Columbia University deans resign over 'anti-Semitic tropes' in texts

Messages were sent after weeks of US campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza

Three deans at Columbia University in New York have resigned over the text messages. EPA

Three Columbia University deans who engaged in what the school's administration called troubling text message exchanges that touched on “ancient anti-Semitic tropes” have resigned, a university representative has said.

Christen Kromm, former dean of undergraduate student life; Matthew Patashnick, former associate dean for student and family support; and Susan Chang-Kim, former vice dean and chief administrative officer, had earlier been placed on leave amid an investigation.

The message exchanges took place during a panel event titled Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present and Future and followed weeks of protests at the university in New York and other campuses across the US over the Israel-Gaza war.

“This incident revealed behaviour and sentiments that were not only unprofessional, but also, disturbingly touched on ancient anti-Semitic tropes,” the university said in July.

Some messages included snarky comments about people in the university community.

One suggested that a panellist speaking about anti-Semitism planned to use it as a fund-raising opportunity.

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Another disparaged a campus rabbi’s essay about anti-Semitism.

“Whether intended as such or not, these sentiments are unacceptable and deeply upsetting,” university president Minouche Shafik wrote in July.

The resignations come a month after Columbia said it had removed the administrators from their positions and would keep them on leave indefinitely.

They have not been identified by Columbia, but their names have circulated widely in media reports.

Protests have spread across the US in recent months over Washington's support for Israel amid the war in Gaza, which has killed about 39,700 Palestinians, according to local authorities.

The conflict has also displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million and caused a hunger crisis.

The latest iteration of the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on October 7 when Palestinian group Hamas, which governs Gaza, attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Campus demonstrators have demanded an end to the war, a halt to US military support to Israel and a divestment by universities in companies that support Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories.

There have been allegations of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic rhetoric at some protests and counter-protests.

Columbia itself became a centre of protests where students set up camps and police made violent arrests.