SUNY Downstate Students for Justice in Palestine criticized for hosting event that spread 'medical propaganda' and 'blood libel'

A pro-Palestine student organization at SUNY Downstate Medical Center hosted an event on Nov. 13 that accused Israel of committing “genocide” during the war between the Jewish state and Hamas.

The event has been sponsored by SUNY Downstate’s chapter of the controversial student group, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), according to The New York Post. The event is entitled “CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY: The Decimation of Palestinian Healthcare in the Ongoing Genocide and the Continuing Legacy of Settler-Colonialism.”

One of the guest speakers, Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, wrote an article in The New York Times which some have said implicitly accused the Israeli government of intentionally killing children during the fighting with Hamas militants.

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Irving Raphael, a member of the Jewish Medical Center, said he was disappointed that SUNY Downstate is not taking concrete action to address the event. Raphael specifically critiqued the SJP group’s use of the phrase “settler colonialism” in the title of the panel.

“It’s a disregard of history. It’s blatant antisemitism. It’s propaganda,” Raphael said. “I’m disappointed but not surprised that SUNY has not taken strong action against this event.”

Yael Halaas, president of the American Jewish Medical Association, told the New York Post that Sidhwa has spread “blood libel.”

“It is antisemitic. It’s a blood libel leveled at the Jewish nation. It’s medical propaganda,” Halaas said.

In a statement provided to Campus Reform, a SUNY Downstate spokesperson condemned the anti-Israel event and stated that it is not sponsored or organized by the school administration.

“To be clear this is not an event sponsored by the administration at SUNY Downstate,” the spokesperson stated. “Any event that promotes hate, bigotry, or antisemitism is disgusting and does not represent SUNY’s values.”

“Campus leadership is aware of the event and will be closely monitoring the situation to ensure that all content-neutral time, place, and manner restrictions are followed,” the spokesperson continued. “The safety of our campus community is our top priority.”

The panel at SUNY Downstate is far from the only anti-Israel event to take place recently.

In the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) 2024 report on anti-Israel activity, the organization found an immense increase following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack against Israel, with 2,087 anti-Israel incidents being documented between June 2023 and May 2024—a 477% increase from the same 12-month period the year prior.

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“This marks the highest number ever documented by ADL,” the report states. “These incidents included both blatant acts of antisemitism, as well as anti-Israel activity, which is not always antisemitic.”

The report found that SJP groups nationwide have been responsible for an outsized percentage of the anti-Israel incidents.

“Campus groups responsible for much of the recorded anti-Israel activity in this report include Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) and Dissenters,” the report continued.