A new report by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) has allegedly uncovered alarming discrepancies in Yale University's reporting of foreign funds, particularly from Qatar. The findings, released Wednesday, suggest a pattern of non-compliance with US federal reporting laws, sparking concerns about transparency in higher education.

According to the report, titled "The Ongoing Failure to Report: Yale University, Qatar, and Undisclosed Foreign Funding, Volume Two," Yale received approximately $15.9 million from Qatar over a decade beginning in 2012. However, the university reported only $284,668 during this period, a significant underreporting that violates Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Qatar's US Embassy put out an official statement denying both any financial or ideological influence on US campuses.

Qatar has reportedly contributed $4.7B to dozens of academic institutions in the USA between 2001-2021.

They have donated more than any country in the world… pic.twitter.com/U5rzylZIXh

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 14, 2024

The ISGAP report, part of its "Follow the Money" project examining foreign funding of US universities since 2012, suggests that Qatar's financial contributions may be part of a broader strategy to exert influence and promote the interests of the Qatari regime. The collaboration between Yale and Qatar allegedly involves numerous undisclosed transactions that do not appear in Yale's financial statements or the US Department of Education's reporting system.

Dr. Charles Asher Small, ISGAP's Executive Director, expressed concern over the implications of these funding practices. "The persistent non-disclosure of substantial foreign funds, as well as contracts, MOUs, and agreements with foreign foundations and government agencies, not only undermines transparency and accountability but also poses significant risks to the integrity of higher education," he said. Small added that "Despite prior investigations and warnings, Yale and other universities continue to engage in practices that violate federal law."

The report also highlights a potential link between foreign funding and antisemitic incidents on US campuses. ISGAP's previous research has shown that antisemitic incidents are more prevalent at universities receiving Qatari funding. "The omission of substantial Qatari grants in Yale University's financial statements raises questions about academic integrity and foreign influence," Small noted. "There is concern that the same is happening at Yale, which has seen a sharp rise in antisemitism on campus since the October 7 attacks in Israel."

To address these issues, ISGAP has proposed several policy recommendations aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in university funding. These include stricter enforcement of existing disclosure laws, increased scrutiny of foreign donations, and measures to protect academic freedom and institutional autonomy from foreign influence. The organization is calling on the US Department of Education to intensify its oversight to ensure full compliance with federal funding disclosure laws across all universities.

This latest report follows Volume One, released in 2023, which previously exposed non-disclosure practices at several institutions, including Yale. Those findings led to federal investigations in 2019.

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Over the past two weeks, Columbia University has been in the headlines due to vast student protests in support of the terrorist organization Hamas and Iran, disrupting campus life and affecting daily routines. The severe issue has drawn responses from US President Joe Biden and other US officials and political personas, and celebrities such as David Schwimmer, asking to "show your support for your Jewish neighbors, friends, and colleagues," saying that "silence is complicity." This also created heated debates among users all over social media. Chants such as "burn Tel Aviv to the ground," and "Oct. 7 will be every day," – undoubtedly targeting Jewish students – were repeatedly heard on campus, escalating tensions and leading to violent incidents, in which a student was struck with a flagpole in her eye. 

This volatile situation, first emerging from Columbia, has now spread nationwide – with students setting up encampments and occupying buildings on campuses at the University of Michigan in the Midwest, California State Polytechnic University on the West Coast, and Yale in Connecticut – refusing to leave, preventing Jewish students and even professors from moving freely around campus. 

"As extreme as the protests were, what truly bothered me and many of the Israeli and Jewish students, was the ridiculous, groveling way the university president and administration handled the situation," 24-year-old Israeli Columbia computer science freshman Matan Ossy says, "I, who greatly appreciated the president's conduct until two weeks ago – lost all respect I had for her. She did not stand by the deadlines and conditions she had set for the protesters, set up a team to negotiate with them, and simply allowed them to take over the public space. The students she had suspended – were simply allowed to attend classes via Zoom. The situation appeared to lack any mature leadership or established authority figure, with teenagers merely 18 years old essentially steering the course of action and having the final say." He also criticizes members of the American-Jewish community taking part in the pro-Palestinian protests, using the slogan "not in our name". "Not in our name?" he asks rhetorically, "we all saw Hamas terrorists shouting 'slaughter the Jews!' as they were viciously murdering entire families on Oct. 7."

"The atmosphere at Yale is better than other places – but that doesn't mean it's comfortable here," Israeli student Dr. Meital Peleg Mizrachi, a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Economics, said. "A few days ago, protesters demonstrating in memory of a terrorist were cleared, and in the ensuing confrontation, a woman was struck with a flagpole. Ultimately, there is a huge event on campus dedicated to a man who was a terrorist and murdered Jews. It's a very difficult feeling...as scholars, we rely on collaboration across all fields, especially research – and there is undoubtedly a boycott of Israeli post-docs, both covert and overt. It severely limits our work, bordering on impossible," she said, adding, "To them, it's just #watermelon," referring to the symbol used by pro-Palestinian demonstrators because of its resemblance to the Palestinian flag. "In the end, it's students unconnected to the Middle East who don't understand this is about people's lives and the impacts on them."

She also recalls getting an invitation to celebrate the "successful Palestinian resistance of Oct. 7" mere days after the attack: "Isn't it clear that murder and rape are not 'resistance'?" she asks. "Apparently, it's not as clear as I thought."

