Rachel Pincus
Overview
Rachel Pincus [Rachel Lee Pincus] has expressed support for terrorists and spread hatred of Zionists and Israel. Pincus engaged in anti-Israel activism as a law student.Pincus has also opposed the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism, which includes equating Israel with Nazi Germany.
Pincus was a board member of the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law (CUNY Law) chapter of the Jewish Law Students Association (CUNY JLSA) during the 2022-2023 and 2021-2022 academic years. CUNY JLSA is an anti-Israel activist group. Pincus also wrote [00:11:26] in a Facebook comment that Pincus was a CUNY JLSA member during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Pincus was also a member [00:06:47] of the CUNY Law chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) during the 2022-2023 academic year. Pincus is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
As of March 2024, Pincus’s LinkedIn profile said Pincus graduated from CUNY Law with a JD in 2023. Pincus graduated from Reed College (Reed) with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and physics in 2014.
Also as of March 2024, Pincus’s LinkedIn said Pincus had been a staff attorney in the “Parole Revocation Defense Unit” at the Legal Aid Society since January 2024. However, as of the same date, Pincus was listed on the organization’s website as a “Law Graduate” in the Criminal Defense Practice.
Pincus was listed as a fellow at the CUNY Law Sorensen Center for International Justice and Peace (Sorensen Center) in 2022.
As of March 2024, Pincus’s LinkedIn said Pincus was located in Brooklyn, New York.
As of the same date, Pincus used the handles“@rleepincus” on Twitter and “@rivka.chaia” on Facebook.
Support for Terrorists
Pincus retweeted a May 2, 2023 tweet that said: “... By incarcerating him in the first place & purposely subjecting him to medical neglect the Israeli regime is responsible for Khader Adnan's death. / But it is important to understand hunger strikes as acts of resistance in a context where prisoners are stripped of all agency.”Khader Adnan was a senior member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist organization. A 2007 YouTube video showed Adnan praising and encouraging suicide bombings: "Who among you will carry the next explosive belt? Who among you will fire the next bullets? Who among you will have his body parts blown all over?” In May 2023, Adnan died in prison after refusing medical treatment during a hunger strike.
The Holy Land Five (HLF5) were five individuals associated with the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) indicted for funneling funds to Hamas in the guise of humanitarian aid. The men were all convicted and sentenced in 2009 to federal prison terms ranging from 15 to 65 years.
Pincus retweeted an August 30, 2021 tweet from WOL honoring Mai Afaneh, who was killed by Israeli forces after she attempted to ram Israeli soldiers with her car and stab them in June 2021. The tweet included a picture of WOL founder Nerdeen Kiswani holding a poster with a picture of Afaneh that said: “Honor the Martyrs of Palestine.”
Hatred of Zionists and Israel
On June 17, 2021, Pincus tweeted: “the zionist trolls are at it again
#WeStandWithNerdeen.”Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture.
Pincus retweeted an October 28, 2021 tweet from CUNY JLSA that said: “tmrw 10/29 1-3pm! @CUNYLawSJP and @cunyjlsa will host a webinar to launch our #DefundRacism campaign. Join Palestinian activists making this call and NY+U.S. lawyers to learn more about the tax exemptions of ‘charitable’ Zionist orgs funding apartheid…”
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) highlights as one possible contemporary example of anti-Semitism: “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” The U.S. State Department adopted the IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism in 2016. Over 40 other countries have adopted the definition as well.
Pincus retweeted a May 13, 2022 tweet from WOL that said: “...#PalestineLives #zionismOutOfCUNY.”
The tweet included a link to a statement from WOL after John Jay College canceled an event they were set to host. The statement included a petition that referred to Israel as a “genocidal zionist entity.”
On December 8, 2022, Pincus tweeted: “In a continued string of events demonstrating CUNY’s ties to zionism, the @CUNYGC alongside @BklynCollege411 haveco-sponsored an event today attempting to divert attention away from the violent oppression & dispossession of Palestinians. #ThisIsNotAConflictItIsSettlercolonialism.”
In the same thread, Pincus tweeted: “We reaffirm our solidarity with Palestine liberation and our conviction that there are no ‘conversations’ between the oppressed and the oppressor. #ThisIsNotAConflictItIsSettlercolonialism.”
Also in the same thread, Pincus tweeted: “This is not a conflict. This is settler colonialism & apartheid. The use of any other language is designed to obfuscate & politically confuse people so that they do not support the internationally recognized Palestinian right to resist colonialism & apartheid. #ZionismOutOfCUNY.”
On April 10, 2022, Pincus tweeted about an event featuring anti-Israel professor Dean Spade. Pincus wrote: “there’s still time to register for this event…lots of CUNY Law student orgs are hosting Professor+Director @deanspadefor a screening of Pinkwashing Exposed, followed by a Q&A…”
“Pinkwashing” is a claim that Israel advocates manipulate the LGBTQ community in order to garner support for Israel.
Opposing the IHRA Definition of Anti-Semitism
On April 11, 2021, The CUNY University Student Senate (USS) posted a Zoom meeting on Facebook where they debated adopting two different definitions of anti-Semitism.Pincus commented [00:11:26] on the video: “I am Jewish student at CUNY who helped co-author the JLSA definition of anti-semitism. Jews wrote that definition!!”
The JLSA definition of anti-Semitism was presented to the CUNY USS as part of a larger resolution submitted by CUNY JLSA and CUNY Law SJP. The resolution claimed [p. 3]: “antisemitism is not an exceptional form of bigotry.”
