A fiery letter signed by hundreds of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) alumni has chastised the school for fostering a “national reputation for anti-Semitism,” as Jewish students claim pro-Palestinian groups are offering “rewards” for identifying them.
The document, signed by more than 700 Jewish alumni and MIT allies, accused the school of failing to condemn Kornbluth for failing to take sufficient action against anti-Semitism following his testimony at the Capitol last week.
“During congressional testimony on December 5, 2023, Chairman Kornbluth implied that calls for the genocide of Jews may not constitute intimidation and harassment under MIT’s code of conduct, depending on the context,” the letter said. governing body of the school, the MIT Corporation.
Kornbluth, who is Jewish, caused a “public uproar” when she was the “only president who did not apologize,” the letter charged.
According to the signatories, the president’s silence said it all.
Dr. Sally Kornbluth, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, testifies before the House Education and Workforce Committee on December 5, 2023, in Washington, D.C. AP
“Exactly what kind of message was the MIT Corporation trying to send to the MIT community, and especially its Jewish members, with such a statement at odds with the overwhelming majority of the public?” says the letter.
“We are alarmed to see that MIT has earned a national reputation for anti-Semitism under President Kornbluth, rather than for academic excellence, and has joined an ignominious group of universities currently fighting anti-Semitism in their campus”.
A ceasefire protest took place on the MIT campus on Wednesday, attended by about 150 people, both students and non-students. One witness said students at the rally called the Israel Defense Forces’ actions in Gaza a “genocide” and argued that anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism.
Dana Rubin, an Israeli student at MIT for several years now pursuing a master’s program in computer science, said anti-Semitism on campus is nothing new.
“I personally, and we as a community, have been reporting incidents of anti-Semitism for years and nothing has been done,” he told The Post on Wednesday.
The alumni asked for “immediate and concrete” action by the institution.
Rubin, former president of the MIT Chabad Student Board, a Jewish organization and activist, said she attended an Israeli counter-protest to a pro-Palestine rally on Nov. 9.
She claimed that pro-Palestinian students filmed her and her classmates and then deceived them online, offering “rewards” for the identities of people caught on film. Since then, she and her friends have received anonymous threats.
“I walk around campus and see people filming me. I’ve heard from people in my sorority that other members say they feel miserable being in a sorority with me.
“We all receive threats. It is a very unsafe environment.
“There is a group of white liberals who think they understand what’s going on, but they have no idea and, in my opinion, are more extremist than the actual Palestinians I know.”
A pro-Palestine rally on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. AFP via Getty Images
The university said in a statement to The Post: “MIT and our president, Sally Kornbluth, reject anti-Semitism in all its forms. “Our senior leaders are working to stay focused on keeping the campus safe and running…dozens of MIT department heads, deans, and senior faculty leaders have signed a letter of support from MIT President Kornbluth.”
In their letter, the MIT alumni called for “immediate and concrete” action by the institution, including “imposing significant consequences for people who violate MIT rules, creating a specific task force on anti-Semitism on campus, and announcing publicly that calls for violence against civilians are grounds for expulsion and amend the MIT Code of Conduct to include this if necessary.”
In response, MIT said: “We have received the letter you mention; and we recognize that there is a range of deep and sincere views in our community of more than 30,000 people on campus and in our broader MIT family off campus, including nearly 143,000 living alumni.”
On Friday, more than 70 lawmakers signed a bipartisan letter calling for the resignation of University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill, along with Harvard University President Claudine Gay and Kornbluth. Magill resigned the next day, but both Harvard and MIT have supported her appointees.
The White House also condemned the university leaders, although in a press conference press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre did not ask for their resignation because the schools are private institutions.
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