Cornell professor Russell Rickford ‘exhilarated’ by Hamas attack on Israel

Cornell University is facing calls to fire a professor who declared he was “exhilarated” by the deadly surprise Hamas attack on Israeli civilians, the latest U.S. college grappling with outrage over pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel activism on its campus.

Russell Rickford, an associate professor of history, declared at a pro-Palestinian rally Sunday at the Ithaca Commons in Ithaca, New York, that “Hamas has shifted the balance of power” and “Hamas has challenged the monopoly of violence.”

“It was exhilarating. It was exhilarating, it was energizing,” said Mr. Rickford in a video posted by the Cornell Daily Sun, the student newspaper. “And if they weren’t exhilarated by this challenge to the monopoly of violence, by this shifting of the balance of power, then they would not be human. I was exhilarated.”

At least two online petitions calling for his dismissal have been posted by Cornell alumni and others. They include a post on iPetitions by student Shira Ben-Ami that has gathered more than 3,000 signatures.

“All members of the Cornell community should feel safe and welcome within our halls,” the petition said. “There is never a justification for terrorism. We urge the Cornell University administration to consider our petition and uphold our institution’s esteemed values and ethical standards by dismissing Professor Russell Rickford.”

Cornell President Martha Pollack issued a statement Monday that condemned messages “glorifying the evilness of Hamas terrorism” without mentioning Mr. Rickford.

She and Cornell Board of Trustees Chairman Kraig Kayser followed up Tuesday with a message that named Mr. Rickford and said the university is “taking this incident seriously and is currently reviewing it consistent with our procedures.”

“We learned yesterday of comments that Professor Russell Rickford made over the weekend at an off-campus rally where he described the Hamas terrorist attacks as ‘exhilarating,’” they said in a joint statement. “This is a reprehensible comment that demonstrates no regard whatsoever for humanity.”

Mr. Rickford appears to have spoken at a “Stop Israel’s Annexation of Gaza” rally sponsored by the Cornell chapter of the Students for Justice in Palestine, a national group that has celebrated the bloody Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, a recognized foreign terrorist organization.

“Join us tomorrow in the commons with local based groups to demand an end to the genocide and occupation,” said the group’s post on Instagram.

Other major U.S. universities hit with blowback include Harvard, where 31 student groups signed a letter blaming Israel for the Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians, including women and children.

The University of Pennsylvania is witnessing a donor revolt over alleged antisemitism on campus that has seen a bevy of prominent benefactors vow to stop giving until the president and chairman of the board resign.

Cornell University Professor Russell Rickford speaking about Hamas terrorist attacks. Shameful @Cornell. pic.twitter.com/xv1dTqGymy

— Sam Aberman (@samaberman) October 15, 2023

Mr. Rickford’s biography on the Cornell website says that he “specializes in African-American political culture after World War II, the Black Radical Tradition, and transnational social movements.”

In his Sunday comments, Mr. Rickford said he abhorred violence and targeting civilians, but still found the Hamas attack “energizing.”

“[T]here are many Gazans of good will, many Palestinians of conscience who abhor violence—as do you, as do I—who abhor the targeting of civilians—as do you, as do I—who were able to breathe,” Mr. Rickford said. “They were able to breathe for the first time in years. It was exhilarating, it was exhilarating, it was energizing.”

George Washington University Law School professor Jonathan Turley said that Cornell is reaping what it has sown.

“Cornell was eager to add Rickford to its ranks as it has other far-left faculty,” Mr. Turley tweeted. “At the same time, it gradually eliminated the conservative faculty voices. Rickford has long been the ideal, not the aberration, in hiring.”