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Northwestern University Still Teems With Antisemitism, Parents and Students Say
Pro-Hamas protesters at the Deering Meadow section of Northwestern University’s campus in Evanston, Illinois, United States, on April 25, 2024. Photo: Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto via Reuters Connect.
Antisemitism remains palpable and severe at Northwestern University over one year after President Michael Schill signed the “Deering Meadow Agreement” which granted pro-Hamas demonstrators a windfall of concessions they had demanded in exchange for ending an unauthorized encampment, parents and students told The Algemeiner in a series of interviews.
The 2023-2024 academic year was unlike any seen in the history of American higher education since the 1960s. Following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel, colleges across the US erupted with effusions of antisemitic activity, which included calling for the destruction of Israel, cheering Hamas’s sexual assaulting of women as an instrument of war, and several incidents of assault and harassment targeting Jews on campus.
This held true at Northwestern University, where the Jewish experience was remade by the forces of anti-Zionism and the administrators who allegedly yielded to it. On April 25, 2024, the Northwestern Divestment Coalition (NDC) — a group of pro-Hamas activists linked to National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) — commandeered the Deering Meadow section of campus and established what they called the “Northwester Liberated Zone.” For five days, over 1,000 students, professors, and non-Northwestern-affiliated persons fulminated against the world’s lone Jewish state.
The encampment dwellers argued that Israel is committing a genocide of Palestinians in Gaza as retaliation for the Oct. 7 attacks while questioning the severity of Hamas’s atrocities — or denying them altogether. Northwestern University, they added, is complicit for holding investments in armaments and aerospace manufacturers which do business with Israel, a fact which they said necessitated that the school “boycott” and “divest” from the Jewish state.
“There were signs everywhere,” Lisa Fields, who was on campus at the time and founded the Coalition Against Antisemitism at Northwestern (CAAN), told The Algemeiner. Fields is the parent of a Northwestern student whose emotional phone call during the middle of the demonstration prompted her to fly from her home in New York City to the university’s campus in Evanston, Illinois. What she saw there disturbed her.
“There was a Hitler sign and another depicting Schill with horns, just to mention some of the antisemitic tropes on display there,” Fields recounted. “The protesters were loud, aggressive, and banging on things. It was impossible to walk through the campus. None of the student attending class could focus because you could hear everything inside the classrooms.”
Northwestern University police attempted to uproot the protesters, who had pitched tents on the Deering Meadow, after Schill placed an “interim addendum” in the code of conduct which proscribed setting up the temporary shelters on school property. They were unsuccessful, however, as the protesters, faculty included, formed a “human blockade” to block their advance into the space. An impasse followed for the next four days in which NDC raised $12,000 and students staged “artistic performances,” delivered speeches, and appealed to the public for more money and support.
Meanwhile, Schill and a group of NDC delegates were busy hammering out a settlement which would end the demonstration and restore a semblance of normalcy to campus. By the morning of April 29, they reached what would infamously be remembered as the “Deering Meadow Agreement” — a first of its kind accord which became a model for 42 other schools who emulated it. It committed Northwestern University to establishing a scholarship for Palestinian undergraduates, contacting potential employers of students who caused recent campus disruptions to insist on their being hired, hiring two Palestinian professors, and creating a segregated dormitory hall to be occupied exclusively by Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) and Muslim students. The university — after days of hearing the activists shout phrases such as “Kill the Jews!” — also agreed to form a new investment committee in which anti-Zionists students and faculty wield an outsized voice.
Not a year later, Northwestern claimed to have turned a corner. On March 31, amid US President Donald Trump’s confiscations of federal funds from higher education institutions deemed soft on antisemitism or excessively “woke,” the university issued a progress report containing a checklist of policies it said were enacted in response to Schill being upbraided by members of Congress over his handling of the Deering Meadow crisis.
Among other things, the university said that it had adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, a reference tool which aids officials in determining what constitutes antisemitism, and began holding “mandatory antisemitism training” sessions which “all students, faculty, and staff” must attend. The so-called progress report’s most controversial assertion boasted that antisemitic incidents on the campus have fallen by 88 percent.
Geri Cohen, another Northwestern parent and member of CAAN, had heard it all before in a meeting with Schill that was held during move-in weekend 2024, the first time Cohen would drop off her daughter, who was then an incoming freshmen, at the university. During the meeting, she and other parents, many of whom are also CAAN members, were regaled with speeches proclaiming Northwestern’s regard for its Jewish community and its foolproof plans to prevent another surge of pro-Hamas activity.
According to Cohen, however, Schill was most comfortable engaging with parents when they refrained from asking tough questions. Cohen did not, and her inquiries perturbed him, as they proceeded from the premise that the Deering Meadow Agreement canceled out any policies the university might enact to plausibly claim that it is combating antisemitism.
