Cornell professor says faculty is 'extremely anti-Israel,' calls on board to pause DEI efforts on campus

A Cornell University professor has urged the institution's board of trustees to take action after a series of incidents have left Jewish students feeling unsafe on campus. This comes as Ivy League schools have been hot spots of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiment since Hamas' terrorist attacks on October 7.

Fox News Digital reported that William A. Jacobson, a professor at Cornell Law School, has called on the Cornell Board of Trustees to put a pause on its new diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. He went on to suggest that the board adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism and launch an investigation into possible anti-Semitism ripping through campus.

Jacobson said there has "been a problem at Cornell that the administration has just shut its eyes to," adding that the "faculty is extremely anti-Israel, not necessarily the majority of them, but there is a core group of faculty who agitate continuously for the destruction of Israel."

"They claim it's a colonialist state, even though the Jews are the indigenous people of the land of Israel," he continued. "They claim that you need to liberate Israel, but who are you going to liberate from the people who have the historical claim to it? But it's nonstop. It's all the time, and that has a very pernicious effect on campus."

"I've heard from a lot of students, and I've seen a lot of chatter that Jewish students in particular are extremely upset. They were extremely upset with the vituperative hostility towards Israel expressed by numerous student groups, expressed by faculty, and they don't feel welcome at Cornell. They feel there's a problem here. And I think the administration needs to get a handle on that."

This comes amid an FBI investigation in connection with threatening statements made online against the Jewish community at the university. New York Governor Kathy Hochul met with a number of Cornell students on Monday and announced there would be increased security after the anti-Semitic remarks surfaced, according to CBS News.

"I came here in person with one strong message that we will not tolerate threats, or hatred, or anti-Semitism, or any kind of hatred that makes people feel vulnerable," Hochul said.

The threats in question surfaced on a website that is not affiliated with the university and designated "104 West," which is where the Center of Jewish Living is located on campus. Among the slew of threats, one called on people to follow a Jewish person home and "slit their throats" and said that "[r]ats need to eliminated from Cornell."

Cornell's website states that 22% of its student population is Jewish.

Jacobson noted that the school's issue with anti-Israel rhetoric is "compounded by the campus’ obsession with race" because Jewish students are consistently perceived as white oppressors.

"It just creates a very toxic atmosphere that the administration has been oblivious to," he said.

"What I'm hearing from Jewish students is that they don't feel safe on campus, even before this latest incident," he added. "I'm not pointing fingers at a specific person or group, but it is a fact that that fed off of a campus frenzy, which has been extremely hostile to supporters of Israel, which means it's extremely hostile to most Jewish students on campus."

Professor demands apology after colleague says he was ‘exhilarated’ by Hamaswww.youtube.com

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!