Addressing Lingering Antisemitism on College Campuses: Insights Following UPenn President Liz Magill's Resignation
UPenn President Liz Magill resigns amid mounting pressure However, addressing the persistent issue of antisemitism on esteemed college campuses remains a challenge
After months of increasing pressure, University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill announced her resignation on Saturday. However, her departure alone is not enough to address the growing incidents of antisemitism at some of the most prestigious universities in the nation.
Concerns about antisemitism have escalated in recent months, particularly following the October 7th terror attacks by Hamas in Israel and the subsequent Israeli response in Gaza. As tensions rise on campuses due to the war, universities are grappling with how to address issues related to freedom of speech, hate speech, and political debate. Meanwhile, alumni, donors, and business leaders have condemned university leaders for what they perceive as inaction in combating antisemitism on their campuses.
Mistrust and fear are compounded by the unsettling reality that Jewish students, faculty, and staff sense a looming danger within American institutions. "I have not felt secure on campus in recent weeks," confessed Talia Kahn, a grad student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to Jake Tapper during their conversation last month.
Government officials and lawmakers have taken action, with the Department of Education launching investigations into fourteen colleges and universities following the October 7 terror attacks. This includes Harvard and Penn, for discrimination related to shared ancestry, encompassing both Islamophobia and antisemitism.
Recently, Magill and representatives from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were summoned to testify before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Magill, along with Harvard University's Claudine Gay and MIT's Sally Kornbluth, faced significant criticism for their testimony, which failed to explicitly denounce calls for the genocide of Jews as violations of campus harassment and bullying codes. On Friday, a group of over 70 bipartisan members of Congress sent a letter to the boards of Penn, Harvard, and MIT, calling for the removal of Magill, Gay, and Kornbluth.
Gay has apologized for her comments in an interview with the Harvard Crimson.
Magills departure on Saturday was quickly followed by Scott Boks, who was the chairman of the board of trustees at Penn. However, it remains uncertain whether a chain of resignations will effectively appease upset donors or address incidents of discrimination on campus.
Donor backlash
Amid mounting tensions on college campuses, donors have issued ultimatums to Penn and Harvard, warning that they will pull their financial backing unless the institutions take meaningful action to address issues of antisemitism.
Since September, donors have been urging for Magills resignation due to the university's decision to allow speakers with a history of making antisemitic remarks to participate in the "Palestine Writes Literature Festival." The Brandeis Center recently filed civil rights complaints against Penn and Wellesley College, alleging inadequate response to the harassment of Jews, in violation of federal law.
Recently, two Jewish students at Penn filed a discrimination lawsuit against the school, claiming that it has become a place for strong anti-Jewish hatred, harassment, and discrimination. According to one of the plaintiffs, while wearing attire that identified her as Jewish, including a Star of David, she walked by a group of pro-Palestine protestors on campus on October 9.
Another Ivy League maelstrom
The lawsuit claims that a protestor shouted, "you are a dirty Jew, don't look at us," at her. Additional protestors joined in, taunting Davis with remarks such as, "keep walking you dirty little Jew," and "you know what you've done wrong," according to the complaint.
Harvard has faced controversy over allegations of antisemitism following the Israel-Hamas conflict, leading to criticism of the university president. On October 7, student groups released a statement blaming the Israeli government for Hamas attacks, which was met with strong criticism from business leaders and alumni. The coalition later clarified that they oppose violence against all civilians, regardless of nationality.
Gay released a statement three days after the coalition's letter, condemning the "terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas" and emphasizing that "no student group, not even 30 student groups, speaks for Harvard University or its leadership."
During a late October speech at Harvard's Jewish student organization, Gay revealed that she had formed an advisory group consisting of "faculty, staff, alumni, and religious leaders from the Jewish community" to address the presence of antisemitism on campus. She stated that the group would help to identify and address the various manifestations of antisemitism within the campus culture.
After her unsuccessful testimony in front of Congress on Tuesday, Rabbi David Wolpe, a visiting scholar at Harvard's Divinity School, declared his resignation from the organization. In a statement shared on X, previously known as Twitter, Wolpe expressed that "the prevailing ideology among far too many of (Harvard's) students and faculty, an ideology focused solely on notions of oppression that portray Jews as oppressors and inherently evil, is in fact evil itself."
He further stated, "Fighting against this dual set of ideologies requires more than just a committee or a single university."
CNNs Matt Egan and Nathaniel Meyersohn contributed to this report.
