A blistering letter signed by hundreds of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) alumni has reprimanded the school for fostering a “national reputation for antisemitism” as Jewish students claimed “gifts” were offered by Pro-Palestinian groups to identify them.
The document, signed by more than 700 MIT Jewish alumni and allies, accuses the school of failing to condemn Kornbluth for not taking adequate action against antisemitism following his testimony on Capitol Hill last week.
“During congressional testimony on December 5, 2023, President Kornbluth implied calls for the genocide of Jews cannot constitute bullying and harassment under the MIT code of conduct, depending on the context,” the letter to the school’s governing body, the MIT Corporation, reads.
Kornbluth, who is Jewish, caused a “public uproar” when he was “the only president not to issue an apology”, the letter alleged.
According to the signatories, the president’s silence speaks volumes.
Dr. Sally Kornbluth, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, testifies before the House Education and Workforce Committee on December 5, 2023, in Washington, DC AP
“What kind of message is the MIT Corporation trying to send to the MIT community, and especially its Jewish members, with such a statement that goes against the majority of the public?” the letter stated.
“We are concerned to see MIT gain a national reputation for antisemitism on President Kornbluth’s watch, rather than for academic excellence, and join a shameful group of universities struggling with antisemitism on their campuses.”
On Wednesday, a protest calling for a ceasefire on the MIT campus took place, attended by about 150 people, students and non-students. A witness said students at the rally called the Israel Defense Forces’ actions in Gaza “massacre” and argued that anti-Zionism is not antisemitism.
Dana Rubin, an Israeli student at MIT for several years who is currently in a master’s computer science program, claims antisemitism on campus is nothing new.
“I personally, and we as a community, have been reporting incidents of antisemitism for years, and nothing has been done,” he told The Post Wednesday.
Alumni demanded “immediate and concrete” action from the institution.
Rubin — former president of the MIT Chabad Student Board, a Jewish organization and activist — said he attended an Israeli counter-protest for a pro-Palestinian rally on Nov. 9.
He claims Pro-Palestinian students filmed him and his peers then doxxed them online, offering a “reward” for the identity of the person caught on film. Since then, he and his friends have received anonymous threats.
“I was walking around campus and I saw people filming me. I have heard from people in my sorority that other members say they are miserable being in a sorority with me.
“We all get threats. It is a very unsafe environment.
“There’s a bunch of white liberals who think they understand what’s going on, but they don’t, and they’re more extreme, in my opinion, than the real Palestinians I know.”
A pro-Palestinian demonstration on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. AFP via Getty Images
The university said in a statement to The Post: “MIT and our president, Sally Kornbluth, reject antisemitism in all its forms. Our senior leaders strive to remain focused on keeping the campus safe and functioning … dozens of MIT department heads, deans and senior faculty heads have signed MIT President Kornbluth’s letter of support.”
In their letter, the MIT alumni called for “immediate and concrete” action from the institution, including “enforcing meaningful consequences for individuals who violate MIT rules, creating a dedicated antisemitism task force on campus, and publicly announcing that calls for violence against civilians are pretext to be removed and amend the MIT Code of Conduct to include this if necessary.”
In response, MIT said: “We have received the letter you mentioned; and we recognize there are deeply and sincerely held diverse views across our nearly 30,000+ community on campus and our broader MIT family off campus, including nearly 143,000 living alumni.”
On Friday, more than 70 members of parliament signed a bipartisan letter called for the resignation of University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill along with Harvard University President Claudine Gay and Kornbluth. Magill resigned the following day, but both Harvard and MIT supported the appointees.
The White House also condemned the university’s leaders, although at a briefing Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre would not ask for their resignations because the school is a private institution.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
