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    House Letter To MIT Revealing Attacks On Jewish Students

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    House probe MIT over antisemitism on campus and reveal Kristallnacht attack on Jewish students

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    House Letter To MIT Revealing Attacks On Jewish Students

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    House probe MIT over antisemitism on campus and reveal Kristallnacht attack on Jewish students

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    House letter to MIT revealing attacks on Jewish students

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    House probe MIT over antisemitism on campus and reveal Kristallnacht attack on Jewish students

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    14K views12 pages

    House Letter To MIT Revealing Attacks On Jewish Students

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    New York Post
    House probe MIT over antisemitism on campus and reveal Kristallnacht attack on Jewish students

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    aa COMMITTEE ON Soo ee EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE ll Serre 1S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES seer eieeoee 2479 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BULONG Serer WASHINGTON, 0¢ 0615-6100, March 8, 2024 er Sally Korbluth President ‘Massachusetts Institute of Technology ‘77 Massachusetts Avenue Room 3-208 ‘Cambridge, MA 02139 ‘Mr. Mak P. Gorenberg Chair ofthe Corporation ‘The MIT Corporation ‘77 Massachusetts Avenue Room 7-203 Cambridge, MA 02139 Dear Dr: Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg: ‘The Committee on Education and the Workforce (the Committe) is investigating the ‘Massachusetts Insitute of Technology's (MIT or the Institute) response to antisemitism and its failure to protect Jewish students. We have grave concems regarding the inadequacy of MIT's response to antisemitism on ts campus In testimony before the Committee on December 5, 2023, Dr: Kombluth made numerous statements that further called into question the Institute's willingness to address antisemitism seriously, including failing t state unequivocelly that calling forthe genocide of Jews would violate MIT’s code of condict and community standards." Despite widespread public criticism of Dr. Kombluth’s testimony, the MIT Corporation issued an endorsement, writing that Dr. ‘Kombluth “has done excellent workin leading our community, including in addressing, "Holding Campus Leaders Accoutble and Confonting Aten: Hearing Before the H. Comm. on Bdcation. andthe Workforce, 18s Cong. (2023) atemen of Sally Keenbah, President, Mas I. Teh). Dr. Sally Kombluth and Mr. Mark Gorenberg ‘March 8, 2024 Page 2 of 12 antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate, all of which we reject utterly at MIT. She has our full and unreserved support. ‘The MIT Corporation's assessment stands at odds with the experiences of many Jewish MIT students. A survey of 75 Jewish students found that 59 percent had experienced antisemitism, since October 7, and 73 percent did not feel comfortable publicly being Jewish, Israeli, or supportive of Israel on MIT's campus Further, 70 percent had changed their behavior (such as no longer wearing a kippah or Star of David) to minimize attention from antisemitic and ant Israel individuals.* While 89 percent of Jewish MIT students surveyed felt “very safe” on ‘campus pre-October 7, only 1 percent did following the atacks.® When asked to rate whether “the MIT administration's ations have been adequate to help you fel safer on MIT’s campus” ‘on. sale of one (not at all) o five (completely), 74 percent of students chose one or two. Ina December 2023 statement tothe Committe, MIT Israel Alliance President Talia Khan decid the MIT administration's response to campus antisemitism, writing, “President ‘Komnbluth has watched as violent hatred infects, in broad daylight, an institution whichis looked ‘0.88 abeacon of enlightenment, Ths failure by the MIT administration to protect Jewish students must not be regarded simply as ination, but rather as a feckless, cowardly, hypocritical, and entirely deliberate choice to remain silent”? Khan further stated that Kornbluth told her direetly in a private meeting that she could not apply MIT's rules equally duc to fears of losing faculty support That same month, MIT Lecturer Mauricio Karcher, who taught over 65 percent of each annual MIT undergraduate class in his Introduction to Algorithms course, resigned because he “could no