At some point between Aug. 20 and Aug. 23, New York University updated its webpage with “guidance and expectations on student conduct” to note that references to “Zionist” can be a “code word” for antisemitism, per an archive of the site.
The NYU site now uses the word “Zionist” seven times, without referring to it at all before this change.
“Using code words, like ‘Zionist,’ does not eliminate the possibility that your speech violates the NDAH Policy,” the university states of its nondiscrimination and anti-harassment rules.
“For many Jewish people, Zionism is a part of their Jewish identity. Speech and conduct that would violate the NDAH if targeting Jewish or Israeli people can also violate the NDAH if directed toward Zionists,” the university now states.
“For example, excluding Zionists from an open event, calling for the death of Zionists, applying a ‘no Zionist’ litmus test for participation in any NYU activity, using or disseminating tropes, stereotypes, and conspiracies about Zionists (e.g., ‘Zionists control the media’), demanding a person who is or is perceived to be Jewish or Israeli to state a position on Israel or Zionism, minimizing or denying the Holocaust or invoking Holocaust imagery or symbols to harass or discriminate,” it adds.
“As the congressman for NYU, I applaud the university for recognizing that the term ‘Zionist’ has become a code word and bigoted way to target Jews since Oct. 7, and updating its code of conduct to reflect this destructive development,” stated Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.). “I hope other universities will follow suit.”
