The House Committee on Education and the Workforce, led by Republicans, has accused the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) of failing to protect Jewish students, citing incidents of antisemitism, including one on the anniversary of Kristallnacht.
The committee expressed serious concerns about MIT’s handling of antisemitism since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, demanding that MIT President Sally Kornbluth and MIT Corporation Chair Mark Gorenberg provide evidence of their actions.
The committee has requested a range of documents, including police records, disciplinary memos, and communications related to funding anti-Israel groups on campus.
Jewish Students (Credits: ABC News)
This move follows similar actions against Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania after their presidents failed to condemn calls for violence against Jews during a congressional hearing on antisemitism.
Harvard’s president, Claudine Gay, and the University of Pennsylvania’s president, Elizabeth Magill, both resigned following the hearing, leaving Kornbluth as the sole focus of the committee’s investigation.
In its letter to MIT, the committee highlighted that 73% of Jewish students at the university do not feel comfortable publicly expressing their Jewish identity or support for Israel.
The committee also criticized MIT’s response to the Coalition Against Apartheid (CAA), a campus group that has disrupted classes, harassed Jewish students, and promoted violence.
On the anniversary of Kristallnacht, CAA blocked students from attending classes, prompting MIT to advise Jewish students to avoid engaging with the protesters for their safety.
The committee’s letter also noted that 59% of Jewish students at MIT reported experiencing some form of hate since the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel. When Jewish faculty members tried to address these issues, they were not taken seriously.
An advisory group of Jewish faculty members formed to combat antisemitism disbanded after MIT announced a lecture series featuring Dalia Mogahed, who has endorsed Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel, to lecture on Islamophobia.
Despite criticism of Kornbluth’s testimony before Congress, MIT Corporation praised her leadership, stating that she has done excellent work in addressing antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate.
MIT has acknowledged receipt of the committee’s letter and is examining it, reaffirming its commitment to providing a response to the committee’s questions.