longer deal with the pervasive antisemitism on MIT"s campus,” also citing the failure of MIT's leadership to address this epidemic of hatred and protect Jewish students, faculty, and staff? “This pervasive antisemitism is exemplified by numerous deeply troubling incidents and developments at MIT, including the following: ‘+ MIT’s leadership has filed to condemn anti-Israel campus groups’ endorsement of, "Hamas" terrorism against Israel. The day after the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack, Palestine @ MIT atd MIT Coalition Against Apartheid (CAA) issued a statement that they “hold the Israeli regime responsible forall unfolding violence” and “affirm the right ® Late from Mark Goreber, Caz MET Corp, fo MET Community (Dec. 7, 2023), Mining ousuppor- surest. J MIT ge Aline, Antisemitin at MIT 82, Sia 5 w24 S MIT ae lines, apr ote >SatneT hm Pes, MT ct Aine De 5,202) Md * Mauricio Kahres, Wy 1 Ou? My Draw ob at MIT, THE FREE PRESS JAN, 2024, isthe comin esigne-mioctobr-7-stsenitism Dr. Sally Kombluth and Mr. Mark Gorenberg ‘March 8, 2024 Page 3 of 12 of all occupied peopes to resist oppression and colonization.” "™ + An advisory group of Fewish faculty members for MIT's Standing Together Against Hate (STAM) initiative disbanded following STAH's announcement ofa lecture series including an antisemitic speaker, noting in a statement that they “had no input to the published program” and were not given the opportunity o review it in advance" MIT launched STALI, led by Chanecllor Melison Nobles, with the slated siz of addressing antisemitism and other forms of hate" As part of STAH Dialogue Across Differences speaker series, MIT invited Dalia Mogahed, who has endorsed Hamas’ terrorist attack on Isael, to lecture on Islamophobia, Mogabed wrote that “resistance, including struggle aguinst a colonial occupation fore, isnot only acknowledged under international law but explicitly endorsed” and that (als an occupied population, Palestinians inherenly possess the right to resist.” The four-lectre series consists of ‘wo lectures on Islaniophobia and anti-Palestinian racism respectively, but only one on. antisemitism, + CAA has disrupted classes, harassed Jewish students, promoted violence, and violated other MIT rules in the course of conducting anti-Israel demonstrations and other activities including: © On October 23, 2023, CAA staged a class walkout in which members disrupted ‘multiple courses, including Linear Algebra and Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry among others, with chants of “Free Palestine” inside classrooms miid- lecture." © OnNovember2, 2023, CAA entered the MIT Intemational Science and ‘Technology Initiatives (MISTI) office to protest the MIST-Israel program, harassing staff and using a megaphone to chant hateful slogans, including “from the sive to the sea." statement, MIT Coaiton Against Aparthld (Oct 8, 2023) hips nt r ° AleeSehennel, MIT Leaders Assembled @ Faculty Advisory Grow on Campus Ariens. Then Ty Ignored ‘a,c Wastron Pst Bescon (Fb, 14,200, pe esbearon com sunpuvnileadrs-assembledae {uladvsor-roup-n-eampas ans ienshy-ignors "Pes Release MIT News, 3 Questions Melisa Nobles on combating antemiism and Islamophobia (Dee. , 2023), psn mit du/2025 3¢elsa-nobls-combatng-anissmkism-andlamophohis-120, ale Schemmel, Speaker a MATS ‘Standing Tegehar Ageia Hat’ Event Endorsed Hamas Terrorism as Lawl "Resitance "Te WAsvHNGTON Pas BEACON (Fe, 5, 2028, hps/rsbeaconcom/campus/seakeratmis- sanding ogetheragsinsshat-een-ndored-hamaeferorsm--nwfi-tesisane., i Yeo: 3.091 Leste Inirption 2023), ‘upside google come! 1100059PA LPIIKHNSGjoufbsI MIC; Video: 18.06 Lect nteruption (202), Mipsis google com/illLRek_sLnROsUwsU ZPWZeICO6OpDKOFE ON: Aton MTT 22) Dr Sally Kombluth and Me. Mark Gorenberg March 8, 2024 Page 4 of 12 (0 OnNovember 9, 2023, the 85th anniversary of the Kristallnacht pogrom, CAA ‘conducted a blockade of Lobby 7, the lobby of MIT's main entrance, physically preventing stidents from attending classes!" MIT Hillel described the protest as boeing “in clea violation of MIT policy against indoor protesting and actively preventfing] students from having a safe and peaceful learning environment on ‘ampus” and recommended Jewish students avoid engaging protestors for their own “physic! eafty and wellbeing." Indeed, an antitsraelprtestor shove a ‘ewish stadent during the blockacde."