Columbia University removed three deans who exchanged antisemitic texts during the panel “Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present, and Future.”
“This incident revealed behavior and sentiments that were not only unprofessional, but also, disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes,” wrote President Minouche Shafik. “Whether intended as such or not, these sentiments are unacceptable and deeply upsetting, conveying a lack of seriousness about the concerns and the experiences of members of our Jewish community that is antithetical to our University’s values and the standards we must uphold in our community.”
They are:
Provost Angela Olinto said Josef Sorett, the dean of Columbia College, will stay in his post.
“Dean Sorett and I will work together to mend relationships, repair trust, and rebuild accountability,” explained Olinto. “This incident has confirmed yet again how much we must do together to ensure our community is one in which all members are treated with dignity, respect, and empathy, as well as one that effectively addresses antisemitism alongside all other forms of discrimination.”
I don’t know why Sorett kept his job. Over 1,000 people demanded all four deans lose their jobs.
When The Washington Free Beacon released the texts, Sorett released a statement without an apology: “I have already spoken to each person involved and we understand that, as leaders, we are held to a higher standard.”
Then Sorett called the leak “an invasion of privacy.”
The community lashed out at Sorett, who released a non-apology a week later: “I deeply regret my role in these text exchanges.”
The panel convened during Reunion Weekend not long after the anti-Israel protests happened at the school.
The administrators doubted the Jewish students felt unsafe or intimidated during the encampment:
The administrators expressed skepticism that Jewish students had experienced targeting or discrimination. As Massel, who published a news report in the Columbia Spectator about Jewish students who felt “ostracized,” was asked to dilate on “the experience of Jewish and Israeli students on campus,” Chang-Kim fired off a text to Kromm and Patashnick: “Did we really have students being kicked out of clubs for being Jewish?”
Kromm used the vomit emojis when the panel discussed an op-ed about “the normalization of Hamas” on campus.
Patashnick then accused a panelist of using the pro-Hamas crisis to raise money:
“He knows exactly what he’s doing and how to take full advantage of this moment,” Patashnick wrote to Chang-Kim and Kromm. “Huge fundraising potential.” Chang-Kim responded: “Double Urgh.”
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