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A University of Miami professor has apologized after a picture surfaced on social media last week showing her wearing a keffiyeh and Palestine-themed sash while teaching.
“I am truly sorry to those who were offended by my wearing of a sash in the class with the word Palestine on it,” Rachida Primov, a longtime senior lecturer at UM, said in a statement on Aug. 22, according to CBS News Miami. “I am not an antisemite, and the purpose of me wearing this sash was to show compassion and support for all civilian victims of this terrible war—both Palestinian and Israeli.”
Primov’s statement came one day after the nonprofit group StopAntisemitism posted the picture of Primov to its 317,300 followers on X, with the caption “How are Jewish students supposed to feel welcome?” It was reposted 2,700 times and received hundreds of comments, including many that disparaged Primov or called for her firing.
StopAntisemitism, which launched in 2018, aims to publicly expose antisemites so they “are met with real-world consequences including but not limited to job loss and school expulsions.”
It’s not clear what—if any—disciplinary action the university will take against Primov, but UM’s statement said she “inadvertently came at odds with its policies prohibiting political advocacy in the classroom,” and that administrators “swiftly” addressed it.
“The University of Miami is committed to free expression, academic excellence and intellectual inquiry, which rely on the civil, respectful exchange of ideas,” the statement said. “We will continue to swiftly address any instances that are not in keeping with our policies and our core values of respect, open mindedness and care that are essential to our culture here at the U.”
