House Committee Demands MIT Respond to Antisemitism

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce is demanding that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) provide documentation regarding its response to antisemitism on campus.

The letter comes as the committee is conducting an ongoing investigation into antisemitism concerns.

“We have grave concerns regarding the inadequacy of MIT’s response to antisemitism on its campus,” committee chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) wrote. “In testimony before the Committee on December 5, 2023, Dr. Kornbluth made numerous statements that further called into question the Institute’s willingness to address antisemitism seriously.”

“The MIT Corporation’s assessment stands at odds with the experiences of many Jewish MIT students. A survey of 75 Jewish students found that 59 percent had experienced antisemitism since October 7, and 73 percent did not feel comfortable publicly being Jewish, Israeli, or supportive of Israel on MIT’s campus,” the letter continued, adding, “MIT has cited its supposed commitment to free speech as limiting its ability to take action against antisemitism on its campus.”

Several other U.S. universities face antisemitism inquiries.

American Faith reported that the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into Northwestern University after a complaint was filed by Campus Reform editor-in-chief Dr. Zachary Marschall over the university’s handling of antisemitic incidents.

The complaint, filed on January 10, claims that Northwestern University has failed to appropriately respond to incidents of harassment of Jewish students following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack.

Similarly, Johns Hopkins University faced a federal antisemitism inquiry after a complaint claimed that Jewish students were being made to feel “unwelcome and unsafe” on campus.

The complaint against Johns Hopkins, filed by Campus Reform Editor-in-Chief Dr. Zachary Marschall, said that the university has not done enough to respond to harassment incidents of Jewish students, violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

Following Congress’ December antisemitism hearing, University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill “voluntarily tendered her resignation,” according to Board of Trustees Chairman Scott L. Bok.

“There was a moment during yesterday’s congressional hearing on antisemitism when I was asked if a call for the genocide of Jewish people on our campus would violate our policies. In that moment, I was focused on our university’s long-standing policies aligned with the U.S. Constitution, which says that speech alone is not punishable,” Magill said following the hearing. “I was not focused on, but I should have been, on the irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of Jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate.”

Harvard President Claudine Gay also resigned following allegations of plagiarism and failing to condemn antisemitism.

“It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be stepping down as president. This is not a decision I came to easily,” she wrote in a letter to the Harvard community.

“Indeed, it has been difficult beyond words because I have looked forward to working with so many of you to advance the commitment to academic excellence that has propelled this great university across centuries,” the letter continued. “But, after consultation with members of the Corporation, it has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual.”