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Why Northwestern University Needs a New President
Northwestern University president Michael Schill looks on during a US House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing on anti-Israel protests on college campuses, on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, May 23, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades
Northwestern University President Michael Schill has fallen short at the most important part of his job: keeping all students safe.
While testifying before Congress on May 23, President Schill declared, “My number one objective and mandate when parents give me their children, or lend me their children, I need to keep them safe….” Yet his actions do not back up that statement.
President Schill ignored concerns from Jewish students in the months leading up to Oct. 7 that antisemitism on the Evanston, Illinois, campus was rising, and they did not feel safe. He ignored Jewish students who pleaded with him after Oct. 7 to address the unsafe environment that was growing on campus. When an anti-Israel encampment went up — in clear violation of the university’s updated student codes of conduct — his refusal to act essentially allowed Jewish students to be subjected to antisemitic harassment and intimidation on a daily basis without protection.
In what profession is an employee allowed to fail repeatedly at their self-identified “number one objective and mandate,” and still keep their job?
Why should we tolerate a university leader ignoring the pleas of one group of students who say they do not feel safe amid the evidence of rising hate, intolerance, and antisemitism on campus? Simply put, there is no scenario where this should be accepted, and we should not accept President Schill’s behavior.
Jewish students need to feel safe on campus, and to live in an environment free of harassment, intimidation, and threats, and President Schill has missed the mark at every turn. For that reason, it is clear that new leadership at Northwestern is needed.
This is not a position ADL takes lightly. We have a long history — going back decades — of positive engagement with the university. The president himself said in his testimony that he respects ADL’s work, even after we graded his administration’s performance with an “F” for the failure to address antisemitism and to protect Jewish students.
ADL’s CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, is a graduate of Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business, and always speaks highly of his experiences there as a student. We hoped President Schill’s May 23 testimony would help us and others understand why he did little to address antisemitism on campus before and after Oct. 7, and instead engaged in a policy of appeasement with anti-Israel and antisemitic demonstrators. Sadly, the testimony did the exact opposite. It became clear that time and again, President Schill knowingly prioritized antisemitic rule-breaking over the safety of Jewish students.
President Schill’s testimony revealed hypocrisy, negligence, and platitudes. He testified that he had personally witnessed antisemitism on campus before and after Oct. 7, yet he admitted that no student has been disciplined for violating the university’s codes of conduct. Even more, when pressed by Congress, he refused to say if or when any students or faculty will be held accountable.
He asserted that the codes of conduct were inadequate to address the anti-Israel encampment, while also admitting, “[T]he encampment was breaking our rules.” But even after amending Northwestern’s codes of conduct specifically to prohibit the encampment, he and his administration then failed to enforce the new rules.
President Schill admitted he only appointed one expert on antisemitism to his Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism, and he acted surprised that the Committee could not reach consensus on the definition of antisemitism. Seven Jewish members of the committee, including the executive director of Northwestern’s Hillel, resigned from the Committee in response to the Deering Agreement. During his testimony, President Schill asked for the opportunity to form a new task force to address antisemitism after failing so spectacularly the first time.
President Schill testified that the Deering Agreement was reached at 4 am without consultation with Jewish students or leaders on campus, because such consultation was “impractical.” Yet President Schill somehow had time to consult with Jessica Winegar, a leading international proponent of the BDS movement whom he had appointed to his antisemitism advisory committee. In other words, he only asked those he knew would not push back against his capitulation while ignoring the months of input from Jewish students.
President Schill took credit for a “peaceful” end to the encampment. Yet he allowed the encampment to remain, and he rewarded protestors who had fanned the flames of antisemitism on campus, including with signage celebrating violence against Jews.
Finally, President Schill testified he still does not know who was behind the encampment, yet he somehow reached an agreement with encampment “leaders.”
Do you trust him to do his job and keep Northwestern students safe? We don’t.
New leadership at Northwestern is the first necessary step to restoring trust and confidence with Jewish students on campus, and ensuring they not only feel safe but are safe.
David Goldenberg is Midwest Regional Director of ADL (the Anti-Defamation League).