“He is a profound legal mind, so he knew exactly what I was asking, and he was defensive about the line of questioning,” Cohen told The Algemeiner. “He just pointed to the mandatory antisemitism training, offering a veneer of a reasonable explanation which fell short of saying anything real. I pushed him a little bit, asking follow up questions when he insisted that there is no issue, but he deftly avoided being cornered.”
Schill’s equivocations, Cohen said, primed her for news that was revealed earlier this month by the Washington Free Beacon. Per the Deering Meadow Agreement, Northwestern University hired at least one Palestinian professor, Mkhaimar Abusada — but, as reported by the Free Beacon, Abusada holds ties to both Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) through his memberships in two groups which cooperate with the US-designated terrorist organizations and award their fighters leadership positions.
“At the end of the day, we all knew that they made the deal and that they were hiring these professors,” Cohen said, commenting on the report. “I’m not surprised whatsoever about who they hire, what they believe, who funds them, what other organizations to which they are linked — all of that was already in my head when I decided to let my daughter make her own decision about where she was going to go in this world.”
Fields concurred.
“The problems at Northwestern are deep. Deep and institutional,” she said. “And what makes it so interesting a case study in campus antisemitism is that it isn’t a calm campus like Vanderbilt, but it also did not see the fires which raged at Columbia, Harvard, and UCLA. But what happened there was unique and worse because of the precedent that was set and the lesson Northwestern taught the community when it decided to surrender to the radical people who took over the Deering Meadow everything they wanted. And Schill would do it again. He is proud of that deal.”
Northwestern University students also tell a story that is at odds with what the institution believes about itself.
“The university has done a great job covering up the actions of its students, and that is my perspective as a Christian and a student leader. I personally have not seen a reduction in antisemitic incidents,” pre-law student Jeanine Yuen told The Algemeiner. “One example I can think of is a Jewish student who was punished for peacefully counter-protesting a pro-Palestinian walkout and picket on the anniversary of Oct. 7. The university said he violated time and place policies, but none of the pro-Palestinian protesters who did so too were punished, and the university blamed the inconsistency on its being unable to identify the protesters, who were masked.”
Additionally, according to a new Spring Campus Poll conducted by The Daily Northwestern, the school’s official campus newspaper, 58 percent of Jewish students reported being subjected to antisemitism or knowing someone who has. An even higher 63.1 percent said antisemitism remains a “somewhat or very serious problem.” Only weeks earlier, during the Jewish holiday of Passover, someone graffitied Kregse Hall and University Hall with hateful speech calling for “Death to Israel” and an “Intifada,” alluding to two prolonged periods of Palestinian terrorism during which hundreds of Israeli Jews were murdered. The vandals also spray-painted an inverted triangle, a symbol used to express support for the terrorist group Hamas and its atrocities.
In April, the Trump administration expressed its skepticism of a quick turnaround at Northwestern by impounding $790 million of its federal funds. As of the publication of this article, they have not been given back.
“We have received 98 stop-word orders, mostly for Department of Defense-funded research projects, in addition to 51 grant terminations that were mostly received prior to the news of the funding freeze. In addition, we have not received payments for National Institutes of Health grants since March. These now appear to be frozen,” Schill said in a May 1 statement addressing the government’s funding cuts. “This is deeply troubling, and we are working in many ways to advocate on behalf of the university and to resolve the situation.”
Northwestern University did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
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Harvard Faculty Oppose Deal With Trump, Distancing From Hamas Apologists: Crimson Poll
Harvard University president Alan Garber attending the 373rd Commencement Exercises at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, May 23, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder
A recently published Harvard Crimson poll of over 1,400 Harvard faculty revealed sweeping opposition to interim university President Alan Garber’s efforts to strike a deal with the federal government to restore $3 billion in research grants and contracts it froze during the first 100 days of the second Trump administration.
In the survey, conducted from April 23 to May 12, 71 percent of arts and sciences faculty oppose negotiating a settlement with the administration, which may include concessions conservatives have long sought from elite higher education, such as meritocratic admissions, viewpoint diversity, and severe disciplinary sanctions imposed on students who stage unauthorized protests that disrupt academic life.
Additionally, 64 percent “strongly disagree” with shuttering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, 73 percent oppose rejecting foreign applicants who hold anti-American beliefs which are “hostile to the American values and institutions inscribed in the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence,” and 70 percent strongly disagree with revoking school recognition from pro-Hamas groups such as the Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC).
