NYU Law Student Group Leader Loses Job Offer After Anti-Israel Letter

NEW YORK CITY, NY — A New York University law student who also serves as president of the Student Bar Association has lost a job offer from a law firm after sending out a newsletter saying Israel "bears full responsibility" for the Hamas attack.

The full newsletter—written by Ryna Workman—was archived and shared in its entirety on X, formerly known as Twitter, by The Atlantic journalist Yair Rosenberg.

"I want to express, first and foremost, my unwavering and absolute solidarity with Palestinians in their resistance against oppression toward liberation and self-determination," Workman wrote, in part. "This regime of state-sanctioned violence created the conditions that made resistance necessary."

In response, the lawn firm Winston & Strawn LLP shared a statement on their X account saying that they had rescinded a job offer for Workman, who they said was also a former summer associate.

"These comments are profoundly in conflict with Winston & Strawn's values," the firm wrote, in part.

The dean of NYU's School of Law also condemned Workman's message, writing that the message "was not from NYU School of Law as an institution and does not speak for the leadership of the Law School."

"It certainly does not express my own views, because I condemn the killing of civilians and acts of terrorism as always reprehensible," Dean Troy McKenzie wrote, adding that he has been "working with administrators to provide support to students, faculty, and alumni who have been affected by this crisis."

Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007, launched an attack inside Israel over the weekend, killing hundreds and taking others hostage while seizing settlements. Its unprecedented breach of the border sent fighters inside border communities and military installations, shocked Israel and its allies, and raised questions about the group's capabilities and strategy.

The U.S. State Department designated Hamas a terrorist group in 1997. The European Union and other Western countries also consider it a terrorist organization.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.