Aerial view of Duke University on Jan. 6, 2026. Photo: ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect

Duke University announced they will soon host a speaker — Emmaia Gelman — who made a post supporting those who “break prison walls” during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Gelman – founding director of the Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism – will speak on Sept. 24 at Duke.

On Oct. 8, 2023, Gelman made an Instagram post featuring a photo of Hamas invading Israel by breaking through a barrier fence with the accompanying comment: “Solidarity with those who break prison walls.”

Gelman’s post included “#alaqsaflood.”

“Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” is what Hamas leaders named their Oct. 7, 2023, pogrom, during which they murdered approximately 1,200 people, took hundreds of hostages, and raped and tortured many others.

In 2025, Gelman posted a flyer for an anti-Zionism event, held by her institute, which said, “Free The Land! ‘By Any Means Necessary.'” The Anti-Defamation (ADL) explains the meaning of the phrase by any means necessary: “This is support for terrorism,” though it’s not clear if Gelman’s belief about the phrase adhered to the same definition.

Gelman’s talk at Duke will focus on the ADL. Last year, Gelman’s Instagram profile picture read “GO TO HELL ADL.”

The ADL’s mission is, “To stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.”

Gelman’s talk at Duke is sponsored by the Franklin Humanities Institute, Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies, and International Comparative Studies.

The contact person for the event is Eli Meyerhoff, who is a staff member at the Franklin Institute. In 2024, Meyerhoff shared a quote on X: “”You don’t need to condemn ‘Hamas.’ You don’t need to ‘affirm Israel’s right to exist.””

In 2024, Meyerhoff was a guest on Gelman’s “Unpacking Zionism” podcast in which he stated, “I am a participant in Jewish Voice for Peace [JVP] in the North Carolina triangle.”

On Oct. 12, 2023, Triangle JVP co-sponsored a “Day of Resistance Protest for Palestine” at UNC-Chapel Hill. The event flyer celebrated terrorism by featuring a Hamas paraglider en route to kill, rape, mutilate, and kidnap Israelis.

Triangle JVP has endorsed Gelman’s talk at Duke.

Duke’s gender studies department has been plagued with antisemitism and radical anti-Israel bias. I have written about those experiences for The Algemeiner before. For example, Frances Hasso is professor and director of Undergraduate Studies in the department. In 2024, she excitedly announced on X, “HAMAS OFFICIALLY DEFEATS ISRAEL!”

In 2025, the Duke gender studies website featured a section titled, “Donation Suggestions for Palestine,” which provided links to 12 organizations including Electronic Intifada and Mondoweiss, which are both stridently anti-Israel publications. There were no suggestions for donations directed towards Israel. Shortly after I exposed this issue in The Algemeiner, the “Donation Suggestions for Palestine” section was removed from Duke’s website.

The Franklin Humanities Institute has also demonstrated very troubling behavior. For example, the institute hosted a presentation titled Concentrations Camps: Then and Now which featured panelist Roxana Bendezú. Bendezú had previously implied that the Obama administration was worse than “nazi concentration camps” and publicly complained about “Wealthy #Jewish donors” in politics.

Last week, I contacted Meyerhoff, Ranjana Khanna (director of the Franklin Humanities Institute), Jennifer Nash (chair of Duke gender studies), Catherine Mathers (chair of International Comparative Studies), Dean Gary G. Bennett, and President Vincent E. Price, asking them, “Do you feel Gelman is an appropriate guest to have speaking at Duke?” I also asked if they were aware of Gelman’s social media post from October 2023.

None responded.

By scheduling this speaker — and through so many other actions — Duke University is continuing its normalization of antisemitism. Jewish students and the entire community deserve much better.

Peter Reitzes writes about issues related to antisemitism and Israel.