Harvard law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz told Newsmax on Friday there needs to be a reckoning in colleges and universities regarding antisemitism, the same way after George Floyd was murdered in 2020, when academic institutions adjusted their policies in relation to African Americans.
Incidents of antisemitism at U.S. college campuses erupted following Hamas' terrorist attack on Oct. 7 that resulted in the death of more than 1,400 Israelis.
For example, a coalition of 30 Harvard student groups posted an open letter on the night of the Hamas attack, saying Israel was "entirely responsible" for the violence.
Russell Rickford, a professor at Cornell University, declared at an Oct. 15 rally that, although he abhors violence, he felt "exhilarated" after Hamas militants from Gaza attacked Israel. Rickford apologized Monday, according to The Cornell Daily Sun student newspaper, for his "horrible choice of words."
"Unless there is a reckoning, the same kind of reckoning that occurred when George Floyd was killed, [with] every school looking at its curriculum, looking at its admission policy, looking at its deans in relation to African Americans, they must do the same thing in relation to Jews," Dershowitz told "The Record With Greta Van Susteren."
"If they don't, they're not getting another nickel from me, and they're not getting any support from me, and I hope that there will be many others will follow the same lead."
The backlash from donors against Harvard includes The Wexner Foundation, a nonprofit of Victoria's Secret founder and billionaire Leslie Wexner, who is Jewish, and his wife, Abigail, have reportedly said they will no longer donate to the school. Also, Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer and his wife, Batia, resigned from the executive board of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman has pledged to no longer give money to the University of Pennsylvania, where his family's name is established with the Wharton School of Business. Last month, the university played host to the Palestine Writes Literature Festival that featured some speakers with a history of antisemitic statements.
Billionaire hedge fund founder Cliff Asness and billionaire Marc Rowan, founder of equity firm Apollo Management, also have said they no longer will donate to the university, the New York Post reported.
"We're fighting back," Dershowitz said. "A lot of very wealthy donors, many of them friends of mine, not all Jewish. Huntsman, for example, who is a Mormon, has cut off all aid to his alma mater."
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