New texts show Columbia deans mocked Jewish students over antisemitism concerns: Comes from such a place of privilege

Columbia University deans accused Jewish students of asserting “privilege” — and mocked them for needing a place to “huddle” to avoid antisemitism and harassment on campus, new text messages released Tuesday show.Associate deans Josef Sorett, Susan Chang-Kim, Matthew Patashnick and Cristen Kromm exchanged the dismissive and derisive texts while seated in the audience of a May 31 alumni event about Jewish life on campus, which were released in full by the House Education Committee.“Laying the case to expand physical space! They will have their own dorm soon,” said Patashnick, associate dean for student and family support, in one message, prompting Chang-Kim, vice dean and chief administrative officer of Columbia College, to respond: “Comes from such a place of privilege.”“Hard to hear the woe is me, we need to huddle at the Kraft center Huh??” Chang-Kim added, referring to the campus Hillel chapter.​​”Trying to be open minded to understand but the doors are closing.”“Amazing what $$$$ can do,” Kromm said, adding at another point: “If only every identity community had these resources and support.”Columbia had featured multicultural graduation celebrations for black, Asian, Native American, LGBTQIA+ and “Latinx” students — but not Jewish students.The May 31 panel had included Columbia’s Kraft Center for Jewish Life executive director Brian Cohen; former Columbia Law School dean David Schizer, who co-chaired the university’s task force on anti-Semitism; religious life dean Ian Rottenberg; and rising Columbia junior and journalist and the campus newspaper Rebecca Massel.The Washington Free Beacon first obtained and reported on the text exchanges — including one that used vomit emojis in reference to an op-ed about antisemitism authored by Columbia’s Campus Rabbi Yonah Hain.Chang-Kim, Patashnick and Kromm were later placed on leave.“I’m going to throw up,” Chang-Kim wrote in response to another portion of the disc...