Time to Stop Government Funding for Universities Promoting Anti-Semitism, Such as Columbia, The New School, and Barnard

It’s time to take decisive action against campus antisemitism — starting with Columbia University (including Barnard) and The New School. Instead of more task forces and commissions, we must defund institutions that allow Jew-hatred to thrive.

Institutions that fail to address harassment of Jewish students, disrupt classrooms, occupy facilities, and attack staff members should not receive taxpayer support.

As highlighted in a recent study by the Anti-Defamation League, numerous government-funded universities continue to permit antisemitism, despite ongoing investigations and reports addressing this serious issue.

The report identifies Columbia, Barnard, and The New School as some of the worst offenders.

The Trump team could set an important precedent by cutting funding to these institutions known for their anti-Jewish sentiment.

The ADL’s evaluation encompassed 135 colleges, revealing that 30% earned D or F grades in combating campus antisemitism.

In New York City, The New School received an F, while Columbia and Barnard were rated with Ds.

Just last week, antisemitic protesters disrupted classes at Barnard’s Millman Hall and injured a school employee.

Last year at The New School, protesters seized a building, established encampments (one for faculty!), interrupted the school president’s address, and displayed anti-Zionist slogans, including one featuring Hamas’ inverted triangle, symbolizing a targeted threat.

Columbia has become a focal point for Jew-hatred, permitting radicals to camp out for weeks, seize Hamilton Hall, and assault a worker.

Other Ivy League institutions also fared poorly in the ADL report, with Harvard, Penn, Cornell, and Brown receiving Cs, while Princeton and Yale earned Ds.

Only eight out of the 135 colleges earned an A grade (including CUNY’s Brooklyn College and Queens College)—while ADL head Jonathan Greenblatt asserts that every school should be capable of achieving the highest rating: “This isn’t a high bar.”

That’s putting it mildly: Universities that allow any level of hostility toward other groups—such as African Americans, LGBTQ+ individuals, or Muslims—would face immediate repercussions.

However, when faced with anti-Jewish animosity, the response tends to be assigning more task forces, launching studies, and issuing vague, timid statements lamenting “all forms of discrimination and hate.”

Remember Governor Kathy Hochul’s reaction to antisemitism at CUNY? She tasked former New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman with releasing a report full of weak recommendations (like enhancing CUNY’s complaint portal), and that was the extent of the action taken.

It’s no surprise that CUNY’s board and Chancellor Matos Rodriguez subsequently allowed Hunter College to offer a course advancing false narratives about Israel committing genocide.

Enough is enough. While schools might be legally permitted to enable Jew hatred on their campuses, there is simply no justification for taxpayers to fund them.

If politicians are genuinely committed to eradicating antisemitism in higher education, they must begin by halting the flow of government funds. Now.