The Anti-Defamation League, StandWithUs and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law issued a statement on Tuesday urging the resignation of Michael Schill, the president of Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., for conceding demands to anti-Israel protesters on campus.
“For the last seven months—and longer—Jewish Northwestern students have been harassed and intimidated by blatant antisemitism on campus, worsening since Oct. 7,” the groups stated. “On April 29, 2024, President Schill signed an agreement with the perpetrators of that harassment and intimidation, rewarding them for their hate.”
The organizations declared Schill “unfit to lead.”
“This exceptional measure reflects our commitment to safeguarding Jewish students—and all students—who continue to face antisemitism, intimidation, and harassment,” Yossi Held, StandWithUs executive director for the Midwest region, told JNS. “No administration should be encouraging agitators and racist thugs by giving into their antisemitic demands. to boycott the one Jewish country in the world.”
Held described the demand for resignation as “a necessary step” for ensuring Jewish students’ “protection and advocating for substantial change.”
On Wednesday, the Zionist Organization of America released a statement from Mort Klein, its national president, declaring the deal “lopsided” and “dangerous.” He warned that the decision would cost the school millions and only add to existing antisemitism on campus.
“The NU Divestment Coalition’s organizers emphasized that their achievements in the agreement are only a “floor” for continuing their action to obtain even more concessions,” Klein said.
In January, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced an investigation into Northwestern for potential violations of Title VI in the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
