 NEW YORK (Press Release) — Anti-Israel protesters have destroyed university property and have disrupted lives across the country.
Top Stories UC Santa Cruz. “Several hundred” protesters blocked entrances to the University of California, Santa Cruz campus on Tuesday, prompting the University to move classes for the Banana Slugs online through Thursday. In a statement, Chancellor Cynthia Larive described the protests as an “extremely dangerous effort to cause intentional harm to our campus community.” Larive added: “Members of our community were unable to leave campus to pick up their children, to access medical care off campus, to show up to off-campus jobs, to leave campus after an early morning shift or to come onto campus for an afternoon or evening shift.” City College. Anti-Israel protests have cost City College of the City University of New York (CUNY) more than $3 million in damages and added security, according to recent testimony from the University’s chief operating officer. That includes damages from a protester who tossed a flare onto the roof of a campus building ($300,000), vandalism like broken windows and furniture ($250,000), and spray-painted surveillance cameras ($600,000), as well as added costs for fencing and contracted security to support the CUNY safety officers. As the head of the New York City Council Higher Education Committee noted to 1010 WINS, this is money “that should be going to our academic institution and lifting up our students.” Harvard. Harvard University has announced that University officials will no longer take official positions on policy issues. The statement comes after the release of a report from the University’s “Institutional Voice” working group that advised officials to stop making “official statements about public matters that do not directly affect the university’s core function.” ADL’s take: “ADL will judge Harvard’s new policy of neutrality based on its execution. But this policy will not absolve the University from having allowed antisemitism to fester on campus, which will continue to directly affect the institution’s core function of research, teaching & learning if the university doesn’t do better.” DEEPER: In an op-ed in the New York Times, Noah Feldman and Alison Simmons, Harvard professors and members of the working group, argue this new policy is not an attempt to advantage one perspective or another but to spare universities from having to engage on highly politicized issues. They emphasize that as an action rather than statement, the working group saw making a recommendation on divestment as outside of their mandate. Princeton. During Tuesday’s commencement ceremony at New Jersey’s Princeton University, a “few dozen” protesters stood and turned their backs to President Christopher Eisgruber during his commencement speech, while “a handful” of students from the graduate section walked out of the ceremony entirely, and “at least three groups of spectators draped flags or banners with pro-Palestinian slogans from the stadium’s upper tier.” The Daily Princetonian also reported that the University was holding back two seniors’ degrees due to their involvement in an anti-Israel protest at an alumni event held by Eisgruber last week. And in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Princeton’s Nassau Hall was vandalized with red paint and a spray-paint message that said: “Tragic Accident, Genocide Denial.” Murray State. Ihsan Alkhatib, an associate professor of Political Science and Sociology at Kentucky’s Murray State University, posted a hate-filled antisemitic thread on X/Twitter Tuesday filled with antisemitic tropes such as the “tentacles of the Jew lobby” controlling the United States. We can disagree about the policies of Israel or its action, but there is no place for antisemitic slurs on campus or online. Professor Alkhatib fails at this miserably. |
| Campus Champions
Home Not Alone. On Friday, college students from Illinois’ 10th congressional district in suburban Chicago met in a roundtable discussion with Congressman Brad Schneider to discuss antisemitism on campus. While some students expressed frustration that at their universities “rule breakers and perpetrators of hate are rewarded,” others praised how their school handled this past semester. One student from Vanderbilt recounted that a classmate told him: “there’s a lot more people who support you than you think.” Schooling Education. Amid a historic rise in on-campus antisemitism, Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and James Lankford (R-OK) wrote to the U.S. Department of Education on Monday to demand a report on the dozens of investigations into antisemitism that are still pending under the Office of Civil Rights, including “reasons why each pending complaint has not been resolved and an estimated timeframe for the resolution of the complaint.” In this letter, the two Senators — who are co-chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism — also urged the Department to designate a senior official to oversee its efforts to combat antisemitism. TAKE ACTION: Tell the Department of Education to designate a senior official to oversee the agency’s efforts to counter antisemitic discrimination in higher education, as called for by the Countering Antisemitism Act. Ephin’ Good. An Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility at Williams College in Massachusetts rejected a petition filed in November by students to divest from companies that sell weapons, reconnaissance tools, or vehicles to the IDF. BDS efforts are divisive, harmful, and counterproductive; thanks, Williams! |
| Am Yisrael Chai 💪✡️
The Right Hoodie. Speaking at Yeshiva University’s Commencement ceremony yesterday, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) noted that the last graduation he attended was his own from Harvard University nearly 25 years ago. He then said: “Today, I have been profoundly disappointed with Harvard’s inability to stand up for the Jewish community.” Fetterman then dramatically removed the Harvard hood from his graduation robe. “For me personally, I do not fundamentally believe that it is right for me to wear this today,” he said to a standing ovation. A Show About Something. On a Tuesday episode of Bari Weiss’s podcast, “Honestly,” comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who has been vocal in his support for Israel since October 7th, spoke about his December trip to Israel in which he visited Kibbutz Be’eri and met with freed hostages, calling it “the most powerful experience of my life.” When asked about anti-Israel protesters at his shows, Seinfeld cracked a joke, saying, “They don’t seem to understand that, as comedians, we really don’t control anything.” Fashion for a Cause. Re’ut Schwaber, a Fashion Institute of Technology graduate, walked across her graduation stage with a “Bring Them Home” hostage necklace, a painted yellow pin on her gown, and a Star of David on her cap. We like her sense of style!
