Cornellians for Israel and Cornell Hillel released statements on Thursday condemning student coalition Students Not Bombs’ invitation of leftist political commentator and Twitch streamer Hasan Piker to speak on campus Thursday.
Hillel referred to Piker’s rhetoric as “hateful” and “antisemitic,” and his appearance as an act of “incitement.” Cornell Jewish Voice for Peace, one of the organizations hosting Piker, rejected the characterization of Piker as “antisemitic” in a Friday statement, disputing the notion that hosting Piker reflected hostility toward Jewish students.
Students Not Bombs is a coalition of student organizations comprising Jewish Voice for Peace, Students for Justice in Palestine and Young Democratic Socialists of America, who are urging Cornell to divest from Israel via a petition and on-campus demonstrations. The coalition announced on Sept. 15 that Piker will speak at Sage Chapel on Thursday.
Tickets for the free event sold out just hours after being released. The venue has a capacity of around 600 people.
The 35-year-old socialist streamer has 3.1 million followers on Twitch, where he has been active since 2018, streaming about leftist politics, his opinions on the news and his support for progressive movements, including “ICE out of L.A.” and “No Kings” rallies. He also advocates for Palestinian liberation and shares his views criticizing the Israeli government.
Piker has been the subject of controversy over several remarks, including stating that “America deserved 9/11” in 2019, calling ultra-Orthodox Jews “inbred” in 2025 and saying that Zionists should be treated like neo-Nazis.
CFI began its statement by stating, “[CFI] believes that our campus is at its best when students of every background can hear ideas they disagree with and engage with them seriously.”
It continued to express “disappointment” in Piker’s invitation to campus, arguing that the invitation itself amounts to an endorsement of his views.
“Inviting a speaker means choosing whom to elevate,” CFI wrote.
CFI pointed to controversial statements Piker has made, including calling for the assassination of Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), calling Zionism a “mental illness” and referring to the United States as “the top terrorist organization.”
Hillel similarly asserted its belief in the value of “disagreement, pluralism, and debate,” on campus but ultimately stated that Piker’s “hateful, antisemetic rhetoric is repulsive.”
Concerns over the event have been communicated to “university partners,” with whom Hillel remains in “ongoing contact,” according to the post.
Cornell JVP released its own statement on Friday, rejecting both the “characterization of Hasan Piker as antisemitic” and that Piker’s invitation “reflects hostility toward Jewish students.”
The statement acknowledged the “provocative language” Piker uses, but asserted that “criticism of Israel, Zionism, or U.S. support for Israel should not be treated as evidence of prejudice against Jews.”
Its post criticized the “conflation” of anti-Zionism as antisemitism, particularly when it is used within Jewish communities to “cast anti-Zionist Jews as threats to our own community.”
Both Hillel and JVP acknowledged that Piker’s appearance on Thursday will take place just four days after Yom Kippur, a Jewish holiday centered on reflection and repentance, and the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Hillel asked the organizers to “reflect” on the impact Piker will make on campus during Yom Kippur, while JVP wrote that the commitments of value during the days of Awe require the organization to stand by their hosting of the event.
CFI faced backlash last spring, when it invited former Israel Defense Force soldier Sam Fried to speak on campus. The invitation was subject to controversy and criticism, including from members of YDSA and JVP.
In a February interview with The Sun, YDSA co-chair Zoe Reisman ’29 criticized Cornell for allowing Fried on campus.
“If Cornell… is actually committed to pluralism it needs to refuse to legitimize military propaganda amid documented repression of Palestinian students and political expression on campus,” Reisman told The Sun.
Ezra Galperin ’27, a Cornellians for Israel member and Sun opinion columnist, told The Sun the difference between Fried and Piker’s invitations is that Piker calls for civilian violence.
“[Fried] participated in an operation that ultimately was not targeted at civilians, unlike Hasan Piker, who endorsed 9/11, an operation that was targeted exclusively at civilians,” Galperin said. “Hasan Piker loves death.”
Galperin stated that despite the organization’s disapproval, CFI has no intention to disrupt the event itself.
“If our members do attend the event, they are not going to disrupt the event, because, unlike SJP, we do not disrupt events that we don’t like,” Galperin said.
SJP has taken part in protesting several events on campus in the past, including the 2024 Statler Hall career fair protest and the 2025 “Pathways to Peace” protest, which resulted in 17 protestors being arrested or detained.
Hillel, JVP and SJP declined to give a comment to The Sun.
Mary Caitlin Cronin is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She is a news editor for the 144th Editorial Board and can be reached at mcronin@cornellsun.com.
