Prof who threatened Jewish journalists keeps UC Davis job after claiming vile post was satire

An assistant college professor who sparked national outrage after posting that Jewish journalists “fear their bosses but they should fear us more” on social media will keep her job — following a nearly two-year investigation by officials at UC Davis.

Jemma DeCristo, who teaches American Studies and identifies as a black trans woman, posted on X on October 10, 2023 — three days after Hamas’s attack on Israel — threatening “Zionist journalists who spread propaganda & misiniformation” and their children. 

The post included a knife and blood-drop emojis and quickly drew condemnation once it circulated widely after Jason Bedrick, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, took to calling DeCristo out on X. 

DeCristo, however, claimed that the post was intended as satire, not a literal call for violence. She said it was “intended broadly to mimic and parody the tone of multiple October 10 posts, articles and statements by senior Israeli officials and journalists which [she] had seen dehumanizing Palestinian children in particular.” 

Hey @ucdavis, do you think it’s appropriate that one of your faculty advisors, @jemmaisOKeh, is publicly threatening to murder Jews at their homes and their children at their schools? pic.twitter.com/xAx97LHYbr

— Jason Bedrick (@JasonBedrick) October 19, 2023

DeCristo has not taught a class since October 2023 but has earned herself a place on Turning Point USA’s Professor Watchlist — which claims to unmask radical professors.

UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May suspended the faculty member without pay for one academic quarter.

“We reject all forms of violence, calls for violence and discrimination, as they are antithetical to the values of our university,” the May wrote in a letter to DeCristo.

DeCristo’s post caused widespread fear and anxiety among Jewish students, staff, and faculty, regardless of their views on Israel, and significantly disrupted campus operations, according to a UC Davis investigative report released this week.

In one of her interviews during the investigation, DeCristo says she views zionism and anti-semitism as two different concepts.

DeCristo declined to issue a public apology arguing “any time this matter comes up in the media, she gets more threats.” 

The Post contacted DeCristo for comment at her UC Davis email but did not receive an immediate response.

The report showed that donors were waiting to see how the investigation played out before deciding if they’d keep giving cash to the school.

Initially, donors threatened to withdraw financial support, and administrators fielded an influx of emails and calls.

Now that the investigation has allowed DeCristo to return, backlash is anticipated. 

The university saw significant pro-Palestinian protests and encampments in Spring 2024, particularly in May, with students demanding university divestment from Israel and companies involved in the conflict, leading to confrontations, and counterprotests. 

In March 2025, the Trump administration’s Department of Education sent letters to 60 universities, including the University of California, Davis, warning them of potential enforcement actions for failing to protect Jewish students on campus.

“The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.