Anti-Israel protests impact a Jewish-rooted university

The president of Brandeis University resigned as a result of multiple factors, including his handling of recent protests

The entrance to Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.
The entrance to Brandeis University, which has become embroiled in the Israel-Hamas controversy
(Image credit: Stock Photo via Getty Images)

Anti-Israel protests on college campuses have been ongoing since the Israel-Hamas war began, and now the backlash has landed at an unlikely destination: Brandeis University. The president of Brandeis, Ronald Liebowitz, announced that he is resigning his position effective Nov. 1, following a vote of no confidence from the school's board. While budgeting issues were the main reason for the vote, Liebowitz's handling of anti-Israel, pro-Palestine protests on Brandeis' campus was also cited as a major factor for his ousting.

The fact that anti-Israel protests were prevalent at Brandeis may be surprising to some, given that it is a historically Jewish university. While Brandeis is officially secular, it was founded by Jews and implements a "set of values that are rooted in Jewish history and experience," according to the university. It is estimated that about a third of the school's students are Jewish. But this has not made the Waltham, Massachusetts, school immune to the ongoing controversy around the Middle East conflict.

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Justin Klawans, The Week US

 Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other Hollywood news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.