Three Columbia University deans removed for antisemitism

Columbia University announced Monday that it has removed three deans after they made humiliating antisemitic comments in a conversation they had via text message during an event organized by the university's Jewish community.

Minouche Shafik, president of Columbia, issued a statement condemning the deans' comments.

"The incident revealed behavior and sentiments that were not only unprofessional, but also, disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes," Shafik said. She added: "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."

The three deans were suspended in June after the Washington Free Bacon revealed text messages containing jokes and antisemitic comments exchanged by the three deans. 

Following the suspension, the House Education and the Workforce Committee shared new text message exchanges between the three deans. 

Repudiatory antisemitic stereotypes and taunts

The text messages were exchanged during a conference called Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present and Future, which took place on May 31 in order to address, among other things, the growing antisemitism on campus.

The three deans mocked the Jewish speakers, suggesting that they were using antisemitism as an excuse to raise funds. 

As Brian Cohen, executive director of the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life,  the gathering place for Jewish students at Columbia University, was about to deliver a speech, Cristen Kromm, dean of undergraduate student life, tweeted, "I'm going to throw up." He added: "Amazing what $$ (sic) can do."

Matthew Patashnick, associate dean for student and family support, said that the event was held because it had "huge fundraising potential."

Susan Chang-Kim, vice dean and chief administrative officer at Columbia College, also spoke about the conference in disparaging terms. "This panel is really making the administration look like jokers," she stated. 

Chang-Kim also criticized the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life for sheltering Jewish students during antisemitic protests on campus. It "comes from such a place of privilege," she said. She added, "Hard to hear the ‘Woe is me, we need to huddle at the Kraft center.'"

Kromm also used the dizzy and vomiting emojis to react to an op-ed written by Yonah Hain, the campus rabbi, following the Oct. 7 massacre, in which he claimed that the campus community had "lost its moral compass" as antisemitic demonstrations began to take over campuses.

The dean also made a sarcastic reference to a portion of the article mentioning that a Jewish alumna burst into tears as she described the hostility her daughter, a sophomore, had experienced at the university.

Another exchange of messages with antisemitic content also involved Josef Sorett, dean of Columbia College. The executive wrote "LMAO" after Chang-Kim sarcastically stated, "He's our hero," after one of the panelists praised Brian Cohen during the conference. 

The Washington Free Beacon shared the messages after someone managed to take a photo of the dean's cell phone while the event was taking place.

"Jewish students deserve better"

Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx, the chairwoman of the House committee that has been leading an investigation into Jew-hatred on campus, called out university officials after the messages were posted.

"Jewish students deserve better than to have harassment and threats against them (...) and Jewish faculty members deserve better than to be mocked by their colleagues," Foxx said. She added: "These text messages once again confirm the need for serious accountability across Columbia’s campus."

An apology 

On Monday, Sorett sent a message to Columbia College students apologizing for his actions.

I am deeply sorry that this happened in a community that I lead and, (sic) that I was part of any of the exchanges, and I pledge to spearhead the change we need to ensure this never happens again."