Skidmore College – Defacement of Posters for Talk by American‑Israeli Journalist and Former Israeli Military Spokesman

Summary

On February 23, 2026, Skidmore College officials discovered that posters promoting a campus talk by American‑Israeli journalist and former Israeli military spokesman Gil Hoffman, scheduled for February 24, had been defaced with antisemitic images and tropes, including horns and other animal depictions. The dean of students sent a message to the community saying the incident was under review under the student code of conduct and nondiscrimination policies and that harmful messages were not welcome. City police were not involved in the investigation.

The lecture on February 24 went ahead as planned. The event had been organized by students, reportedly including members of a campus group that supported engagement on international affairs, and was backed by administrative offices. Members of the Skidmore Coalition for Palestine attended the event with signs and posted on social media that they did not condone the vandalism but objected to the college president’s sponsorship of Hoffman’s talk, citing his record defending Israeli actions in Gaza and criticizing Western media coverage of that war.

Hoffman wrote in an email to reporters that the room was full and that the protesters “mocked me and regularly expressed anti‑Israel slurs,” but that he “kept my cool, expressed empathy and answered questions calmly for more than an hour.” College officials reiterated their commitment to respect, inclusion, and support for students affected by the incident, and said the investigation would determine whether any student conduct action was warranted in response to the defacement of the posters.