logo
PSU professor placed on leave after ‘I am Hamas' video surfaces on social media

PSU professor placed on leave after ‘I am Hamas' video surfaces on social media

Yahoo2 days ago

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A professor at Portland State University was placed on administrative leave last week after she was seen in an Instagram saying 'I am Hamas. We are all Hamas.'
is a professor at the Department of World Languages and Literatures at PSU, according to her bio page. She was placed on leave Friday.
Portland State president Ann Cudd called Hanoosh's comments in the video
'PSU stands unequivocally against antisemitism, terrorism, and hate of any kind, including the statements made in this video. Our university community has been working hard to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all, including our Jewish students, faculty and staff. The statements made in this video are absolutely unacceptable,' Cudd said.
PSU says Hanoosh made the comments at an independent, non-university event that was taking place off-campus.
The college is currently investigating the incident.
'We recognize that events like this one indicate the need for additional education, and this term we offered a free, one-credit class on antisemitism that was well received by the more than 100 students who are taking it. We intend to make this course available to more members of our community. We are committed to providing a campus environment free from hate,' Cudd said.
KOIN 6 has reached out to Hanoosh.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Opinion: First Lady Melania and Pope Leo are right — it's 'unum' time
Opinion: First Lady Melania and Pope Leo are right — it's 'unum' time

Yahoo

time39 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Opinion: First Lady Melania and Pope Leo are right — it's 'unum' time

In a season of tragedy and division, two powerful voices — one from the Vatican, one from the White House — reached for the same ancient word: Unum. Last month, after the horrific shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., First Lady Melania Trump offered her condolences by quoting our national motto: E Pluribus Unum — 'Out of many, one.' Days earlier, Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, delivered his inaugural message with a similar phrase etched into his papal crest: In Illo Uno Unum — 'In the One, One.' And with the horrifying attack on Jewish families in Boulder, Colorado, earlier this month, the same call to unity remains. These aren't just old, dusty Latin words. They were calls to unity in a time when America — and the world — feels dangerously divided. We are living through a season of immense high conflict, spilling over into hate-fueled violence. But from Rome to D.C., this month reminded us that Unum — unity — is not just a relic. It's a lifeline. Let's be honest: unity sounds soft. It can feel like wishful thinking. But today, invoking unity is a bold act. It takes guts to say, 'We still belong to each other,' especially when everything around us screams otherwise. I see signs of that courage every day. In an exhausted middle of Americans who are tired of the yelling, the blaming and the endless outrage. They're not perfect — but they're trying. Trying to build bridges instead of burning them. Trying to find common ground without giving up their convictions. That's the heart of Unum. It doesn't erase conflict or pretend we all agree. It's not utopia. It's the hard, daily work of choosing coexistence over chaos. Unum means Jewish and Muslim Americans grieving side-by-side. It means a First Lady who grew up Catholic in Slovenia invoking a motto that speaks across American synagogues, mosques and churches alike. It means a Pope who spent years in Latin America calling for peace — not as an abstract dream, but as an urgent task. And in Washington last week, that task was made painfully real. The shooting near the Israeli Embassy wasn't just another violent act. It was a national alarm. A young couple was killed. Jewish Americans and foreign diplomats had gathered at a museum dedicated to the hard work of remembering history and resisting hate. They came in peace. They fled in terror. If that doesn't shake us, what will? I mourn every loss — from D.C. to Gaza. As a former diplomat and humanitarian worker, I've seen the cost of war up close. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is heartbreaking: tens of thousands dead, aid blocked, civilians suffering. Hostages still not home. Israelis and Palestinians alike living in fear and grief. But pain doesn't have to harden us. It can humble us. It can move us to action — not vengeance. In moments like these, we face two temptations. One is despair: to give up, to believe the divisions are too deep. The other is rage: to blame, punish and retreat into our tribes. Neither will save us. The harder path — the braver one — is to build bridges anyway. Pope Leo XIV said it plainly: 'Be bridgebuilders, peace seekers, and companions on the journey.' That's not just a prayer. It's a plan. Because in a world driven by algorithms that divide and outrage that sells, choosing Unum is radical. It means staying at the table when you'd rather storm out. It means believing that pluralism — people of different faiths, races, beliefs and stories — can still build a shared life. You could say that in an interfaith nation like America, that is our common wealth — a society where deep differences don't divide us, they deepen us. The First Lady's words last month were not just a prayer — they were a call to action. Quoting our centuries-old motto E Pluribus Unum — 'Out of many, one' — was a reminder that belonging isn't partisan. It's American. It always has been. So let's hold on to that fragile hope. Let's say Unum again — and mean it.

