by Patrick McDonald in the Campus Reform
A group of more than two thousand Jewish rabbis has recently called for the resignation or removal of Columbia University President Minouche Shafik.
“Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), representing over 2,500 traditional, Orthodox rabbis in American public policy, today called for Columbia President Minouche Shafik to resign or be fired by the Board of Trustees,” CJV announced on its website on July 11.
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The group cited Shafik’s mishandling of the text-messaging scandal that has plagued Columbia in recent weeks.
The Columbia administration decided to continue employing three deans who were texting each other during a “Jewish Life on Campus” event, denigrating and downplaying concerns about anti-Semitism on campus.
The deans complained about what they saw as the “privilege” of certain Jewish students at the school, and, while referencing a Jewish Hillel leader on campus, wrote that he “knows exactly what he’s doing and how to take full advantage of this moment. Huge fundraising potential.”
CJV also contended that Columbia’s present alleged unwillingness to address anti-Semitism on campus is particularly dismaying because it marks a departure from what CJV sees as a previously “tolerant and welcoming” environment for “Jewish students and faculty.”
“This situation is especially disturbing for CJV Vice President Rabbi Dov Fischer and CJV Israel Regional Vice President Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, as both are Columbia alumni and remember when the school was both tolerant and welcoming for Jewish students and faculty,” CJV explained in its statement.
Rabbi Steven Pruzansky also accused the Ivy League institution of “bigotry” and “double standards” for failing to properly address anti-Semitic discrimination.
“The bigotry and double standards are blatant, and entirely at odds with the experiences that I and others had at Columbia in the past,” Pruzansky argued. “Imagine if something like this had happened during a session when Black, Latino, Pacific Islander, or LGBTQ faculty and students were speaking about hostility they faced on campus. Any faculty dismissing their concerns, much less ridiculing them or sharing hateful sentiments, would find themselves unemployed without delay.”
“But regarding antisemitism, President Shafik demonstrates the very ‘lack of seriousness’ she claims to decry,” Pruzansky concluded. “It is clear that all four who exchanged antisemitic messages, plus Shafik herself, must be removed from the faculty and replaced by others committed to opposing and preventing hate against Jews and all other campus minorities.”
Campus Reform has contacted Columbia University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
Originally published in the Campus Reform