A rabbi serving Hillel at Emory University in Georgia lost her position in August after her fiance shared online critiques of Israel, the rabbi Nikki Golomb told Jewish Currents on Thursday.

Golomb said she joined Emory Hillel on July 1 and was let go by the nonprofit running Hillels across Georgia on August 3.

“There were no questions, no conversation, nothing about me or my politics or anything I’ve done,” Golomb said. “It was just about the fact that I am in a relationship with people who are critical of Israel.”

Golomb's fiance, Sam Stein, identifies on Instagram as a protective presence activist and journalist with a large following. He often shares content from the West Bank, such as videos showing settler violence.

“I don’t think that Sam’s politics are relevant to my job, and they’re certainly not relevant to my ability to do the job that they hired me to do,” Golomb said.

Prior to her hiring, Golomb noted that Hillel had stressed the importance of Israel, Zionism, and support for Zionist students in the role. “That’s something I was prepared to do,” she said, adding that she maintains a deep connection to the land of Israel even with her fiance's activism.

Hillel worried Marcus Foundation might end support over pro-Palestine activity

Golomb reported that Hillel Georgia CEO Larry Sernovitz informed her the Marcus Foundation, a key Hillel donor, could withdraw funding if it discovered her engagement to Stein.

She also stated she would receive no severance pay following the dismissal.

In response to Jewish Currents, Sernovitz said the employment decision followed federal and state law without violating any policy, describing it as based on legitimate work-related reasons aligned with organizational guidelines.

Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, director emeritus of UCLA Hillel, called Golomb's firing an act of political cancellation and intolerance.