The College Fix

It’s like having a ‘misogynist teach about Feminism,’ professor says

A Columbia University adjunct professor resigned in protest of the decision to allow a scholar who supported the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel to teach an upcoming course on “Zionism.”

Lawrence Rosenblatt, (pictured) who teaches in the university’s School of International and Public Affairs, announced his resignation Monday, The Jerusalem Post reports.

“Columbia has lost not only its moral compass but its intellectual one,” Rosenblatt wrote in a letter to campus leaders, posted on his LinkedIn profile.

“This would be akin to having a White Nationalist teach about the U.S. Civil Rights movement and the struggle for Black equality, or having a climate denier teach about the impact of global warming, or a misogynist teach about Feminism,” he wrote.

At issue is a spring semester course about the history of the “Jewish Enlightenment” and “development of Zionism,” taught by Professor Joseph Massad.

As The College Fix reported Friday: “Massad is known for writing an article for The Electronic Intifada the day after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel, in which he described the event as ‘astounding,’ ‘incredible,’ and a ‘stunning victory.’”

Rosenblatt said he does believe ”Massad has a right to think what he thinks, and speak what he believes,” but “Columbia has a responsibility to teach objectively and fairly.”

“The institution of Columbia, in officially sanctioning this class and this professor, has harmed the academy it once was. As it is gone, I cannot remain. My hope is that Columbia will correct this travesty, and if so, I would be open to returning,” the adjunct professor wrote.

Lawrence “Muzzy” Rosenblatt’s full statement below –

President Armstrong, Dean Yarhi-Milo, Dean May, Professor Fuchs, Professor Holloway:

I hereby resign my position as a member of the Columbia University faculty, effective immediately. I do so in response to learning (and…

— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) December 16, 2024

Meanwhile, thousands have signed an online petition calling for Massad’s removal, The Fix reported:

In response, many have rallied behind an online petition that condemns Massad’s comments in his The Electronic Intifada article and demands his removal from the university.

In the article, Massad wrote, “The sight of the Palestinian resistance fighters storming Israeli checkpoints separating Gaza from Israel was astounding.”

“No less awesome were the scenes witnessed by millions of jubilant Arabs who spent the day watching the news, of Palestinian fighters from Gaza breaking through Israel’s prison fence or gliding over it by air,” he wrote.

The petition has garnered nearly 80,000 signatures and claims that many students “feel unsafe in the presence of a professor who supports the horrific murders of civilians.”

Some also are calling for the university’s taxpayer funding to be revoked, including a New York Democrat lawmaker and a rabbi.

Massad is a professor of modern Arab politics and intellectual history at Columbia.

MORE: Columbia loses multi-million dollar donor over antisemitism concerns

IMAGE: Columbia University

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