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French Official Tells Paper Arab Countries Will Condemn Hamas, Trying to Get Palestinian Statehood Recognized
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot speaks to the media on the day he attends the European Union Foreign Ministers council in Brussels, Belgium, July 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Yves Herman
Arab countries will for the first time condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament early next week at a United Nations ministerial event in New York, a move meant to lure more European countries to recognize Palestinian statehood, France’s foreign minister said on Saturday.
In an exclusive interview with French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said the move was part of a long-planned initiative between France and Saudi Arabia.
“For the first time, Arab countries will condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament, which will seal its definitive isolation. European countries will in turn confirm their intention to recognize the State of Palestine. Half of European countries have done so, all others are considering it,” Barrot told the JDD.
“The British Prime Minister has stated his intention to do so. Germany is considering it at a later stage. We will launch an appeal in New York for other countries to join us in order to set in motion an even more ambitious and demanding process that will culminate on September 21,” Barrot added.
On Thursday French President Emmanuel Macron announced France would formally recognize the state of Palestine at the U.N. General Assembly on September 21, drawing condemnation from the U.S. and Israel.
Earlier on Saturday Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni called it counterproductive to recognize a Palestinian state before it is established.
On Friday a German government spokesperson said there were no plans to recognize a Palestinian state in the short term.
At the upcoming United Nations event on Monday and Tuesday, France and Saudi Arabia plan to lay out a proposed post-war roadmap leading to a two-state solution covering security, reconstruction and governance, which will be compatible with the Abraham Accords negotiated by US President Trump, Barrot said.
The French minister added that in coming weeks the European Commission would take a tougher stance on Israel and demand a stop on building of any new settlement projects in the West Bank, and also an end to militarized policing of humanitarian aid distribution.
Barrot also called on fellow European countries to demand a removal of the financial blockade on the Palestinian authority so it can receive 2 billion euros he said it is owed.
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Jordan and UAE Drop Aid Into Gaza in First Airdrop in Months, Jordanian Source Says
An airplane drops humanitarian aid over Gaza as seen from northern Gaza Strip July 27, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Jordan and the United Arab Emirates parachuted 25 tons of aid into the Gaza Strip on Sunday in their first airdrop in months, a Jordanian official source said.
The official said the air drops were not a substitute for delivery by land.
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Trump Says Israel Will Have to Decide on Next Steps in Gaza, Pledges More Aid
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 8, 2025. Photo: Kevin Lamarque via Reuters Connect.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday Israel would have to make a decision on next steps in Gaza, adding that he did not know what would happen after the collapse of ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations with the Hamas terrorist group.
Trump underscored the importance of securing the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, saying they had suddenly “hardened” up on the issue, and said the US would provide more aid to the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
“They don’t want to give them back, and so Israel is going to have to make a decision,” Trump told reporters at the start of a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his golf property in Turnberry, Scotland.
“I know what I’d do, but I don’t think it’s appropriate that I say it. But Israel is going to have to make a decision,” he said, while also claiming, without evidence, that Hamas members were stealing food coming into Gaza and selling it.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both appeared on Friday to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, saying it had become clear that the Palestinian group did not want a deal.
Netanyahu said Israel was now mulling “alternative” options to achieve its goals of bringing its hostages home from Gaza and ending Hamas rule in the enclave.
Trump said he believed Hamas leaders would now be “hunted down,” telling reporters: “Hamas really didn’t want to make a deal. I think they want to die. And it’s very bad. And it got to be to a point where you’re going to have to finish the job.”
US TO PROVIDE MORE AID, TRUMP SAYS
Trump on Sunday said the US would provide more humanitarian aid to Gaza, where concerns are mounting about the worsening hunger, but wanted other countries to participate as well. He said he would discuss the issue with von der Leyen.
“We’re giving a lot of money, a lot of food, a lot of everything,” he said. “If we weren’t there, I think people would have starved, frankly. They would have starved, and it’s not like they’re eating well.”
He said he had spoken with Netanyahu and discussed a number of issues, including Iran. He said and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer would also discuss Israel when they meet at Trump’s golf property in Turnberry on Monday.
Trump also noted said the United States was not acknowledged for earlier food aid for Gaza.
“No other country gave anything,” he said, calling out European countries in particular. “It makes you feel a little bad when you do that and, you know, you have other countries not giving anything… Nobody gave but us. And nobody said, Gee, thank you very much. And it would be nice to have at least a thank you.”
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