By:
Shane Gomez and Sam Brule
This story was updated on May 2, 2026
The New School’s Hillel chapter had its funding paused on May 1 by the University Student Senate (USS), after the new Registered Student Organization (RSO) compliance committee found the Jewish student organization had “extensive ties” to international law violations, according to a USS Instagram post.
Hillel is an international Jewish student hub with chapters at 850 colleges in the United States, meant to provide community and enrichment, according to their website.
The decision to suspend funding for and collaboration with Hillel at TNS came after the compliance committee drafted a “35+ page report … in collaboration with human rights, and legal organizations,” according to the USS Instagram post. The post said the committee determined that Hillel at TNS had direct and material ties to international law violations.
Hillel at TNS has not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication. The president of Hillel at TNS was not able to provide a comment at the time of publication, citing finals and the start of Shabbat. The vice president has not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Merrie Snead, associate director of university communications, said in a statement shared with NSFP on May 2 that the USS does not have the authority to “to determine the recognition, funding eligibility, or official status” of RSOs.
“Our Hillel chapter remains, as it always has been, in good standing, eligible for funding, and supporting Jewish life at The New School,” Snead said. “The administration is taking immediate steps to address the USS’s action and ensure it acts within its actual purview, now and going forward.”
“Hillel through the ‘Onward Students program’ directly supported [Israel Defense Force] military bases at Tze’elim army base,where they materially supported over 700 soldiers from the Oketz, Kfir, Golani and Handasa units in the IDF,” the report said. The units have all been accused of international law violations by multiple human rights organizations, the report explained, including the United Nations and the International Court of Justice.
The report also said that Hillel, through the Birthright Israel program, allows students to tour and participate in activities in occupied territories, including jeeping in the Golan Heights, a territory recognized by the United Nations as illegally occupied.
“Our shared values require us to enforce our policies until Hillel agrees to affirm and abide by international law, a requirement for every other RSO on campus,” the post said.
In order to receive funding again, the USS said that Hillel at TNS must renounce itself as an official chapter of Hillel International, also formally ending its partnerships with Israeli military programs and Israeli settler and occupation movements.
The RSO compliance committee, announced April 14, investigates whether RSOs use their funding — generated by fees collected from students’ tuition annually and distributed by the USS — for activities that violate international law, including war crimes, genocide, human rights violations, and apartheid.
The committee assigns RSOs one of three statuses: “In Good standing,” “Under Review,” or “Not in Good standing.” Hillel was assigned “Under Review” on April 17, after a USS motion introduced by then vice-chair and since newly appointed chair of the USS, Ryder Glickman.
The committee investigated Hillel at TNS, compiling the report and an official recommendation to denote the RSO’s status. Then, at the USS general meeting on May 1, a majority vote, as per procedure, determined TNS Hillel was “Not in Good standing” and was subject to a funding pause.
To return to “In Good standing,” TNS Hillel must renounce its partnership with Hillel International and end their participation with programs that violate international law, the committee’s recommendation report said.
Multiple pro-Palestine organizations, some affiliated with TNS, have reposted information from the USS’ report and the outcome of the vote. The organizations include Jewish Voice for Peace, Students for Justice in Palestine, and Drop Hillel.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as The New School Free Press continues to report this breaking news story.
This story was updated to include a comment from the university