Elite NYC public school pressed for answers after DSA student group backs ‘Intifada Until Victory’

A radical left-wing student group at one of New York City's most selective public high schools is facing scrutiny after signing an Instagram statement declaring "Intifada Until Victory," prompting demands for accountability and questions about what city and school officials are doing to prevent similar incidents.

The Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter at Manhattan’s Stuyvesant High School, according to an advocacy group, shared the post a day after the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks that saw the murder of over 1,200 people, including American citizens. 

The post was also shared by several New York City DSA college chapters, including Hunter College, the New School, City College and Lehman College, according to Politico.

Michelle Ahdoot, speaking in a video shared by the Jewish advocacy movement #EndJewHatred, urged the public to demand accountability from school officials over the student group's involvement in the post.

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"This is not okay," Ahdoot said.

The group has called on Stuyvesant administrators and New York City Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels to address the post.

The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (NYC-DSA) responded to Fox News Digital's inquiry about the Stuyvesant group's involvement in the post.

"NYC-DSA was not involved in the planning or development of this post," NYC-DSA co-chair Grace Mausser told Fox News Digital.

"We also condemn attempts to attack high school students for political reasons," Mausser added.

The statement accused the Democratic Socialists of America’s New York City chapter of silencing students seeking to protest Mayor Zohran Mamdani over Israel. The signatories also criticized Mamdani’s decision to retain NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, describing her as a "Zionist billionaire."

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But it was the statement’s declaration of "Intifada Until Victory" that drew particular concern. "Intifada," an Arabic word meaning ‘to rise up,’ is associated with Palestinian uprisings against Israel, including the Second Intifada, when suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks killed a over a thousand Israeli civilians and seriously injured many more, according to the ADL. Some activists use the term to describe resistance to Israeli policies, while many Jews hear it as a call for violence.

Ahdoot, director of #EndJewHatred, told Fox News Digital that the phrase cannot be separated from its violent history.

"Intifada invokes Palestinian uprisings that included suicide bombings and deliberate attacks on civilians," she said. "In this context, ‘INTIFADA UNTIL VICTORY!’ is a call for violence against Jews and has NO place in a public school community."

The involvement of a high school chapter in a statement signed predominantly by college organizations has raised questions about the group's oversight, its relationship with Stuyvesant and what responsibility school administrators have when student political activity generates concerns about antisemitism.

The controversy follows previous reports of antisemitism at Stuyvesant. In May 2025, antisemitic graffiti was discovered in a boys' bathroom, prompting school administrators to condemn the vandalism and introduce additional security measures, according to the school’s student newspaper, The Stuyvesant Spectator. The newspaper reported that further antisemitic vandalism was discovered later that month.

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The latest dispute comes amid broader concerns about antisemitism in New York City public schools. An August 2026 report by United Jewish Teachers documented 250 antisemitic and anti-Israel incidents across the city's public schools between Oct. 2023 and July 2026, with nearly 65% involving direct acts such as harassment, vandalism, assaults or threats.

Questions now center on whether the YDSA chapter is officially recognized by Stuyvesant, whether it operates under faculty supervision, what oversight applies to its activities and whether administrators have taken any action since the post appeared.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Mayor Mamdani's office, Stuyvesant Principal Seung Yu and the NY Board of Education asking what action, if any, has been taken, who is responsible for overseeing the student group and what steps are being considered to prevent similar incidents. Neither had responded at the time of publication.

Asked about the lack of response her organization received from education officials, Ahdoot said, "The silence from the NYCDOE chancellor, school and central admin and BOE officials is, frankly, deafening," She added, "The lack of immediate action and acknowledgment of the Jewish community’s concerns points to the sheer lack of care and urgency when it comes to Jewish civil rights."

"Students deserve a learning environment free from Jew-hatred, and families deserve to know that school leadership takes their concerns seriously!" she said.

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With those questions still unanswered, Ahdoot's message to the public was clear: "Let’s apply public pressure to ensure that this situation gets the attention it needs and deserves."