Academic distortion targets Israel, erases Jewish suffering, and emboldens antisemitism under the false banner of scholarship.
Princeton University is facing intense backlash after announcing a spring semester course titled “Gender, Reproduction and Genocide,” which claims a “central focus on the ongoing genocide in Gaza” and draws comparisons between Gazans and Jews during the Holocaust—an analogy widely condemned as historically false and morally obscene.
Speaking to Jewish News Syndicate, U.S. Representative Tom Kean (R-NJ) called the course description “deeply troubling,” warning that it falsely reframes Israel’s lawful self-defense as genocide. Kean stressed that any honest academic discussion must begin with the October 7 Hamas massacre, where Israeli civilians were deliberately slaughtered.
“Hamas is a terrorist organization that targets civilians and hides behind its own population,” Kean said, emphasizing that reckless misuse of the word genocide erodes truth, justice, and academic integrity. “Words matter—especially in classrooms.”
According to Princeton’s own enrollment data, only one of 14 seats in the course has been filled, signaling student skepticism. Nevertheless, the syllabus reportedly includes readings referencing “reproductive genocide” and “reprocide” in Gaza, while placing Israel alongside the Armenian genocide and the Holocaust—comparisons scholars widely reject as politically driven distortions, not evidence-based history.
The American Jewish Congress condemned the course as “unacceptable,” warning that at a time of record antisemitism, such content risks inflaming hostility and endangering Jewish students on campus.
Princeton has already faced scrutiny over antisemitism. In April 2024, the United States Department of Education opened a Title VI investigation following reports of pro-Palestinian protesters chanting “Intifada” shortly after the October 7 massacre. A year later, the Trump administration paused $210 million in federal funding, citing antisemitic and discriminatory practices.
Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber later stated the university is committed to combating antisemitism. Critics argue that commitment rings hollow while courses demonizing Israel and trivializing the Holocaust are allowed to proceed.
Israel’s war is a defensive response to terror—not genocide. Twisting history to delegitimize Jewish self-defense is not education; it is ideological warfare masquerading as scholarship.
