Helga Tawil-Souri, a professor at New York University and a prominent figure within Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP), has built a career on spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories, legitimizing terrorism through academic jargon, and promoting economic and cultural warfare against the Jewish state. Under the cover of media studies and critical theory, Tawil-Souri has consistently used her platform to target Israel, demonize Jewish identity, and cultivate a campus climate of hostility and division.
Her influence extends beyond rhetoric—through organizing, publishing, and advocacy, she has become a central academic voice for movements that seek not peace, but elimination.
Radical Campus Activism Disguised as Scholarship
Tawil-Souri has taken her role on campus beyond lectures or research. She has taken an active role in encouraging disruptive activism, shielding it with the language of “justice” while contributing to chaos and fear for Jewish students.
- 2024: Participated in illegal pro-Hamas encampments at NYU that disrupted campus life and raised security concerns.
- 2017: Moderated an NYU panel promoting Assuming Boycott, a book that glorifies economic warfare against Israel, presenting it as “moral leverage” for civil rights.
- Has used university-sponsored events to promote ideologically charged activism and normalize calls for the destruction of the Jewish state.
Rather than promoting learning or dialogue, Tawil-Souri transforms the classroom into a site of political radicalization—one that consistently portrays Israel and Jews as global aggressors.
Spreading Antisemitic Conspiracy and Demonization
Tawil-Souri’s published and spoken work is saturated with classic antisemitic tropes—especially the suggestion that Jews control media narratives, manipulate global opinion, and exaggerate threats to justify oppression. Her framing echoes the dangerous language used by extremists to stoke hate and justify violence.
- 2024: In an interview tied to her book Producing Palestine, she accused Israel of “genocide,” “media destruction,” and “killing journalists”—tropes rooted in long-standing antisemitic narratives of media control and censorship.
- 2018: In an interview for Fair Observer, she denied the existence of Israeli security threats, dismissing Hamas and terrorism as merely an excuse for Israeli “aggression.”
- Her language consistently presents Palestinians as powerless victims and Jews as global manipulators—a rhetorical formula with a deadly historical legacy.
These narratives are not just biased—they are dangerous. They feed into conspiratorial worldviews that have inspired violence against Jews across generations.
Justifying Terror and Glorifying Violent Uprisings
Perhaps most disturbing is Tawil-Souri’s consistent use of language that excuses or glorifies political violence—especially acts that target civilians. Through academic framing, she elevates terms like “intifada” while whitewashing their bloody history.
- 2014: Co-authored the paper “Intifada 3.0? Cyber Colonialism and Palestinian Resistance”, portraying digital and physical resistance—including violent uprisings—as heroic struggles.
- Repeatedly refers to past intifadas as legitimate responses to “colonialism”—ignoring the suicide bombings, stabbings, and mass shootings that defined those campaigns.
- Her academic output functions as ideological support for terrorism, carefully couched in the language of liberation and identity politics.
By redefining terrorism as “resistance,” Tawil-Souri provides rhetorical cover for organizations and movements that glorify attacks on civilians.
A Threat to Jewish Students and Academic Integrity
Tawil-Souri’s influence at NYU is not neutral—it is corrosive. Her presence on campus contributes to a growing climate of fear, division, and hostility toward Jewish students. Rather than protecting pluralism, her work reinforces a culture of exclusion where only one narrative—the most extreme one—is permitted.
- Promotes movements that reject Jewish self-determination outright.
- Equates terrorism with “decolonization,” offering intellectual support for acts of violence.
- Delegitimizes Jewish identity through conspiratorial language and historical distortion.
- Encourages NYU students to see extremism as scholarship—and confrontation as activism.
Bottom Line: Helga Tawil-Souri is not fostering education, she is institutionalizing extremism. Through her writings, affiliations, and actions, she has championed movements that reject peace, glorify terror, and sow division. NYU’s continued endorsement of her sends a chilling message: that those who justify antisemitic violence will not only be tolerated, but elevated.