The leaders of the Zionist Organization of America contacted Dr. Katrina Armstrong, an internist and interim president of Columbia University, to express their concerns about plans for Joseph Massad, a professor of Arab politics, to teach a course on Zionism.
It is especially concerning considering that Columbia made news over the past year for its anti-Jewish rallies, rhetoric and pro-Palestinian tent encampments, as well as the takeover of Hamilton Hall by protesters at the end of April.
Morton Klein, national president of the ZOA, wrote a letter to Armstrong on Tuesday, also penned by Jonathan Ginsburg, managing director of ZOA campus and the campus coordinator for the New England and West Coast regions; and attorney Susan Tuchman, director of the group’s Center for Law and Justice.
“We were horrified to learn that Columbia University has decided to allow Joseph Massad to continue teaching a course on Jewish history and Zionism, scheduled for the spring semester,” the three Jewish leaders wrote.
The letter stated that Massad “has advocated for Israel’s destruction, praised terrorism against Israeli Jews, blamed Jews for antisemitism, denied the Jewish people’s connection to the Land of Israel and praised the terrorist group Hamas’s massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023.”
ZOA noted that Massad had described the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks as “astounding” and “awesome.” He also labeled Palestinian terrorism as “anti-colonial resistance” and “real and exemplary bravery.”
Klein, Ginsburg and Tuchman warned that “especially at this time of soaring antisemitism, Massad will encourage Jew- and Israel-hatred among Columbia students, instead of building knowledge and understanding.”
The letter also cited Lawrence Rosenblatt, a former Columbia adjunct professor, who wrote that having Massad teach on Zionism was “akin to having a white nationalist teach about the U.S. civil-rights movement and the struggle for black equality.”
