Two Brooklyn College volleyball players kneeled during playing of the Israeli national anthem at a game against Yeshiva University, a private Jewish educational institution in New York City, earlier this week.

In doing so the players, identified as Hunnan Butt and Omar Rezika, seemed to echo similar examples of athletes making political protests during the US anthem, most notably the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Reports of the incident surfaced amid a rightwing push to suppress criticism of Israel and the occupation of Palestine at US public universities. Brooklyn College is a public institution.

First reported by the Yeshiva University Observer, a student newspaper, the incident unfolded immediately before the game.

Normally at Yeshiva, players stand for both the Star Spangled Banner and Israel’s national anthem, the Hatikvah, the Yeshiva paper said. On 23 February, however, Butt and Resika “turned and knelt on the ground, remaining in that position for the duration of the [Israeli] anthem”.

A brief video clip posted to Twitter showed two students kneeling.

Yeshiva University’s president, Ari Berman, told the Yeshiva paper it was “unfortunate that some members of the opposing team disrespected Israel’s national anthem”.

He said: “We are proud to be the only university who sings both the American and Israeli national anthems before every athletic competition and major event. Nothing makes me prouder to be an American than living in a country where our religious freedom, our Zionism and our commitment to our people will never be impeded and always be prized.”

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, meanwhile, said in a statement: “At a time of increased antisemitism in our country, including on the streets of Brooklyn, New York, we demand to know what steps Brooklyn College intends to take with regard to this display of antisemitism by members of its volleyball team. The ball is in their court.”

Several outlets said on Twitter the two players refused to shake hands with Yeshiva’s players. Both colleges denied such claims.

On Twitter, Yeshiva’s athletics department replied: “Please rest assured that if anything like that should ever occur we would handle it through the proper channels.”

A spokesperson for Brooklyn College told the Yeshiva paper it “strongly condemns all forms of antisemitism and hatred. The two students who knelt during the national anthem did not refuse to shake hands with players from the other team. Their kneeling is protected by the first amendment.”

The two Brooklyn students could not immediately be reached for comment.

The practice of kneeling in protest before sporting events became a flashpoint in US culture and politics when Kaepernick did so in 2016. His actions had a dramatic impact on debate surrounding police violence, politics and racism.

Kaepernick has been without a team after leaving the 49ers at the conclusion of the 2016 season. He settled a claim that NFL team owners colluded to bar him from the league over his political position.

• This article was amended on 24 March 2020 to change the word “ban” in the standfirst and third paragraph to “suppress”.