Israeli Denied Entry to San Francisco Hackathon Over Military Service

Israeli software engineer Adam Levy, a veteran of the elite Unit 8200, was denied participation in a San Francisco hackathon due to his military background. The event organizer, Mustafa Benhenda, cited security concerns, specifically linking Levy's service to the 1998 Israeli operation that remotely detonated Hezbollah pagers and radios in Lebanon. Benhenda stated, "What happened in Lebanon should not happen in California," and expressed concern for the safety of other participants, many of whom are Lebanese and Palestinian.

Levy shared the exchange on X, where it gained significant traction with millions of views. Benhenda, founder of startup PiT-Inference and organizer of the "Build Your Agentic Investment Bank" hackathon, initially cited "security reasons" for Levy's rejection. When pressed, Benhenda elaborated on the pager incident, suggesting that electronic devices carried by participants could be triggered, and added that the safety of Lebanese and Palestinian attendees was a priority.

Tech Week, which had listed the hackathon, subsequently removed it from its official schedule, citing a violation of terms of use. However, the event's registration page remained active, and it appeared to be proceeding as planned. Benhenda later publicly invited Levy to a future hackathon in Tel Aviv, which Levy questioned as a potential threat, tagging the IDF and Mossad.

Benhenda further claimed that individuals involved in "electronic device booby-trapping" pose a danger to hackathons and questioned the loyalty of others based on their national symbols. The TRACE Initiative, a US watchdog group, alleged that Benhenda leads an anti-Israel Telegram group encouraging activities within Israel and has advised members to seek employment in Israeli tech companies. These claims have not been independently verified.

Levy reported receiving both hateful messages and strong support from the tech community, including venture capital firms like a16z, which withdrew its sponsorship from the event. He expressed pride in his military service, stating he built AI to protect Israeli citizens, and highlighted the growing antisemitism faced by Jews and Israelis in the US, noting a recent instance where a researcher at a leading AI company expressed support for Hamas.