Members of the New York City Council blasted the head of the City University of New York (CUNY) Monday following a hearing where he was unable to identify any improvements to combat antisemitism on campus, the New York Daily News reported.
"I do think it is outrageous that when we're having this hearing on such an important topic, that the most rudimentary questions you've been unable to answer," said Councilwoman Julie Menin of Manhattan, part of its Jewish caucus. "It's just wholly unsatisfactory. It's not enough just to show up."
Following the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas on Jewish civilians in Israel, many American universities were subject to constant anti-Israel protests and rampant antisemitism on college campuses. New York City was ground zero for the protests with a May incident at CUNY resulting in 25 arrests, break-ins at multiple buildings, glass doors smashed, and offices vandalized. In September, Jewish students at Baruch College were harassed by members of Students for Justice in Palestine and told to "go back to Brooklyn" by anti-Israel protestors.
During Monday's nearly three-hour hearing, CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez was unable to convince the Committee on Higher Education that any noted improvements have been made to combat attacks against Jewish students. Neither Matos Rodríguez nor his deputies were able to say how many complaints have been made since the creation of an antidiscrimination portal where students can file complaints.
"I know the frustration of being ignored when incidents get reported. I saw no reprimand for these actions and was left feeling invisible and unsupported by my administration," said Maya Gavriel, a Jewish student at Baruch College, where a building was vandalized last month with the message: 'OCT 7 IS FOREVER' before the anniversary of Hamas' attacks.
Over the past two years, CUNY has invested $1.3 million in campus initiatives to combat hate crimes, including $550,000 provided by the Council. According to Matos Rodríguez, dialogue training sessions for faculty and staff and freedom of expression work groups were examples of the school's antisemitism efforts at work.
"I think, in your heart, you know this is an important issue," Councilman Eric Dinowitz, chairman of the Higher Education Committee, told Matos Rodríguez. "But with that, this hearing is not about what's in your heart. It's about CUNY policies, and the policies that have so far failed to meaningfully keep our students safe and make them feel welcome on our CUNY campuses."