CUNY Hunter College has a Hillel, a Chabad and the Jewish Foundation for the Education of Women.

Litigation & Investigations

In June 2024, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights entered into a resolution agreement with the CUNY system, outlining a series of actions that universities within the system must take to address antisemitism on campus.

In December 2024, the Lawfare Project announced that they had filed a lawsuit against CUNY Hunter College for failing to take action to address the antisemitism on campus.

What’s Happening on Campus?

 In March 2024, graffiti containing antisemitic slurs and symbols was discovered in a library bathroom.

In May 2024, several demonstrations took place on campus after law enforcement dismantled the CUNY systemwide encampment.

In June 2024, tensions rose at CUNY Hunter College during the "Summer of Resistance Campaign" launched by the campus Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter. A Jewish counter-protester was assaulted, resulting in injuries that required medical attention. This incident was part of a broader series of disruptive activities, including a statement from the Hunter College Arabic Program faculty expressing solidarity with the encampment.

In August 2024, a student at Hunter College asked their roommate about their religious background. Upon finding out that their roommate was Jewish, the student became aggressive and stated that he would not live with the roommate. That same month, at an anti-Israel rally at Hunter College, protesters displayed signs with messages that included “Bring the war home” with an image of a gun, “Let the intifada pave the way for people’s war” and “It is right to rebel; Hillel go to hell," slogans often heard at anti-Israel protests on campuses nationwide.

University Policies and Responsive Action

In May 2023, the CUNY Chancellor established the Advisory Council on Jewish Life. Since then, CUNY Hunter – alongside other schools within the CUNY systems – have adopted numerous recommendations from the council.

In September 2024, Governor Kathy Hochul urged CUNY to implement recommendations developed by Judge Jonathan Lippman to address antisemitism and discrimination following a ten-month investigation. The administration has also attended a number of summits and workshops designed to address antisemitism.

In advance of every academic year, Hunter College issues communications providing comprehensive information on how to report incidents of discrimination. In addition, through the creation of a CUNY-systemwide Center for Inclusive Excellence and Belonging, CUNY will be standardizing and centralizing its investigations of complaints.

The Hunter Academic Center for Excellence in Research and Teaching (ACERT) has also conducted six sessions on how to have difficult conversations in the classroom and is currently hosting a year-long series on Promoting Civil Dialogue and Intellectual Discourse.

In February 2025, the College listed a job posting seeking professors versed in "issues pertaining to Palestine including but not limited to settler colonialism, genocide [and] apartheid." New York Governor Kathy Hochul promptly demanded that the College removes the listing and conducts a thorough review of the position. The CUNY Chancellor promptly responded, condemning the language used in the posting and ensuring that Hunter College took down the posting.