What did Shellyne Rodriguez post? NYC Professor who held machete to reporter's neck in May fired over recent anti-Israel rant

Professor Shellyne Rodriguez, who held a machete to a reporter's neck last May, has been fired from her teaching position at Cooper Union in Manhattan. The termination reportedly stems from Rodriguez's anti-Israel comments on social media, marking the latest in a series of controversies surrounding the professor.

Shellyne Rodriguez shared an alleged email on January 23, 2024, in which she claimed that she got fired as she shared a social media post in which she used the word 'Zionists.' The email's screenshot was shared on Instagram by Cooper Union Students for Justice in Palestine, where Rodriguez labeled the decision to fire her as "fascism," urging students to stay strong and brave.

Rodriguez also shared a post on Instagram in which she said that she was fired over public comments about Zionists. She had also participated in a CUNY for Palestine panel in January, where she advocated for protesting against landlords and business people with ties to Israel. Critics argued that she used anti-Semitic tropes during the discussion.

Shellyne's Instagram post (Image via snip from Instagram/@_shellyne_)

Screenshots obtained by The Post also revealed Rodriguez posting a flyer for a pro-Israel event edited with cockroaches on her Instagram, with a derogatory caption targeting former Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr.

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Shellyne Rodriguez is no longer listed as an adjunct on Cooper Union's faculty page

While the college spokesperson declined to comment on personnel matters, Rodriguez is no longer listed as an adjunct on Cooper Union's faculty page.

The firing has triggered mixed reactions, with the pro-Palestinian student group condemning it as an "intense escalation of repression." They defended Rodriguez for speaking out against "genocide and settler-colonial violence."

On the other hand, some, like Jeffrey Lax, a CUNY law professor and co-founder of Students and Faculty for Equality at CUNY, expressed relief at the termination, citing Rodriguez's "despicable" comments during the CUNY panel.

Rodriguez was previously fired from Hunter College and the School of Visual Arts in Chelsea after the machete incident. At that time, she also pleaded guilty to harassment and menacing in connection with the attack on the reporter.

The news of her getting fired also comes amidst broader tensions at Cooper Union, where Jewish students were allegedly forced to barricade themselves in the library as pro-Palestinian protesters aggressively pounded on the doors. Rodriguez's history of organizing anti-police demonstrations in 2020 adds to the controversial backdrop of her career.

The pro-Palestinian student group criticized the decision to fire Shellyne Rodriguez. They said it's like making things much worse, and they believe everyone should stand against it.

The group sent a letter to the school, saying they think the school made a big mistake by letting Shellyne Rodriguez go. They think she is an important teacher for the students and the community, and they support her for talking against what she calls "genocide and settler-colonial violence."