* While MIT officials warned student protestors they would be suspended if they did not disperse, offending students ‘ultimately recived only “non-academic suspensions” that allowed them to continue thei: studies, with President Kornbluth citing potential visa ‘consequence for foreign students asa reason for the weaker punishment.” After the ineident, a social media post, tagging MIT, offered an $800 bounty for identifying Jewish student labeled as a “Zionist extremist” who was involved in an altercatior at the blockade.” © OnNovember 12, 2023, CAA co-sponsored a protest which blocked ‘Massachusets Avenue, a primary route to MIT on which its main entrance is Tocated, and entrances to Lobby 7, while the protestors were chanting hateful slogans suchas “there is only one solution: Intifada” and making statements including “we have to shake history with our own two hands” and “resistance requires sacrfice."™ © On February 12, 2024, CAA conducted another protest in Lobby 7 in violation of rltiple MITsuls, engaging in hateful chants cluding “from the ivr to the lish stds MIT Hocked from ated laces hy hostile ral pots, NY. POST ss pest om/2023/1/ Onewsfewish-sens-mi-hloked-in-atendinglasses-by- CAA Timeline a5 (2023), upsides pauls Us Video: CAA Blockade (2023) "ep Sinn, ary of Darn te Clee Won el nt Soi Fai Sie, Ts waster Pe Beco 27,20, ite sa asprin TTR Nx 10, 2073,730 7M, “con kA Timlin a4 2020, ft mei d/A9305K MZNADeIiIEG_3I: CAA Timlin, st 12 2023), Detailed descrip a kay event ateting the Jewish nd sell Community at MIT, at 12 (2028), mC Ple pp P=k 2 Sep Antisemitism (@StpAntsemtes), TWITTER Feb 13,2024,:01 AND, tnx com topsite stan 75940462889]739027; Rese Levi (@Retsefl.), TWITTER (Feb. 12,2024, 8:11 PM), nsx omelet 757210825225725119. De. Sally Kombluth and Mr. Mark Gorenberg, March 8, 2024 Page 5 of 12 ‘© According to MIT Hille, the Institute's Jewish campus center, on December 4, 2023, “an individual from outside the MIT community gained enty to [the MIT Hillel building] and verbally yelled at stents inthe Hillel Lounge, accusing them of being Mossad and electronically remov ng data from his phone; after he left the building he stuek up his ‘middle finger ftom outside the window.” * The individual retuned to MIT Hillel on December 6 and, “wile unable to enter the building, he then proceeded to urinate at the ‘window one of the dents present confronted him outside and again unclear claims about the Mossad were made."™* ‘+ Multiple MIT faculty and staff have made antisemitic remarks and justified Palestinian terrorism, including: © MIT Postdoctoral Associate Afif Aqrawabi has made numerous virulently antisemitic statements on social media, including: “Zionism is a mental illness,"* “(dear ZioNizis of Ismel, particularly those supporting this genocide, I hope you never find peace and comfort in life...You ae all barbaric lunatics... es, this i hateful language”; itis more clear than ever that Israel has no future inthis ‘world; “Zionists not only steal our lands, food, and culture, but our dead bodies as well for og harvesting™; “[t]here's no need for such evil o infect our World, for what?! So that Israeli’ [sie] ean continue to consider themselves God's chosen peopl supreme to the est, and deserving of your tax money to and thet lifestyle2?™®, [don't be afraid ofthese Zionist cucks! They bark loudly but are the weakest among us"; “ironically, here I am believing that Zionist Israelis are Jewish fundamentalists who want to enslave the world ina global Apartheid system’; ard [elven the richest man in the world was seen bending his knee to their prime minister just yesterday. Sorry, am I sounding antisemitic?” He has also denied well-documented reports of sexual violence by Hamas terrorists ‘against Israeli women, dismissing them as “perverted rape fantasies." ‘©. The MIT facalty member serving as Associate Department Head for Diversity, Equity, Incision, and Justice (DEL) for Aqrabawi’s department responded to 8 2 MT Ise lanes, pr note at 20. ra 2 Afi Aqaba (@AjAgrabeve, DwErTER (Now. 18,2023, 12331 PMD, utp somata nt 1725929769 166973947 An Aqrabat, CANARY MISSIN, ps/canaymision oe roessov Ait Arabia a Daniel Coben (@DanieMeCoben), TWITTER lan 13, 2024, 421 PM, nis:/con/cpiin_Shcskyst/174628 1246127526048, 2 Afi Agra! (@AjAcraba, TWITTER (Nov |, 2023, 1034 PM, nts iter com Aarau 17199058277 1025341, ahd 31 AfitAgeabawl (@AjA aba, TWITTER (Nov. 28,2023, 6:44 AMD, tps om /AjAarabaw ss 172946621 5029002601, ‘AIAarba IL ai Zev Ban Meir (@ZevBenMei/3C), TWITTER (Feb 3, 2024, 3:52 PM), ” nme ui Dr. Sally Kombluth and Mr. Mark Gorenberg March 8, 2024 Page 6 of 12 ‘complaint regarding Aqrawabs antisemitic social media posts by denying their blatantly antisemitic nature. The DELI representative warned the complainant, “L ‘would be very cautious before accusing any one of our colleagues, stall, or trainees of hete speech” and chastised the complainant