FW: full set of disruption videos; two first-person accounts
Ernest Sternberg
Dear Saranac friends, For those who are interested in antisemtic happenings at UB, I’m sending along email sent to the UB association of Jewish Factly, Staff and Friends. You can watch the videos of what happened at UB by clicking on the link. If this is not your interest, please just disregard. Shabbat Shalom to all. Enie
From: Ernest Sternberg <e...@buffalo.edu>
Sent: Friday, April 17, 2026 12:39 PM
To: Ernest Sternberg <e...@buffalo.edu>
Subject: full set of disruption videos; two first-person accounts
2026 April 15--Disruption Videos
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
As I mentioned, on April 15, the day (subject to the traditional Jewish calendar) in which Israel memorializes the Holocaust, two Israeli reservists—invited by the UB group Students Supporting Israel--spoke of their struggles in the wake of October 7th t. The event was extensively disrupted.
With help from a friend, I have figured out how to load all eight disruption videos into a folder and to share these with you. If you click on the link above, and wait 3-4 seconds, you should see the set of all eight. The first two are taken indoors are especially revealing. They show active interference by masked disruptors, so in my mind do not represent free speech, but rather the suppression of speech. The outside agitators were shouted and mocked, in ways meant to be taken as intimidating, and further disrupted with bullhorns.
I will be writing again to comment on the implications for UB policy. In the meantime, I think Dick Laub, who has been a faculty member at UB,and Michal Lewis, who has recently graduated from UB and whose child is considering study at UB, for sharing these first-person accounts.
FROM RICHARD LAUB
Hi Ernie,
Here's what I hope is an appropriate version of my impressions. Feel free to send it to your group, and to use my name.
This past Tuesday I, as a member of the community, attended a talk at UB presented by two Israeli soldiers. It was sponsored by Students Supporting Israel, a Student Association-recognized group. Anticipating trouble, a large contingent of campus police was present. There was a sizable and very noisy crowd in front of the campus building where the event was held, jeering and insulting people as they arrived to attend the talk. The police kept this crowd corralled behind a barrier next to the entrance to prevent physical situations.
A fair number, perhaps 25, of those demonstrators came in to the talk, wearing keffiyas with their faces covered. Once the talk began they engaged in disruptive behavior, initially talking and laughing loudly, and eventually getting up in groups to yell insults and accusations at the speakers. The campus police did an excellent job of removing each disruptive group in turn until eventually they were all gone. It was obvious that their actions were completely organized. Throughout all this the two soldiers did not lose their cool, and conducted themselves with calm dignity.
On this occasion there was a heavy security presence, and no reason for fear. However, I
thought of the Jewish students at Columbia University who had to navigate among hostile people and barriers at the so-called protest encampments without that support. Similarly, those who encounter intimidation at “Apartheid Week” and other events on campuses across our country. I suspect they felt less reassured.
Here are some take-aways from this experience.
First, while there was no physical violence, the protestors behaved in a very intimidating manner. At least one person, who arrived too late to be admitted (for security, I understand the doors were closed immediately upon the start of the talk) expressed a feeling of personal danger. This is not surprising, considering that at similar demonstrations on other campuses there have been occasional attacks against visibly Jewish individuals.
Second, the protestors who entered the building, ostensibly to attend the talk, sought to interfere with the freedom of speech of the two speakers, and the freedom of the audience to listen and evaluate what was said. They would have had the opportunity to express their opinions in the inevitable question-and-answer session following the talk. Instead, they chose guerrilla theater, and tried to take away other people's rights.
Who won this round? That depends.
I n my personal opinion, those who came to hear what the speakers had to say benefitted from the talk and from the extensive opportunity for questions that followed. Fortunately, the removal of the disruptors left a good amount of time for both components of the event. The disruptors clearly left a bad taste in the mouths of the attendees, and the conduct of the security personnel was highly professional and in accord with that was needed to secure the rights of those attending. In this sense, Students Supporting Israel, the speakers, and the genuine audience all won.
However, if the conduct and tactics of the disruptors intimidates members of the University and wider community and discourages them from attending future events, if it cows them into silence and non-participation, then the disruptors will have won the day.
It all depends...
Richard Laub
FROM MICHAL LEWIS (the ellipses below are in the original)
Hi Ernie,
I attended the event and took some of the videos . I called the UB admission office and the dean of students and shared my experience. I could not believe that this kind of behavior is allowed on campus another the cover of Free Speech.
I just graduated from UB with a second MA in mental health counseling and my daughter was accepted to the engineering honors program . How can a Jewish student feel safe in UB?
I have a whole different perspective on UB after the Tuesday event. The police were wonderful and kept us safe but we were yelled at, mocked and threatened with chants like "One two three Four don't want Zionist No more" or "baby killers" .
The F word and the middle finger was heard and seen often when we asked them to lower their voices politely so we could hear the presentation. When they screamed, the police took them out not before they screamed and told us to F off while giving us the middle finger. I spoke to the peacekeeper who asked them to sit but did not ask them not to interrupt or use proper language. It's free speech she said ...When I got out of the parking lot they blocked me and called me names while giving me the middle finger.
Safety comes first in any school and especially in a state funded school and when this kind of protesting is allowed how can Jews feel safe? I would never expect anything like that from UB. My family went through a massacre in Iraq and the students' faces covered with Keffiyehs looked like they were ready to hurt us.
This was a traumatizing experience for me. I am looking into setting up a meeting with a UB representative .
Thank you for advocating and being pro-active.
Michal Lewis
The present email was sent to members of the UB Association of Jewish Faculty, Staff and Friends by
Ernest Sternberg
Presidnet, UB Association of Jewish Faculty, Staff and Friends
Professor, Urban & Regional Planning
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University at Buffalo
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Tel: 716-829-5880 checked every few days