Columbia University administrators claim Jewish leaders would fundraise off campus antisemitism: Text messages

In the middle of pro-Palestinian protests that sent campuses into turmoil, administrators at Columbia University appear to have downplayed alleged antisemitism and claimed that Jewish leaders at the school might fundraise off the issue.

According to a series of text messages obtained by the House Education and Workforce Committee through its inquiry into the response to antisemitism on Columbia's campus, several administrators were apparently dismissive of concerns from Jewish students and said some of the claims of antisemitism were an opportunity to raise money.

In a May 31 text message, Matthew Patashnick, associate dean for student and family support, said, "He knows exactly what he’s doing and how to take full advantage of this moment. Huge fundraising potential," referring to Brian Cohen, who leads the school's center for Jewish life.

Susan Chang-Kim, the vice dean and chief administrative officer of Columbia College, also called Cohen "such a problem!!!" and said he was "painting our students as dangerous."

Chang-Kim also appears to have downplayed the concerns of Jewish students, saying their concern "comes from such a place of privilege ... hard to hear woe is me, we need to huddle at the Kraft center," apparently commenting on an alumni weekend panel talking about the role of the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life.

Cristen Kromm, the dean of undergraduate student life, agreed, replying, "Yup. Blind to the idea that non-Israel supporting Jews have no space to come together," and later adding, "If only every identity community had these resources and support."

Columbia College Dean Josef Sorett was also in some text threads with similar messages.

In response to the messages, a Columbia official told the Washington Examiner that the school is "committed to combatting antisemitism and taking sustained, concrete action to ensure Columbia is a campus where Jewish students and everyone in our community feels safe, valued, and able to thrive."

Columbia also confirmed that three administrators have been placed on leave pending a university investigation and that Sorett is committed to cooperating with the investigation and will recuse himself in any matters related to the investigation. "The Dean reiterated his commitment to learning from this situation and other incidents over the last year to build a community of respect and healthy dialogue," the school said in a statement.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The new text messages come after a Washington Free Beacon report featured screenshots of some of the messages. After that report, Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) requested the evidence from the school.

“Jewish students deserve better than to have harassment and threats against them dismissed as ‘privilege,’ and Jewish faculty members deserve better than to be mocked by their colleagues,” Foxx said. “These text messages once again confirm the need for serious accountability across Columbia’s campus.”