NJ university forced to cancel celebratory LGBTQ event

✡ A Jewish organization at Seton Hall was forced to cancel an event

✡ Their "Drag Queen Bingo" was supposed to be a celebration

✡ Hate messages deemed the event unsafe

SOUTH ORANGE — A student-run Jewish organization at Seton Hall, the state’s largest Catholic university, had to cancel its “Drag Queen Bingo” event scheduled for Tuesday night after it received hateful messages.

Seton Hall Hillel, located on the university’s South Orange campus, had the LGBTQ-themed “Drag Queen Bingo” event scheduled for 6 p.m. last night.

But the organization put out a message on its Instagram page Monday night, cancelling the celebratory event due to what was described as “unacceptable, hateful messages” received by members.

While the group did not disclose the specific threats, they did release the following statement on their social media post.

“With deep disappointment, we must announce the cancellation of Tuesday’s 'Drag Queen Bingo' event. Hillel GMW and Hanukah Lewinsky made this decision out of abundance of caution and care for the safety and well-being of our students, community, and performer.
What was meant to be a joyful (belated) celebration of Purim—a holiday that embraces resilience, Jewish pride, inclusivity, and joy—instead became a target for hostility as our Hillel community received unacceptable, hateful messages in response. While we regret that we must cancel this program, our commitment to fostering a vibrant and welcoming Jewish community remains steadfast.
We are grateful to Seton Hall administration for their continued support of our work in building Jewish spaces and for standing with us during this difficult decision. We appreciate the enthusiasm of those who looked forward to this event and hope to create future opportunities to celebrate together in a welcoming environment.”

Seton Hall Hillel, aims to unify and build a strong foundational community for Jewish students on campus through educational, social, religious, cultural, and community programming.

Besides Seton Hall, Hillel of Greater MetroWest NJ serves multiple campuses in New Jersey, including Rutgers Newark, Montclair State University, and Kean University.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom