Mort Zuckerman Cuts Off Funding to Columbia over Antisemitism

Billionaire philanthropist Mortimer “Mort” Zuckerman cut off funding to Columbia University this week over the institution’s perceived failure to respond to antisemitism and anti-Israel radicalism on campus since October 7.

The Washington Free Beacon reported:

The philanthropist and billionaire Mortimer Zuckerman cut off millions of dollars in funding to Columbia University citing the school’s failure to address rising anti-Semitism, the Washington Free Beacon has learned. Zuckerman pledged $200 million in 2012 to endow an institute focused on interdisciplinary neuroscience research. But the billionaire owner of U.S. News & World Report began questioning Columbia’s handling of rampant campus anti-Semitism following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks on Israel and ultimately halted funding after several months of discussions, according to a Zuckerman Family Office spokeswoman.

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For months, Zuckerman engaged in conversations with Columbia, raising concerns about the school’s governance and handling of campus anti-Semitism following Oct. 7, the Zuckerman Family Office spokeswoman told the Free Beacon. Columbia, in response, requested time to “rebuild trust and demonstrate better governance.”

But that rebuilding failed to take shape, prompting Zuckerman, a media and real estate mogul, to pause millions in funding. Columbia had become the forefront of campus anti-Semitism, with protesters eventually storming Hamilton Hall and barricading its entrance. In-person classes and the main graduation ceremony were canceled.

Zuckerman is a prominent donor to many causes, including Jewish and pro-Israel causes. He funds the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), the oldest pro-Israel organization in the United States, dating to the late 1800s.

Columbia featured some of the most extreme antisemitism on campus during the post-October 7 period, especially during the “encampments” of the spring. Prosecutors from the office of George Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney — who recently prosecuted Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump — recently dropped charges against most of the pro-Palestinian activists who were arrested for the violent occupation of Hamilton Hall.

Pro-Israel donors have been leaving elite institutions in droves over their refusal to speak out against terrorism and stop antisemitism. The Department of Justice, however, has not taken up the cause of Jewish civil rights on campus.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.