“More than 98 percent of faculty who responded to the survey supported the university’s decision to sue the White House,” The Crimson reported. “The same percentage backed Harvard’s public rejection of the sweeping conditions that the administration set for maintaining the funds — terms that included external audits of Harvard’s hiring practices and the disciplining of student protesters.”
Alyza Lewin of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law told The Algemeiner that the poll results indicate that Harvard University will continue to struggle to address campus antisemitism on campus, as there is now data showing that its faculty reject the notion of excising intellectualized antisemitism from the university.
“If you, for example, have faculty teaching courses that are regularly denying that the Jews are a people and erasing the Jewish people’s history in the land of Israel, that’s going to undermine your efforts to address the antisemitism on your campus,” Lewin explained. “When Israel is being treated as the ‘collective Jew,’ when the conversation is not about Israel’s policies, when the criticism is not what the [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism] would call criticism of Israel similar to that against any other country, they have to understand that it is the demonization, delegitimization, and applying a double standard to Jews as individuals or to Israel.”
She added, “Faculty must recognize … the demonization, vilification, the shunning, and the marginalizing of Israelis, Jews, and Zionists, when it happens, as violations of the anti-discrimination policies they are legally and contractually obligated to observe.”
The Crimson survey results were published amid reports that Garber was working to reach a deal with the Trump administration that is palatable to all interested parties, including the university’s left-wing social milieu.
According to a June 26 report published by The Crimson, Garber held a phone call with major donors in which he “confirmed in response to a question from [Harvard Corporation Fellow David M. Rubenstein] that talks had resumed” but “declined to share specifics of how Harvard expected to settle with the White House.”
On June 30, the Trump administration issued Harvard a “notice of violation” of civil rights law following an investigation which examined how it responded to dozens of antisemitic incidents reported by Jewish students since the 2023-2024 academic year.
The correspondence, sent by the Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, charged that Harvard willfully exposed Jewish students to a torrent of racist and antisemitic abuse following the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre, which precipitated a surge in anti-Zionist activity on the campus, both in the classroom and out of it.
“Failure to institute adequate changes immediately will result in the loss of all federal financial resources and continue to affect Harvard’s relationship with the federal government,” wrote the four federal officials comprising the multiagency Task Force. “Harvard may of course continue to operate free of federal privileges, and perhaps such an opportunity will spur a commitment to excellence that will help Harvard thrive once again.”
The Trump administration ratcheted up pressure on Harvard again on Wednesday, reporting the institution to its accreditor for alleged civil rights violations resulting from its weak response to reports of antisemitic bullying, discrimination, and harassment following the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre.
Citing Harvard’s failure to treat antisemitism as seriously as it treated other forms of hatred in the past, The US Department of Educationthe called on the New England Commission of Higher Education to review and, potentially, revoke its accreditation — a designation which qualifies Harvard for federal funding and attests to the quality of the educational services its provides.
“Accrediting bodies play a significant role in preserving academic integrity and a campus culture conducive to truth seeking and learning,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Part of that is ensuring students are safe on campus and abiding by federal laws that guarantee educational opportunities to all students. By allowing anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination to persist unchecked on its campus, Harvard University has failed in its obligation to students, educators, and American taxpayers.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
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Balancing Act: Lebanese President Aoun Affirms Hope for Peace with Israel, Balks At Normalization
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun attends a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday carefully affirmed his country’s desire for peace with Israel while cautioning that Beirut is not ready to normalize relations with its southern neighbor.
Aoun called for a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, according to a statement from his office, while reaffirming his government’s efforts to uphold a state monopoly on arms amid mounting international pressure on the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah to disarm.
“The decision to restrict arms is final and there is no turning back on it,” Aoun said.
The Lebanese leader drew a clear distinction between pursuing peace and establishing formal normalization in his country’s relationship with the Jewish state.
“Peace is the lack of a state of war, and this is what matters to us in Lebanon at the moment,” Aoun said in a statement. “As for the issue of normalization, it is not currently part of Lebanese foreign policy.”
Aoun’s latest comments come after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar expressed interest last month in normalizing ties with Lebanon and Syria — an effort Jerusalem says cannot proceed until Hezbollah is fully disarmed.
Earlier this week, Aoun sent his government’s response to a US-backed disarmament proposal as Washington and Jerusalem increased pressure on Lebanon to neutralize the terror group.
While the details remain confidential, US Special Envoy Thomas Barrack said he was “unbelievably satisfied” with their response.
This latest proposal, presented to Lebanese officials during Barrack’s visit on June 19, calls for Hezbollah to be fully disarmed within four months in exchange for Israel halting airstrikes and withdrawing troops from its five occupied posts in southern Lebanon.
However, Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem vowed in a televised speech to keep the group’s weapons, rejecting Washington’s disarmament proposal.
