Recently, he resigned after appearing in parliament due to anti-Semitism issues such as the massacre of Jews.
University sponsors, board of directors, “dissatisfied” with president’s response to attendance at hearing
Ivy League universities flood with anti-Semitic posts, only presidents take responsibility
Liz Magill, president of “U-Pen” (University of Pennsylvania), one of America’s prestigious Ivy League universities, was recently criticized by Congress for failing to properly respond to issues such as mentions of Jewish genocide in anti-Semitic online posts on university campuses. He resigned from his position following a barrage of criticism from the university’s board of directors and fund sponsors.
President Magill, who has been in office for two years, resigned this day after receiving severe criticism for failing to properly respond to repeated questions from members of the National Assembly as to whether he had properly responded to anti-Semitic remarks and violent incidents on campus, including calls for the extermination of Jews. The board of directors made the announcement on the 9th (local time) through the Penn University website.
In response to anti-Semitic movements taking place at prestigious U.S. universities (since the start of the Israeli-Palestinian war), New York State Governor Cathy Hocal has urged local university presidents, including Ivy League presidents, to criticize posts calling for the genocide of Jews and anti-Semitic violence taking place on university campuses. We have urged you to be thoroughly prepared.
However, in the case of the University of Pennsylvania, the president, who appeared before Congress last week, has been fiercely criticized for failing to properly answer Congressional questions while testifying about this issue and the issue of violence and intimidation against Jewish students.
Governor Hocal requested cooperation from New York’s prestigious universities, emphasizing that if they fail to properly resolve this issue, it will be a violation of state human rights law and also a violation of U.S. federal human rights law.
In particular, he urged presidents and deans in an open letter, saying that public universities in New York, such as the State University of New York and the City University of New York, must quickly respond to and eradicate anti-Semitic claims calling for the massacre of any group, including Jews.
Afterwards, on the 5th, the president of Harvard University and the president of Pennsylvania were summoned to Congress as witnesses and testified at a lengthy hearing, followed by a marathon discussion on the issue.
Among the lawmakers, Representative Ellis Stefanik (Republican) repeatedly asked whether statements and writings “calling for the genocide of Jews” violate the university’s basic policies.
In response to this, Harvard University President Claudine Gay responded that it depends on the content of the article, saying, “If such remarks lead to action, it would be against our university’s policy,” and later apologized. This is because they were attacked for failing to properly condemn and prevent the threat of violence against Jewish students.
Liz Magill, president of the University of Pennsylvania, also took a step back on the 6th and said that from now on, mentioning the massacre of Jews will be considered a crime of verbal abuse or intimidation. He also announced that he would hold the university accountable for violating university regulations.
Universities across the country have been criticized for failing to properly protect Jewish students, as violence and threats against them have increased since the start of the Israeli-Palestinian war with Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.
As the number of victims increases due to the Israeli military’s indiscriminate attacks on the Gaza Strip, not only in New York State but also in other regions, many protests in support of Palestine have occurred, which can be interpreted as anti-Semitism or threats to massacre Jews.
Early last month, a student at the prestigious Cornell University, an Ivy League school, was arrested after posting an online Jewish threat, and the entire university suspended all lectures and classes for a while.
In particular, the slogan “Israel, we will hold you responsible for the genocide” is often shouted at numerous recent demonstrations and rallies in support of Palestine, and this is often interpreted as a threat and a will to massacre Jews.
However, as a result of reporting by the Associated Press, both Jews and Palestinians say that the protesters’ slogan does not mean at all that “we want the mass murder of Jews.”
[필라델피아( 미 펜실베이니아주)= AP/뉴시스]
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.