CUNY chancellor to testify before House education committee on antisemitism
Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez will be joined by the leaders of Georgetown University and University of California, Berkeley at the hearing on July 9.
'Our Committee is building on its promise to protect Jewish students and faculty while many university leaders refuse to hold agitators of this bigotry, hatred, and discrimination accountable,' Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), chairman of the committee, said in a statement.
Prior hearings have played a part in the resignations of the heads of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania. While a former president of Columbia University, Minouche Shafik, at first avoided the same fate last year by forcefully coming down on pro-Palestinian protesters, she managed to appease no one when students pitched a tent demonstration against Israel's war in Gaza. Shafik resigned four months later.
'The City University of New York is firmly committed to combating antisemitism and ensuring every student and faculty member is safe from discrimination and harassment,' said a CUNY spokesperson. 'We look forward to discussing the steps we are taking to support Jewish members of our campus community.'
In his statement, Walberg suggested that while most of the hearings so far have focused on antisemitic incidents, the upcoming tribunal would center around 'underlying factors' that contributed to the harassment of Jewish students — which he said included 'foreign funding' and 'antisemitic student and faculty groups.'
Student protesters have accused Republican lawmakers of conflating their pro-Palestinian advocacy with antisemitism. More recently, some academics allege the Trump administration is using antisemitism as a pretext to claw back federal funding from higher education.
CUNY has faced a federal investigation and a Gov. Hochul-ordered probe over its handling of campus antisemitism reports. Last month, Brooklyn College, CUNY's campus in Midwood, enlisted the NYPD to help remove tents, leading to more than a dozen arrests. At least one protester was reportedly tased by police.
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