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(Chicago, IL, May 30, 2024) – Major Jewish organizations have united to demand the immediate removal of Northwestern University President Michael H. Schill and Board of Trustees Chair Peter J. Barris. This call comes in response to the controversial April 29, 2024 agreement between President Schill, Chair Barris, and pro-terror encampment leaders, whose protest has been critically compared by Congress to past Ku Klux Klan (KKK) rallies.
The announcement follows numerous federal, state, civil, and administrative complaints against Northwestern, Schill, and Barris including:
January 23, 2024: Investigation by the U.S. Dept. of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR).
February 25, 2024: Student requests a Congressional investigation on antisemitism.
April 25, 2024: Jewish student reporter is assaulted at newly formed encampment.
May 1, 2024: Student-led lawsuit filed in Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois.
May 1, 2024: Resignation of all Jewish members of Northwestern’s Antisemitism Committee.
May 10, 2024: Launch of the Congressional investigation.
May 13, 2024 Qatar & Al Jazeera investigative report.
May 20, 2024: Student-led Title VI U.S. federal lawsuit filed in Northern District of Illinois.
May 21, 2024: Northwestern University Police violations of Clery Act investigative report.
May 23, 2024: Schill’s Congressional witness testimony and Congressional statement on Northwestern’s “refusal to cooperate” and condemnation of Schill of “obstruction.”
President Schill’s testimony before Congress on May 23, 2024, underscored significant leadership challenges at Northwestern University. Through his short tenure of less than two-years, concerns regarding antisemitism, discrimination, racism and xenophobia have been repeatedly raised. Schill has neither enforced Northwestern’s Code of Conduct, nor proposed any credible solution to address these issues.
Chair Peter J. Barris served as Chair of the 2022 Presidential Search Committee that hired President Schill, along with the Board of Trustees, has continued to support Schill despite increasing allegations of racism. Calls have been made for Barris to hold the Schill administration accountable.
Moreover, Barris did not consult with the entire Board regarding the April 29, 2024 agreement. The agreement introduced governance changes involving the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees (creating a path for BDS) and also required Northwestern to undertake significant financial expenditures, creating financial liabilities. The agreement should have required unanimous consent from the Board.
The organizations urge the Board to remove Barris in accordance with Northwestern’s Bylaws and Statutes. Additionally, the Board is urged to use the rights allotted by Northwestern’s Statutes to discontinue the Al Jazeera joint venture, which trains students at the Qatar Campus (NU-Q) to legitimize antisemitic, anti-Israel, and anti-American narratives in Western media.
Congress’ Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx expressed strong disapproval of Schill’s testimony: “I’m appalled by the condescension and contempt you’ve shown for the committee and towards your own Jewish students. You’ve refused to answer basic questions on topics…you’ve given misleading answers that contradict the words of the agreement you signed.”
President Schill’s Congressional testimony and prior public statements indicate inconsistencies regarding several critical issues, such as the status of the encampment, police availability to remove trespassers from university property, consultation with Jewish stakeholders, and funding received from Qatar.
President Schill and Northwestern are also defendants in a $130mm lawsuit filed by a former football coach. Initially, Schill imposed a two-week suspension on the coach, but under public pressure, he later terminated the coach’s employment. This incident raises questions about the administration’s consistency in applying disciplinary measures in accordance with Northwestern’s Policies & Procedures.
The groups call for the appointment of an Independent Monitor (“Monitor”) to combat antisemitism at Northwestern. This Monitor, to be jointly selected by the Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern (CAAN) and two leading Chicago-based Jewish organizations, would focus on resolving discriminatory complaints, enforcing policies, and coordinating training and education.
This announcement follows:
April 30, 2024: Letter from American Jewish Committee (AJC) which strongly criticized Schill for succumbing to the demands of a mob and failing to enforce University rules and policies.
May 1, 2024: Letter from Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation which called for Schill’s resignation.
May 1, 2024: Letter from ADL, StandWithUs, and The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law which called for Schill’s resignation.
May 1, 2024: Letter from The Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF) which strongly criticized Schill for abandoning Jewish students and conceding to protesters’ demands.
May 23, 2024: Letter from ADL reiterating the call for Schill’s resignation.
May 23, 2024: Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY) called for Schill’s resignation.
May 24, 2024: Congressman Burgess Owens (UT) called for Schill’s resignation.
Investigative journalists at The Washington Free Beacon have extensively documented civil rights failures and governance lapses at Northwestern since November 2023.
The coalition includes Pastor Samuel Rodriguez, the lead pastor of New Season Church and president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, which represents over 42,000 churches. The coalition also includes Pastor Mario Bramnick, the president of the Latino Coalition for Israel.
Signed by:
Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF)
B’nai B’rith International (BBI)
Chicago Jewish Alliance (CJA)
Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern (CAAN)
Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM)
End Jew Hatred (EJH)
Israel Campus Coalition (ICC)
Israeli American Council (IAC)
Latino Coalition for Israel (LCI)
Lawfare Project
Leadership, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC)
Northwestern – Kellogg School of Management – The Jewish Business Association (JBA)
Northwestern – Pritzker School of Law – Jewish Law Students’ Association (JLSA
StandWithUs (SWU)
StandWithUs Center for Legal Justice (SCLJ)
World Jewish Congress – North America (WJC)