Police sent to Cornell Jewish center after threatening statements posted

Campus police were dispatched to Cornell University’s Jewish center, officials said, after antisemitic threats appeared on an online discussion board Sunday that included its address.

Cornell University President Martha Pollack condemned the “horrendous, antisemitic messages” and said in a statement that the university police department was investigating the threats. The FBI was also informed about a potential hate crime, Pollack added. 

“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,” Pollack said. “Our immediate focus is on keeping the community safe; we will continue to prioritize that.”

“The virulence and destructiveness of antisemitism is real and deeply impacting our Jewish students, faculty and staff, as well as the entire Cornell community,” Pollack added, noting antisemitism will not be tolerated at Cornell.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) also responded to what she characterized as “disgusting & hateful posts” by making clear the state government would provide any assistance needed to combat the rise in antisemitic activity on campuses. 

“The disgusting & hateful posts on a message board about Jewish @Cornell students is the latest in a series of concerning incidents on college campuses,” Hochul wrote Sunday on X, formerly Twitter.

“While it is unclear if these are credible threats, @nyspolice is engaged & we’ll take any steps needed to keep students safe,” she added.

Hochul also said she spoke to leaders representing the State University of New York system and the City University of New York system, as well as officials from private and public universities across the state. She said she told them that the New York State Police “and the whole of state government will continue to support their efforts to keep their students and campus communities safe.”

“I also reiterated our strong belief in free speech and the right to peaceful assembly, but made clear that we will have zero tolerance for acts of violence or those who intimidate and harass others through words or actions,” she added.

The Anti-Defamation League said last week that it had tracked a surge in antisemitic incidents following Hamas’s attack on Israel.

The group documented 312 antisemitic incidents in the more than two weeks since the war broke out between Hamas and Israel on Oct. 7, representing a 388 percent spike over the same period last year.

More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed since the start of the war, mostly in the initial Hamas attack. Additionally, 239 hostages were taken from Israel into Gaza.

More than 8,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to a Sunday update from the Gaza Ministry of Health, which is operated by Hamas.

The Associated Press contributed.

Updated at 8:59 a.m. ET