Jewish babies in front of their parents.
Cornell Hillel, a Jewish group at the university, issued a statement Sunday on Instagram saying it is aware of the threats, and advising students and staff avoid the dining hall and Center for Jewish Living building “out of an abundance of caution.”
Cornell University President Martha Pollack said university police are investigating and will remain on-site to ensure students’ and community members’ safety.
In addition, Cornell police also notified the FBI of a “potential hate crime,” Pollack said in a statement posted online.
“Threats of violence are absolutely intolerable, and we will work to ensure that the person or people who posted them are punished to the full extent of the law,” she said. “The virulence and destructiveness of antisemitism is real and deeply impacting our Jewish students, faculty and staff, as well as the entire Cornell community. This incident highlights the need to combat the forces that are dividing us and driving us toward hate.”
During a roundtable with students at the Center for Jewish Living Monday, Hochul said state officials will not tolerate “threats or hatred, or antisemitism, or any kind of hatred that makes people feel vulnerable” especially at a place where students “should be enjoying their campus life without fear that someone could cause them harm.”
“No one should be afraid to walk from their dorm or their dining hall to a classroom,” Hochul said.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James called the threats “absolutely horrific.”
“There is no space for antisemitism or violence of any kind,” she said. “Campuses must remain safe spaces for our students.”
Cornell’s Student and Campus Life, as well as the Dean of Students Office, have been meeting regularly with individuals and student groups. During this time, instructors have been talking individually with students and offering them flexibility, Lindsey Knewstub, of Cornell University’s Media Relations Office, said in an email. This includes an option to take some classes over Zoom.
Mental health and other support resources are also being made available to students.
“The safety and security of the entire Cornell community continues to be our top priority. We are taking threats very seriously and working with the FBI, State Police and other agencies to investigate — we continue to have an enhanced law enforcement presence on campus to keep our community safe,” Cornell University Police said in a statement. “We have increased patrols and arranged additional security for our Jewish students and organizations on and off campus, and the university is in constant communication with these groups.”
The threats come days after Cornell’s campus was tagged with graffiti reading “Israel is fascist,” “Zionism = genocide” and “F*** Israel,” which the Sun reported shocked and scared Jewish students on campus.
Since Hamas’ attack on Israel Oct. 7 that killed 1,400, and during which the militant group took over 200 hostage, reports of antisemitism and Islamaphobia have been on the rise — though both had been increasing even before then.
Since the Hamas attack, the Anti-Defamation League said it recorded a total of 312 antisemitic incidents from Oct. 7 through the 23rd, 190 of which were linked to the war. Preliminary data from the ADL shows that reported anti-Semitic harassment, vandalism and assaults increased by 388% over the same period from last year.
The Council on American Islamic Relations reported from Oct. 7 through Oct. 25, they received 774 complaints of bias incidents against Muslims, noting that the actual numbers may be higher as these kinds of hate crimes “remain massively underreported.” These incidents include a 6-year-old Muslim boy who was fatally stabbed, and whose mother was wounded after police say their landlord singled them out because of their faith. He has since been charged with a hate crime.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.