The punishment of a graduate student for her pro-Palestine advocacy has propelled Indiana University's Jewish studies department into a tense dispute over free speech.

When interim director Gunther Jikeli took charge after an unusual change of leadership earlier this year, students and faculty were concerned his strongly held views on antisemitism would seep into the department's functioning. Now, those fears have compounded into claims that he is disregarding First Amendment and academic freedom rights.

In September, Jikeli removed a student with a pro-Palestine profile picture from a hybrid workshop because he claimed her Zoom photo included a "terrorist" and disrupted the event. In the months following, he rejected her travel funding, established a more restrictive online meeting poli

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