On Monday, October 7, 2024 CUNY Queens College Professor Kayla Reece (in a class titled “Intro to Women’s and Gender Studies”) presented a photograph of an Instagram post to her class from an account called “Visualizing Palestine.” The post stated: "This week marks one year of Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, violence the Israeli regime has been emboldened to escalate in the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen." On the board she wrote "Zionism ≠Judaism." See photo below.

Professor Reece said nothing about the anniversary of the horrific attacks of Oct 7, when Hamas operatives engaged in the bloodiest massacre of Jews, mostly Israeli civilians, since the Holocaust.  Hamas, a designated terrorist organization by the US and and other world governments, and the acts of October 7, have been condemned by both the Biden administration and Kamala Harris as Vice-President. Professor Reece failed to mention that this attack was unprovoked, in which innocent men, women, children, and babies were attacked, tortured, raped, and brutally and violently murdered. She also omitted any mention that Hamas engaged in sadistic acts of sexual violence and necrophilia that they themselves filmed and broadcasted.

We have all seen the heartbreaking images of Gaza and we do not dispute the suffering of civilians there. However, what Professor Reece did was akin to teaching students about the suffering of innocent German civilians, on an anniversary of a brutal attack on Jews during the Holocaust and without first explaining that the German government committed genocide and other crimes that sparked a war, triggering attacks by Allied forces that led to those civilians deaths. Teaching like this in a vacuum presents the Arab-Israeli conflict as one-sided with Israel as the aggressor, which is an incomplete picture of the facts and the history of the conflict in the region. Professor Reece also failed to mention the widely reported fact that Hamas hid its operative bases, and weapons stores, inside civilian buildings like schools, which increased the civilian casualty count. 

Overall it was a one-side presentation of a complex and multi-faceted conflict whose history goes back decades. None of this was presented.

Furthermore, the class Professor Reece teaches has nothing to do with the conflict in the Middle East. The choice to present this material, especially on the anniversary of the tragic terrorist attacks on Israel on Oct 7, was in poor taste and made Jewish students mourning that day feel uncomfortable and unsafe on campus. In particular, her comments about Zionism and Judaism are offensive and antisemitic and had no place in this classroom. 

PSC, the union for professors at CUNY, is defending  Kayla Reece citing “academic freedom.”   However, “academic freedom” cannot be used as a guise for antisemitism and offensive speech that makes certain students feel uncomfortable and unsafe. We doubt this kind of defense would protect a professor when teaching about Hitler in a positive light, or if extolling the virtues of slavery in the Antebellum South. Certain subjects are inherently offensive and improper to discuss and teach to college students, especially at a public and federally funded college.

There is no place for antisemitism in the classroom. We demand Kayla Reece receive disciplinary action!