for identifying it as @ classic blood libel trope." © MIT Professor of Linguistioe Michel DeGraffmade multiple antisemitic, anti Israel social media posts, writing, “There's the historical context of GENOCIDE. in [Palestne}: Zionism [Israel] isa racist anti—Judaism movement fueling, antisemitism from the river tothe sea, from Gaza to @MIT™ and “Baby Jesus (a Palestinian Jew) is unde the rubble of Israel's Zionist violence, so Christmas in [Bethlehem hus been cancelled." DeGraff also authored an anti-Israel MIT Faculty Newaletter tiled, “Standing Together Against Hate: From the River to the Sea, From Gaza to MIT” © MIT's Women and Gender Studies Program, Libraries, Center for International Studies, and Anthropology Department co-hosted an event called “Allyship, Art, and Apartheid: A Conversation with Palestinian Activists,” in which one of the speakers was the notorious antisemitic writer Mohammed El-Kurd, who has soeused Ziorists of having “an unquenchable thirst for Palestinian blood,”™ ‘©. MIT’s Women and Gender Studies Propram co-hosted an Independent Activities Period book slub with MIT's Coalition for Palestine, reading “They Called Me a Lioness" by Ahed Tamim, a radical Palestinian activist who threatened Jewish settlers ina cial media post, writing, “[wJe will slaughter you and you will say that what Hiller did to you was a joke, we wil dink your biood and eat your 2 MET Tamel Alans, spr ate at 5; ; Unfounded lime of “Organ Harvesting Relgnte Embers of Decode lt pl cil an Cone Op, RD Ln (ee. 29,203), ae ea sdns mena nent ees brvesng be nemeged whe aftennh ef he OC |Fraercres The snspirary try lye the lt Hl wpe, which dates othe Middle Ages and alleges hat ‘Jews we the blood of Chrsan cde to bake ther Passover bread Inthe cern acl-Palesinan cote, ‘rzans are substi for bod andi some ease, activists alleging that rel purposeful ils Palestinians to ares thei organs) 2 Michel DeGraff(@MichlDedraf,TwrrTeR (Nov. 25,2028, 1127 AMD, an. com/miceldeerafstau/1 728480397 122048472. » Michel DeGraff(@MichelDetraf),TwrrtEx (Dec, 26,2023, 120 PM). isd com/mishsdesraf any 173971275 269885044, Mel Dera Son othe Aaa Hae MIT Fac Ns. ey 223), 20) sl. 2 Mohammed B-Kur, ANT-DEEAMATIN LEAGUE (Dee. 16,2021), zi rinohammnese Dr Sally Kombluth and Me. Mark Gorenberg March 8, 2024 Page 7 of 12 skulls” and vas separately jailed for assaulting an Israel soldier.” ‘© According tothe MIT Israc Alliance, at a November 15, 2023, event titled “Planetary Health: Indigenous Land, Peoples, and Bodies,” MIT Interfaith Chaplain Nira Lytton repeatedly stated that Palestinians are being “wrongfully subjugated and oppressed by racist white European colonizers." o. MIT Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging officer Sophia Hasenfus liked extreme ant-lsael social media posts, inluding one stating “Israel doesn’t have a right o exist it's an illegitimate settler-colony ike the US." Amid heightened serotiny of the proliferation of antisemitism on its campus, MIT eventually suspended C/A for violating the Institute's rules on February 13, 2024. However, MIT appears not t be enforcing this suspension, CAA has continued to staff table in campus areas designated for student organizations in violation of its suspension. Moreover, MIT honored a ‘CAA student activist who had publicly supported Hamas” October 7 attack with a speaking role ata Februaty 17 MLK Celebration Gala. The CAA student activist then used his speech to invite ‘attendees to the stage and conduct an anti-Israel protest atthe Gala as President Kombluth Tooked on in silence * On March 3, CAA members and supporters again staged a protest blocking MIT's main entrarce and chanting hateful slogans including, “long live the Intifada. "** MIT has cited its supposed commitment to fre speech as limiting it ability to take netion ‘against antisemitism on its campus. However, the Institute has demonstrated a clear double standard in how it has tolerted antisemitic harassment und intimidation by acting to suppress ‘nd penalize expression it deemed problematic. In October 2021, MIT"s Earth and Planetary ‘Scienoes Department canceled University of Chicago geophysicist Dorian Abbott’s planned John Carlsan Lecture over Abbot's views on diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Former U.S. ‘Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has alleged that MIT also cancelled a planned speech on China TOI Stat & Jeremy Sharon, Plestinon pots ion Aed Tami arestea fr ealling to ‘laughter seers, THe ‘AMES OF ISRAEL (Nov. 6,202) igs imesoflegel com paestnian econ ahel-amin-areste-for-

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