CUNY Law Professor Jeff Lax Exposes Antisemitism in CUNY Administration in Tense Interview

New York (VINnews)— Alan Skorski sat down with Jeff Lax, a professor at CUNY Law and board member, to discuss allegations of antisemitism within the City University of New York (CUNY) system. Lax, who is also the founder of SAFE Campus, has been vocal in exposing what he describes as deep-rooted antisemitism at the university’s highest levels, including the controversial hiring of Saly Abd Alla, a member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), to oversee antisemitism allegations.

The interview escalated when Skorski questioned Lax about his recent appearance on Peter Beinart’s social platform to debate antisemitism on college campuses. Beinart, a well-known critic of Israel, has often spoken to Jewish student groups across the U.S., drawing criticism from pro-Israel advocates. During their discussion, Beinart questioned why Lax had protested a Hunter College job posting seeking instructors to teach about Israel as a “settler-colonial state,” engaging in “apartheid” and “genocide.”

Lax discredited Hunter College’s stance and challenged Beinart on these allegations, forcing a tense exchange. The debate reached a pivotal moment when Lax pressed Beinart to label Hamas as a terrorist organization, which Beinart refused to do, claiming such a designation was racist and unfairly applied to Palestinians. Lax pointed out the inaccuracy of this claim, ultimately boxing Beinart into a rhetorical corner.