Students at The New School in Manhattan voted Friday to strip funding from the campus Hillel chapter, a move critics condemned while university officials said has no binding authority.

The student senate approved the measure by majority vote, declaring Hillel “not in good standing” and alleging ties to “grave violations of international law” through its connection to Israel-related programming, according to the New York Post.

Hillel is an international Jewish campus organization with hundreds of chapters across the United States, providing religious, social, and cultural support for Jewish students.

In a lengthy report, student leaders argued that programs involving trips to Israel, including volunteer opportunities on military bases, make the broader student body “complicit” because student activity fees help fund campus groups.

“To continue to fund Hillel at the New School would mean that your student fees would be used to support violations of international law,” the statement says. “Our shared values require us to enforce our policies until Hillel agrees to affirm and abide by international law.”

The report also criticized participation in Birthright Israel trips.

University officials pushed back later Saturday, stating the vote does not carry administrative power.

“The student senate does not have the authority to determine the recognition, funding eligibility, or official status of registered student organizations. That authority rests with university administration,” a spokesperson said.

“Our Hillel chapter remains, as it always has been, in good standing, eligible for funding, and supporting Jewish life at The New School.”

It remains unclear whether the university will take disciplinary action against the student senators involved.

Jewish leaders and elected officials sharply criticized the vote. Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, said the move unfairly targets Jewish students.

“Hillel is not a political organization,” Treyger said, calling the decision “disgraceful and dangerous.”

“To target Hillel is to target Jewish identity and Jewish belonging on campus,” he continued. “Jewish students should not be forced to justify their identity, heritage, or communal spaces in order to participate in campus life. At a moment of rising antisemitism across the country, stripping recognition or funding from Jewish student life sends a chilling and unacceptable message.”

City Council Member Eric Dinowitz also condemned the vote.

“This is a direct attack on Jewish life on campus,” he wrote. “The New School must not allow the student senate to be weaponized to target their Jewish population.”

Jewish alumni voiced outrage as well, with some criticizing the university’s handling of the situation and warning of broader consequences.

Hillel International CEO Adam Lehman said Jewish students will continue to have access to the organization.

“Demonizing Hillel with false charges rooted in age-old antisemitic tropes is wrong, plain and simple,” Lehman said.

The New School’s Hillel chapter serves roughly 700 Jewish students, with modest student fees typically allocated to support campus programming.

While this marks the first known vote of its kind, similar efforts to cut ties with Hillel have surfaced at other universities following the October 7, 2023 attacks, including protests and boycott calls on multiple campuses.