09/24/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/24/2024 17:22
American Jewish Committee (AJC) today welcomed a sweeping report that found the City University of New York (CUNY) is ill-equipped to handle rampant antisemitism at many of its campuses.
The report, commissioned last year by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, found that CUNY's handling of antisemitism complaints across its 25 campuses is inconsistent, confusing, and in need of a complete overhaul.
"This report confirms what we long have been hearing, especially after the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel, that antisemitism is a persistent problem at many CUNY schools," said Laura Shaw Frank, Director of AJC's Center for Education Advocacy. "It offers a comprehensive blueprint for how Jewish students and faculty can feel safe and protected while protecting academic freedom and free expression."
The purpose of the report, written by Jonathan Lippmann, New York's former chief judge, was not to assign blame for past incidents, although he noted he "did find enough blame to go around" for how prior incidents were handled. Rather, Lippmann and his team from the Latham & Watkins law firm set out to determine how CUNY currently handles antisemitism complaints and issue recommendations on how to better this process.
Among its key findings and recommendations:
"Given how deep and systemic the problem of antisemitism has been at CUNY, it is now in a position to effect meaningful change without delay or excuses," AJC New York Director Josh Kramer said. "Jewish students and faculty deserve no less."
CUNY was among about 75 institutions that attended the College and University Presidents Summit on Campus Antisemitism in Washington this week. The summit was hosted by AJC, Hillel and the American Council on Education.
AJC has created a toolkit f or university administrators in response to a spike in antisemitic incidents on college campuses nationwide and offered specific recommendations for the 2024-25 academic year.
AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, 15 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC's mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world. For more, please visit www.ajc.org.
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