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At campus symposium, Jewish panelists push back as billionaire Bill Ackman defends Trump’s feud with Harvard

JL;DR SUMMARY During a symposium on Jews and elite universities at the Center for Jewish History, a debate arose centering on Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman's defense of Trump's funding cuts to Harvard and wider demands on universities to increase political diversity. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish CommunityDonald TrumpDeborah LipstadtLeon WieseltierHarvardBill AckmanElite UniversitiesViewpoint DiversityFederal Funding Cuts

Places mentioned

Manhattan, New York, United States
"Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, right, speaks on a panel with Liberties editor Leon Wieseltier and Emory University professor Deborah Lipstadt at The End of an Era: Jews and Elite Universities, a symposium at the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan, May 18, 2025."
New York, United States
"In the days before hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman was to speak at Sundays conference on Jews and Elite Universities at New Yorks Center for Jewish History, some 60 scholars signed a letter objecting that the vocal critic of Harvards handling of antisemitism allegations had no place speaking in such a setting."
Emory University, Georgia, United States
"On the same panel, Deborah Lipstadt, a professor of Holocaust and Jewish studies at Emory University and the former State Department envoy on antisemitism, acknowledged that she had praised some of Trumps early actions on antisemitism in various interviews, but said, What we are seeing now is beyond the pale."
Gainesville, Florida, United States
"Jewish studies professor Rachel Gordan, speaking on the same panel, also commented on government efforts to intervene in campus affairs. A faculty member at the University of Florida-Gainesville, Gordon said state legislation passed in spring of 2023, meant to curb funding for DEI at public universities, affected campus hiring and led to scrutiny of what could be taught in core general education classes including her class on post-Holocaust American Jewry."
Yale, Connecticut, United States
"She spoke of an Israeli doctoral student at Yale who told her that her professors had stopped speaking to her after the attacks and the start of the war."

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Cairo Item ID 52023
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2025-05-20 05:30:53 UTC
Curated 2025-05-20 08:31:14 UTC