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A Columbia University professor has resigned in protest at the university’s decision to allow a course on Zionism to be taught by an academic who praised the Hamas attack on October 7 as “awesome” and “astounding”.
Professor Lawrence Rosenblatt’s resignation cited Professor Joseph Masssad’s ciews on October 7 and an article in Electronic Intifada where Massad called October 7 a significant blow to Israeli confidence in their military.
Rosenblatt, who taught international and public affairs at Columbia, expressed his opposition to the appointment of Massad in a resignation letter sent to the university administration, according to the Jerusalem Post.
“I hereby resign my position as a member of the Columbia University faculty, effective immediately,” Rosenblatt wrote. He condemned Massad for advocating the destruction of Israel and for celebrating the October 7 massacre, comparing the situation “ to having a White nationalist teach about the US Civil Rights movement and the struggle for Black equality, having a climate denier teach about the impact of global warming”.
While concedijg that Massad has the right to express his views, Rosenblatt argued that Columbia has a responsibility to teach objectively. He suggested that Massad’s course, History of the Jewish Enlightenment in 19th Century Europe and the Development of Zionism, was incompatible with the values of intellectual fairness and academic integrity.
Rosenblatt said, “At best, perhaps one could tolerate a class on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict co-taught from the many diverse Israeli and Palestinian perspectives, though not by someone who advocates for the eradication of a group of people.”
In response to the controversy, a Columbia spokesperson said: “We have consistently condemned any celebration or promotion of violence or terror.”
The university also reaffirmed its commitment to free expression, adding that Massad’s class is one of several courses on Zionism and Israel being offered next semester, with an enrolment cap of 60 students.
Rosenblatt, who is not a tenured professor, explained that he had continued teaching at Columbia for the past 15 months despite the campus’s growing anti-Israel protests, believing the institution's values still aligned with his.
However, he concluded that the university had lost its moral and intellectual compass. "Columbia has lost not only its moral compass but its intellectual one,” he said. “The institution of Columbia, in officially sanctioning this class and this professor, has harmed the academy it once was.”
Massad’s course drew criticism from the Israeli embassy in the US on Saturday, which questioned on X how many students the professor had “managed to indoctrinate.”
According to the university, “"Professor Massad’s class is one of three courses Columbia students can elect to take next semester on the subject of Zionism and the history of Israel, two of which are offered through Columbia’s Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies… and is not a required course,” the statement concludes.
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