Columbia removes 3 deans over text exchange deriding concerns of campus antisemitism

(New York Jewish Week) — Three Columbia University administrators have “been permanently removed from their positions” after sending a series of derisive text messages during a panel on campus Jewish life, the university’s provost announced Monday.

In an accompanying letter, Columbia President Minouche Shafik wrote that the texts echoed antisemitism and vowed to start a “vigorous program of antisemitism and antidiscrimination training” in the fall, when classes reconvene.

“This incident revealed behavior and sentiments that were not only unprofessional, but also, disturbingly touched on ancien...