New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft has announced that he will no longer provide funding to Columbia University until the “school can protect its students” amid “extreme anti-Semitism” from pro-Palestinian protestors.
In a message posted on Monday on X, the Patriots owner — who’s the founder of The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCASorg) — wrote that he’s “deeply saddened at the virulent hate that continues to grow on campus” at his alma mater Columbia University and “throughout our country” following the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.
“…The school I love so much — the one that welcomed me and provided me with so much opportunity — is no longer an institution I recognize,” Kraft’s statement read. “I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken.”
“It is my hope that Columbia and its leadership will stand up to this hate by ending these protests immediately and will work to earn back the respect and trust of the many of us who have lost faith in the institution,” he added.
A statement from @FCASorg Founder Robert Kraft. pic.twitter.com/6fmTGFx06e
— Stand Up to Jewish Hate #🟦 (@StandUp2JewHate) April 22, 2024
“It is my hope that in this difficult time, the Kraft Center at Columbia will serve as a source of security and safety for all Jewish students and faculty on campus who want to gather peacefully to practice their religion, to be together, and to be welcomed,” the NFL team owner’s statement concluded.
On Monday, the New York City university moved to remote learning out of safety concerns stemming from pro-Palestinian protests that have unsettled the Ivy League school’s Jewish population as the Passover holiday is set to begin, as previously reported.
Minouche Shafik, the president of Columbia University, announced the move in a statement calling for a “reset” after a rabbi for Columbia and its partner school Barnard College urged Jewish students to go home due to the “extreme antisemitism and anarchy” that the university and New York Police Department could not contain.
“To deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps, I am announcing that all classes will be held virtually on Monday,” Shafik said early Monday morning. “Faculty and staff who can work remotely should do so; essential personnel should report to work according to university policy. Our preference is that students who do not live on campus will not come to campus.”
Daniel Chaitin contributed to this piece.