The resolution also stated [p. 3]: “THEREFORE BE IT / RESOLVED: That the University Student Senate shall not adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism. / RESOLVED: The University Students Senate urges all CUNY schools clubs, and organizations to reject and reverse the adoption of IHRA definition and replace it with the definition of antisemitism articulated herein;”
Pincus retweeted an October 9, 2022 tweet from CUNY JLSA that said: “The JLSA e-board has issued a statement in response to the CUNY Chancellor’s adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, directly counter to student wishes. We welcome signatories from both inside and outside the CUNY community!”
Anti-Israel Activism (CUNY JLSA, BDS)
On June 5, 2023, Pincus disrupted a CUNY Board of Trustees (CUNY BOT) meeting with other anti-Israel activists. Pincus spoke outside the meeting room, holding a sign that said: “SHAME ON CUNY TRUSTEES #WeStandWithFatima.”The protest was held to defend WOL activist Fatima Mohammed for her CUNY Law commencement speech in May 2023, where she promoted violence, spread hatred of Israel and the police, honored terrorist financiers and promoted the BDS movement. In her WOL activism, she has glorified terrorists and called for Israel’s destruction.The CUNY BOT condemned her speech.
At the same protest, the CUNY BOT chairwoman asked [00:08:05] security to remove the protestors who continued to chant outside of the meeting room. Protestors shouted [00:06:30]: “Shame on the trustees” and [00:00:01]: “We stand with Fatima.”
In June 2023, Pincus signed a statement titled: “Over 400 CUNY Law Alumni Stand with Fatima.”
Pincus signed a May 31, 2023 statement titled: “Defend CUNY Organizing, Stand for Palestine: #WeStandWithFatima.”
On March 9, 2023, Pincus spoke [01:14:40] at a launch event for the People’s Hearing on Racism and Repression at CUNY (People’s CUNY).
Pincus said [01:16:12]: “...the student government of CUNY School of Law passed a resolution endorsing BDS calling for an academic boycott. The faculty endorsed that BDS resolution through a unanimous vote of acclamation.”
Pincus also claimed [01:17:32]: “The harms that Palestinians suffer at the hands of the Zionist government go far beyond discrimination to genocide, violent dispossession, torture, humiliation and deprivation of basic needs like clean water.”
Pincus also said [01:21:32]: “Jewish Law Students Association stands with Students for Justice in Palestine and fully supports the BDS movement.”
On October 26, 2022, Pincus spoke [00:06:45] in an online discussion titled: “IHRA AND THE CO-OPTATION OF THE STRUGGLE AGAINST ANTISEMITISM: INTERSECTIONAL PALESTINE ORGANIZING AT CUNY AND BEYOND.”
The discussion was hosted [00:00:26] by anti-Israel professor Anthony Alessandrini and was moderated [00:03:45] by anti-Israel professor Sofya Aptekar. Pincus spoke [00:06:45] as a panelist alongside Kiswani.
On May 17, 2022, Pincus was quoted in an article titled: “CUNY Law faculty, several law organizations, endorse students’ BDS resolution against Israel,” as saying: “We applaud CUNY School of Law’s faculty for supporting student organizing efforts to fight for Palestinian self-determination and against our institution’s complicity that funds and supports Palestinian genocide.”
SJP
SJP is a student organization engaged in anti-Israel activity on North American college and university campuses.
The first chapter of SJP was founded in 2001 at the University of California at Berkeley by Professor Hatem Bazian. Bazian has spread classic anti-Semitism, reportedly promoted religious anti-Semitism and defended the Hamas terror group. In 2004, Bazian called for “intifada” in America.
SJP organizes anti-Israel campaigns, including running annual Israel Apartheid Weeks, often in collaboration with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Muslim Students Association (MSA) campus chapters.
SJP has been a major force in pushing the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement on campuses. Chapters have initiated dozens of BDS resolutions in student governments, which have been proposed on or around Jewish holidays, a time when many Jewish students are off-campus.
SJP activists have reportedly physically assaulted, intimidated and harassed Jewish students, disrupted pro-Israel campus events and demonized pro-Israel campus organizations.
Chapters have often endorsed and campaigned for numerous terrorists and whitewashed terrorism.
BDS
The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded by Omar Barghouti in 2005 to challenge “international support for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism.” BDS is an allegedly “Palestinian-led movement,” although leading BDS activists have admitted [00:01:01] this is not true.
One of the demands of BDS includes [point 3] what is generally known as the “right of return,” a demand discredited as a way to eliminate Israel. Barghouti said the “right of return” is a means to “end Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.”
Barghouti has said that BDS “aims to turn Israel into a pariah state, as South Africa once was.”
In his activism, Barghouti has also said [00:05:55] regarding Israel: “Definitely, most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No…rational Palestinian, not a sellout Palestinian, will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.”
The movement has been linked to numerous terrorist organizations and received a public endorsement from Hamas in 2017.
BDS initiatives include calling on institutions and individuals to divest from Israeli-affiliated companies, promoting academic and cultural boycotts of Israel, and organizing anti-Israel rallies, protests and campaigns.
The movement’s most notable achievement has been the infiltration of university campuses through lobbying for “BDS resolutions.” In these cases, student governments and student groups, backed by their own anti-Israel members and affiliates, have proposed resolutions on some form of boycott of, or divestment from, Israel and Israeli-affiliated entities.
Boycott resolutions, although non-binding, have been passed by student governments on numerous North American campuses.
BDS activity is often aggressive and disruptive. It has been noted that universities that pass BDS resolutions see a marked increase in anti-Semitic incidents on campus. On one campus, when the student government debated a BDS resolution, reports emerged of violent threats against those opposing it.
Social Media and Weblinks
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/rivka.chaiaTwitter:https://twitter.com/rleepincus
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-lee-pincus/