Renny Grinshpan, a comedic host and video creator and a Columbia alumna caused an uproar on social media after she tore up her diploma in protest of the university's inaction towards the violent protests against Israel. "Today, I'd like to renounce my degree…after months of harassment, Jewish students are now being physically blocked from entering classes by protesters... The Jewish students need to take their classes remotely. This is ethnic cleansing of Jews on an Ivy League college campus in 2024." She continues: "Those students who shamelessly glorify Hamas and yet face zero consequences for doing so, represent your values now – and they should be your graduates." 

The almost unprecedented New York Police Department raid on Columbia's Hamilton Hall eventually led to the arrest and evacuation of the anti-Israel demonstrators, but for students like Matan and Meital, it is not a matter of if, but when the wave of Jewish hatred will hit their campuses with renewed ferocity. 

The post Exclusive: Israelis at Columbia, Yale on grim reality of Jewish students in 2024 appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The Columbia Jewish Alumni Association has penned an open letter to University President Nemat Minouche Shafik, imploring her to take decisive action to ensure the safety of students amidst ongoing violent protests surrounding the war in Gaza. The letter, sent on Friday, highlights concerns about the perilous environment facing Jewish students due to recent events on campus.

Citing incidents such as the assault of Israeli guest speaker Yoseph Haddad and threats made towards Jewish students by protesters, shouting "We know where you live," the association asserts that the current protests have fostered an atmosphere of fear and insecurity. Of particular concern are chants such as "Oct. 7 would be every day" directed at Jewish students and one that "equated the NYPD and IDF to the KKK," exacerbating tensions on campus.

BREAKING: CJAA sends open letter to President Shafik @Columbia warning that campus is now under MOB RULE and calling for IMMEDIATE CLOSURE OF COLUMBIA GATES and ENFORCEMENT of University rules of conduct. pic.twitter.com/b1Lspntw1S

— Columbia Jewish Alumni Assoc. (@CU_JewishAlumni) April 19, 2024

The letter also points to unauthorized protests as contributing to the volatile situation. Following the arrest of over 100 protesters, solidarity demonstrations have persisted, further disrupting campus life.

Established in response to Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, the Columbia Jewish Alumni Association condemns the university's failure to denounce Hamas and its affiliated student groups. These groups, the association contends, propagate antisemitism and pose a direct threat to Jewish students' safety, adding: "The University failed to condemn Hamas, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, and the student groups which stand 'in full solidarity with' Hamas...These groups advocate for the obliteration of the Jewish state and have perpetuated the most egregious antisemitism we've ever seen on campus, causing Jewish students to feel unsafe."

Yale University students taking down the American flag while shouting "viva viva Palestina" https://t.co/pEoC9xRA70

— Kassy Akiva (@KassyDillon) April 21, 2024

Echoing the alumni's concerns, a separate letter organized by Jewish students calls for virtual class options until the situation stabilizes. With over 100 signatures, this plea underscores the widespread apprehension among students regarding campus safety.

In response to these developments, the alumni association calls on President Shafik to enforce university regulations rigorously. They urge immediate action to quell the unrest, including the closure of campus gates to prevent further incursions by outside protesters. Expressing fear of escalating violence against Jewish students, the association warns of a campus under the sway of disorder rather than reasoned discourse.

In response to "horrific" scenes of antisemitic harassment at and around campus, the Orthodox Rabbi at Columbia/Barnard sent a WhatsApp message to more than 290+ Jewish students this morning recommending that they go home until it's safe again for them on campus: pic.twitter.com/uqAntEICLv

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 21, 2024

The call for decisive intervention reflects growing apprehension within the university community about the safety of its members amidst ongoing turmoil. "It is clear to us that Columbia is now under mob rule – a mob, by the way, that is only interested in attention and chaos, rather than thoughtful dialogue or reasoned debate," the CJAA says. "We are, in short, afraid that violence against Jewish students is imminent."

Similar incidents occur at the neighbor university, Yale, in New Haven, as seen in a recent video posted on social media – in which students tear down the American flag on campus while chanting "Viva viva Palestina" (Long live Palestine) with no apparent intervention from the police or the university's administration.   

On Tuesday, the Anti-Defamation Leauge (ADL) published a report showing a 140% rise in antisemitic incidents in the US in 2023, as compared to 2022, considered a peak year in antisemitic incidents, with the highest figure recorded since the ADL launched its tracking, known as the Audit, in 1979.

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The letter details systemic problems, including widespread faculty support for the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. Title VI requires recipient institutions to "promote access to research and training overseas, including through linkages with overseas institutions," including Israeli universities. Any active boycott is therefore against the law. DesJarlais also notes that since 2012 Yale has received some $2 million from such governments as those of Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Because current federal law requires little transparency in foreign donations to universities, potential conflicts of interest exist.

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Title VI was created to "develop a pool of international experts to meet national needs" in the field of "international studies and world languages." Programs funded by Title VI are required to "reflect diverse perspectives and a wide range of views." Yet, available information indicates Yale's programs disproportionately demonize Israel and are obsessed with not offending the sensibilities of Muslims, including even Islamists.

In its investigation of Middle East studies at Duke/UNC, the Department of Education found that putting "considerable emphasis" on one religion over another was not in accordance with Title VI.

"Campus Watch congratulates Rep. DesJarlais for calling attention to the numerous issues at Yale's Council on Middle East Studies," said Winfield Myers, director of the Middle East Forum's Campus Watch. "That he is the fifth member of Congress to call out a Title VI center demonstrates the nationwide scope of abuses. The Department of Education must get serious about these problems by launching its own investigations."

"Yale isn't just ignoring the opinions of students, parents, or alumni; it's now flouting federal law," said Cliff Smith, Director of the Middle East Forum's Washington Project. "Yale must decide whether it really needs Title VI funds. But if it chooses to accept them, it must follow the law, and the Department of Education should enforce it."

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