“How can you expect us not to stand firm while the Israeli enemy continues its aggression, continues to occupy the five points, and continues to enter our territories and kill?” said Qassem, who succeeded longtime terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah after Israel killed him last year.
“We will not be part of legitimizing the occupation in Lebanon and the region,” the terrorist leader continued. “We will not accept normalization [with Israel].”
Last fall, Israel decimated Hezbollah’s leadership and military capabilities with an air and ground offensive, following the group’s attacks on Jerusalem — which they claimed were a show of solidarity with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas amid the war in Gaza.
In November, Lebanon and Israel reached a US-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended a year of fighting between the Jewish state and Hezbollah.
Under the agreement, Israel was given 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon, allowing the Lebanese army and UN forces to take over security as Hezbollah disarms and moves away from Israel’s northern border.
However, Israel maintained troops at several posts in southern Lebanon beyond the ceasefire deadline, as its leaders aimed to reassure northern residents that it was safe to return home.
Jerusalem has continued carrying out strikes targeting remaining Hezbollah activity, with Israeli leaders accusing the group of maintaining combat infrastructure, including rocket launchers — calling this “blatant violations of understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
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Peace Meals: Chef José Andrés Says ‘Good People’ On Both Sides of Gaza Conflict Ill-Served By Leaders, Food Can Bridge Divide
Chef and head of World Central Kitchen Jose Andres attends the Milken Institute Global Conference 2025 in Beverly Hills, California, US, May 5, 2025. Photo: Reuters/Mike Blake.
Renowned Spanish chef and World Central Kitchen (WCK) founder José Andrés called the Oct. 7 attack “horrendous” in an interview Wednesday and shared his hopes for reconciliation between the “vast majority” on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian divide who are “good people that very often are not served well by their leaders”
WCK is a US-based, nonprofit organization that provides fresh meals to people in conflict zones around the world. The charity has been actively serving Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank since the Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel. Since the Hamas attack, WCK has served more than 133 million meals across Gaza, according to its website.
The restaurateur and humanitarian has been quoted saying in past interviews that “sometimes very big problems have very simple solutions.” On Wednesday’s episode of the Wall Street Journal podcast “Bold Names,” he was asked to elaborate on that thought. He responded by saying he believes good meals and good leaders can help resolve issues between Israelis and Palestinians, who, he believes, genuinely want to live harmoniously with each other.
“I had people in Gaza, mothers, women making bread,” he said. “Moments that you had of closeness they were telling you: ‘What Hamas did was wrong. I wouldn’t [want] anybody to do this to my children.’ And I had Israelis that even lost family members. They say, ‘I would love to go to Gaza to be next to the people to show them that we respect them …’ And this to me is very fascinating because it’s the reality.
“Maybe some people call me naive. [But] the vast majority of the people are good people that very often are not served well by their leaders. And the simple reality of recognizing that many truths can be true at the same time in the same phrase that what happened on October 7th was horrendous and was never supposed to happen. And that’s why World Central Kitchen was there next to the people in Israel feeding in the kibbutz from day one, and at the same time that I defended obviously the right of Israel to defend itself and to try to bring back the hostages. Equally, what is happening in Gaza is not supposed to be happening either.”
Andres noted that he supports Israel’s efforts to target Hamas terrorists but then seemingly accused Israel of “continuously” targeting children and civilians during its military operations against the terror group.
“We need leaders that believe in that, that believe in longer tables,” he concluded. “It’s so simple to invest in peace … It’s so simple to do good. It’s so simple to invest in a better tomorrow. Food is a solution to many of the issues we’re facing. Let’s hope that … one day in the Middle East it’ll be people just celebrating the cultures that sometimes if you look at what they eat, they seem all to eat exactly the same.”
In 2024, WCK fired at least 62 of its staff members in Gaza after Israel said they had ties to terrorist groups. In one case, Israel discovered that a WCK employee named Ahed Azmi Qdeih took part in the deadly Hamas rampage across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Qdeih was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza in November 2024.
In April 2024, the Israel Defense Forces received backlash for carrying out airstrikes on a WCK vehicle convoy which killed seven of the charity’s employees. Israel’s military chief, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said the airstrikes were “a mistake that followed a misidentification,” and Israel dismissed two senior officers as a result of the mishandled military operation.
The strikes “were not just some unfortunate mistake in the fog of war,” Andrés alleged.
“It was a direct attack on clearly marked vehicles whose movements were known by” the Israeli military, he claimed in an op-ed published by Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot. “It was also the direct result of [the Israeli] government’s policy to squeeze humanitarian aid to desperate levels.”
In a statement on X, Andres accused Israel of “indiscriminate killing,” saying the Jewish state “needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon.”
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