October 31, 2024 Update

Today, following a thorough investigation that included subpoenaed documents and interviews, the United States Congressional House Committee on Education and the Workforce (full statement here) released a report detailing, in its own words, “a stunning lack of accountability by university leaders for students engaging in antisemitic harassment [and] assault.” (Congressional Report on Antisemitism on College Campuses).  

The Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern (CAAN) strongly condemns Northwestern University — which is featured prominently throughout the report — for its severe failures to protect its Jewish students.

Key Findings:

• Potential Misrepresentation to Congress: “[D]ocuments obtained by the Committee indicate that in contrast to President Schill’s categorical denial in testimony before the Committee, he and other senior Northwestern leaders” considered the encampment’s “demand to hire an anti-Zionist rabbi.”  Those “documents also raise serious questions of whether Northwestern may have in fact acceded to this demand, and whether Schill knowingly misled Congress in his testimony.” (pp. 15-18)

• Boycotting of Sabra Hummus (co-owned by PepsiCo): Text messages obtained by Congress show that “Provost Hagerty enthusiastically supported . . . the University to appease the students in the encampment by agreeing to boycott Sabra due to its perception as an Israeli product.” (pp. 12-14)

• Empowering Activists: “Northwestern, radical faculty members were put in charge of negotiating with their own ideological allies in that campus’ encampment, leading to a stunning capitulation to the encampment leaders’ demands.” (pp. 8-12)

These findings demand immediate action to protect Jewish students and ensure equity.  As an initial step, Northwestern’s Board of Trustees must begin an immediate overhaul of leadership.