Israeli forces recover bodies of two hostages in Gaza, PM says
Israeli forces recover bodies of two hostages in Gaza, PM says

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Israeli forces recover bodies of two hostages in Gaza, PM says

Israeli security forces operating in Gaza have recovered the bodies of two Israeli hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says. He named one of them as Yair (Yaya) Yaakov, 59, who was killed inside his home at Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023. His teenage sons, Or and Yagil, and his partner, Meirav Tal, were abducted alive and released in November 2023, as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Netanyahu said the name of the other hostage had not yet been released, but that their family had been informed. There are now 53 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive. News of the recovery of Yair Yaakov's body initially came from his sons. "Dad, I love you," Yagil wrote in a post on Instagram on Wednesday evening, according to the Haaretz newspaper. "I don't know how to respond yet. I'm sad to say this. I'm waiting for your funeral, I love you and knew this day would come." Yagil also thanked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Shin Bet internal security service and expressed hope that the remaining hostages "will be brought [back] in a deal that doesn't risk soldiers". Later, Netanyahu issued a statement saying: "Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I extend our deepest condolences to the families who have lost their most beloved." "I thank the soldiers and commanders for another successful execution of the sacred mission to return our hostages." The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents many hostages' families, said in a statement that it "bows its head in sorrow over the murder of Yaya and shares in the profound grief of the Yaakov family". "There are no words to express the depth of this pain," it added. "The hostages have no time. We must bring them all home, Now!" The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the 7 October attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. At least 55,104 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Left-wing antisemitism is swiftly surpassing the right
Left-wing antisemitism is swiftly surpassing the right

Miami Herald

time2 hours ago

  • Miami Herald

Left-wing antisemitism is swiftly surpassing the right

With the smoke still in the air from an Egyptian Muslim's terror attack that set non-violent Jewish protesters on fire in Boulder, Colorado, there's finally a critical mass of concern about growing violent antisemitic hate in America from somewhere other than conservatives. For my whole life antisemitism has been a fact of life for conservatives like me. Cranky retirees and bald-headed young people alike espoused conspiracy theories and hatred of Jews from the fringes of our political world. People like William F. Buckley fought to keep them out of the mainstream, but millions of conservatives voted for vile anti-Jewish haters like Pat Buchanan. So in 2018 it didn't come as a surprise that the man nearly my age who killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh was a right-wing crank who frequented Nazi-friendly social media sites like Gab and idolized the fringey Proud Boys. A couple years later when the Biden administration targeted the right for special attention from the Justice Department and the FBI for the potential violence of homegrown extremists, I didn't really object. Yes, there was left-wing violence like the 2017 attack on Republican congressmen at a bipartisan baseball game by a loopy old Bernie Sanders supporter, but it didn't seem like there was the same cesspool of violent hate on the left as there was on the right. That is changing. It turns out that while the Biden administration was on its politically convenient crusade against right-wing haters, they (and I) missed a parallel antisemitic culture of hate growing and metastasizing on the left. Left-wing extremism The Combat Hate Foundation, which takes reports of antisemitic incidents and categorizes them according to ideological motivation, found more than a 320% increase in left-wing antisemitic incidents from 2023 to 2024. 'The left-wing antisemitic movement has evolved into a global force,' the group writes. 'Radicalized social movements, media disinformation campaigns, and efforts to target Jewish communities under the guise of anti-Israel activism have primarily fueled this increase,' the group said. The recent murder of a soon-to-be engaged couple outside the Capital Jewish Museum is an example of such left-wing antisemitism. The alleged killer, who shouted 'Free, free Palestine!' after his attack, has ties to left-wing socialist, anti-war and anti-racist groups. Most of the nearly 4,329 incidents of left-wing antisemitism in 2024 were not so brutal, primarily involving hate speech or vandalism and not violence. Combat Hate Foundation The Combat Hate Foundation, which is funded by a donor who also funds Republican political campaigns, has a record of calling out antisemitism on both the right and the left. Indeed, the latest report says violence is more common in right-wing attacks, but the number of such events fell by half in 2024 to 461 as left-wing incidents exploded into view with campus chants of 'Globalize the intifada,' a common refrain that implies a tolerance for violence. The Combat Hate Foundation is not alone in its concern. The more-traditional and left-leaning Anti-Defamation League also raised alarms in a 2020 email about antisemitism on the left, including among Black Lives Matter leaders. The most recent attack in Boulder stems from the third font of antisemitism, radical Islam. The Egyptian-born attacker, who allegedly planned his atrocity for more than a year, carried his hatred for Jews from the Middle East, where it is both common and government-backed, to a new home in America where he overstayed a visa and then sought refugee status. This source of antisemitism, too, is rising, according to the Combat Hate Foundation. America has been a safe home for Jews for centuries. It is tragic that they now face the old threat from the right along with rising threats on the left and from Islamists who benefit from very American religious tolerance that they refuse to share with Jews.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store