Samantha Escobar

Overview

Samantha Escobar was arrested for hanging “wanted” posters targeting Jewish faculty at the University of Rochester (Rochester) in Rochester, New York, in November 2024.

Escobar was caught on school cameras in an action described by Rochester officials as anti-Semitic. She was later charged with damaging university property.

Escobar’s activism occurred during Israel’s war against Hamas, called “Swords of Iron.” Israel launched the war after a series of Hamas terror attacks and war crimes against Israeli civilians, including mass murder, torture, rape, beheadings and kidnappings, which were executed on October 7, 2023.

The terror attacks left approximately 1,200 Israelis dead, hundreds kidnapped and thousands wounded. For more information on the October 7, 2023 terror attacks, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.

As of November 2024, Escobar was listed as a “Senior Advisor” for the Rochester Spanish and Latino Students' Association (UR SALSA), since October 2024.

On November 24, 2024, UR SALSA partnered with the Rochester chapter of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP UR) and posted on Instagram: “We, the students of the Spanish and Latino Students’ Association, stand in solidarity with the students being unjustly punished for their criticism of the University. / These individuals are facing unwarranted attacks due to the administration’s public villainization of their actions. We demand the university drop all criminal and conduct charges against those involved. / Solidarity always! / #TheRochester4 #dropthecharges”

The post included a graphic featuring students wrapped in keffiyehs and the caption: “...DROP THE CHARGES - FREE PALESTINE…”

As of November 2024, Escobar’s LinkedIn profile said she was studying for a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience at Rochester, slated to graduate in 2025, and that she was a licensed Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) - Specialist. As of the same date, Escobar was listed as an emergency department research associate at Rochester’s Medical Center, since 2022.

November 2024 - Plastering “Wanted” Posters of Jews at Rochester

In November 2024, Escobar was one of four Rochester students arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief for damaging the school’s property. Escobar and the other students were caught on the university’s CCTV cameras putting up hundreds of “wanted” posters on walls, floors, and chalkboards in campus buildings.

The posters targeted Jewish faculty members as well as the director of the university’s Hillel chapter. The posters accused them of [table pp.1-3] “Abuse of Power, Racism,” “Genocide, Censorship, Despotism,”“Connection to War Crimes, and “Genocide, Financial Coercion.”

On November 12, 2024, Rochester’s President, Sarah C. Mangelsdorf, issued a statement that condemned the posters and said: “...several of those depicted appear to have been targeted because they are members of our Jewish community. We view this as antisemitism…”

On November 19, 2024, after the students were arrested, Mangelsdorf published a “Message on Student Arrests” and wrote: “...I am saddened that any member of our community was subject to harassment and intimidation. The posters identifying faculty, staff, and board members have instilled credible fear among those depicted, their families, and other members of our Jewish community. On behalf of my senior leadership team, the Board of Trustees, and myself, I want to underscore that antisemitism will not be tolerated….”