Robert Kraft, the billionaire philanthropist and owner of the New England Patriots, no longer recognizes his alma mater, Columbia University, which has been the site of antisemitic student protests, including violent ones, in recent days.
“I am deeply saddened at the virulent hate that continues to grow on campus and throughout our country,” stated Kraft, also founder of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism.
The Jewish businessman got his start at Columbia, where he earned a full academic scholarship. “For that, I have been tremendously grateful,” he stated. “However, the school I love so much—the one that welcomed me and provided me with so much opportunity—is no longer an institution I recognize.”
“I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken,” Kraft added.
“It is my hope that Columbia and its leadership will stand up to this hate by ending these protests immediately and will work to earn back the respect and trust of the many of us who have lost faith in the institution,” he added.
“It is my hope that in this difficult time, the Kraft Center at Columbia will serve as a source of security and safety for all Jewish students and faculty on campus who want to gather peacefully to practice their religion, to be together and to be welcomed,” Kraft said.
