Columbia University announced on Monday that three administrators have been removed from their positions and placed on indefinite leave after text messages they exchanged during a discussion about Jewish life on campus were found to contain disturbingly antisemitic content. The university’s president and provost stated in a letter to the Columbia community that the administrators have been permanently removed from their roles at Columbia College, whereas the dean of the college, who previously apologized for his involvement in the text conversations, will remain in his position.
As a response to this incident, Columbia University plans to implement a comprehensive antisemitism and antidiscrimination training program for faculty, staff, and students starting in the fall. The identities of the administrators involved were not disclosed by the university, but they were initially placed on leave after a conservative news outlet published screenshots of the text messages exchanged during the panel discussion titled “Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present and Future” on May 31.
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce later exposed some of the messages. University president Shafik expressed that the text messages showed a lack of respect and understanding towards the concerns and experiences of the Jewish community on campus, which goes against the university’s values and principles. Provost Olinto added that the behavior of the administrators was unacceptable and demonstrated, at a minimum, a lack of awareness about the history of antisemitism.
The Washington Free Beacon released examples of the text exchanges on June 12 and 21, including messages that seemed to criticize a campus rabbi’s essay on antisemitism and suggested that a panelist could have exploited recent campus protests for fundraising purposes. The panel discussion on antisemitism occurred after police were called in by university leaders to remove pro-Palestinian protestors from an administration building and dismantle a tent encampment that posed a threat to graduation ceremonies amid disagreements over whether certain protests against Israel’s actions were antisemitic.
Despite his involvement in the text messages, Columbia College Dean Josef Sorett will continue to lead the college. In a letter to the community, Sorett expressed regret for his part in the exchanges and committed to rectifying the harm caused by the texts. He acknowledged that some of the messages may have evoked antisemitic stereotypes and emphasized the need for language that does not demean any members of the community. Sorett promised to work towards ensuring such incidents do not recur and to mend any trust issues and pain caused, particularly within the Jewish community at Columbia College.
