Palm Beach resident Robert Kraft pulls support for Columbia over 'virulent hate' on campus

Carol Rose, Palm Beach Daily News
Part-time Palm Beacher Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, this week withdrew support for his alma mater, Columbia University, over student protests.
Part-time Palm Beacher Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, this week withdrew support for his alma mater, Columbia University, over student protests.

As protests against the war in Gaza continue to swirl on college campuses across the United States, part-time Palm Beacher Robert Kraft has pulled support for his alma mater, Columbia University, the institution that is at the center of the maelstrom after demonstrators were arrested there last week.

In statement April 22 on X, formerly Twitter, the NFL New England Patriots owner, who signed his message as "Founder" of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, said: "I am deeply saddened at the virulent hate that continues to grow on the campus and throughout our country. I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken."

Continuing, Kraft's post said: "It is my hope that Columbia and its leadership will stand up to this hate by ending these protests immediately and will work to earn back the respect and trust of the many of us who have lost faith in the institution. It is my hope that in this difficult time, the Kraft Center at Columbia will serve as a source of security and safety for all Jewish students and faculty on campus who want to gather peacefully to practice their religion, to be together, and to be welcomed."

Pro-Palestinian protesters hold a small rally outside of Columbia University on April 24, 2024 in New York City. School administrators and pro-Palestinian, student protesters made progress on negations after the school set a midnight deadline for students to disband the encampment. The students agreed to remove a significant number of the tents that have been erected on the lawn, and ensured that non-students would leave, and bar discriminatory or harassing language among the protesters.

Kraft expressed gratitude to Columbia for giving him a full academic scholarship that gave him his start in life "and for that I have been tremendously grateful" but said the school "is no longer an institution I recognize."

Kraft's Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, which he launched with a $20 million donation, has a mission that includes raising awareness of and responding to antisemitism by developing a world-class command center that monitors conversations related to antisemitism, according its website.

More: Palm Beach residents co-chairing new entity that is working to combat antisemitism

Last year, the foundation launched the #StandUpToJewishHate campaign aimed at stopping hateful acts against Jewish people.

Kraft is the most recent resident to publicly break with an Ivy League institution in the wake the Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

In October, just days after the the attack, charter school magnate Vahan Gureghian announced his resignation from the University of Pennsylvania's board of trustees, a prestigious post he held for nearly 15 years.

In his letter of resignation emailed to several news organizations, Gureghian cited the school's "embrace of antisemitism, a failure to stand for justice, and complete negligence in the defense of our students’ wellbeing."

Carol Rose is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at crose@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Robert Kraft pulls support for Columbia over student protests

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