On Sunday, after pro-Palestinian activists set up a tent encampment near the Hillel Jewish student center on MIT’s campus, the university’s leading Jewish advocacy group, MIT Israel Alliance, pressed Kornbluth for action to prevent any disturbance in the students’ ability to celebrate the beginning of Passover.
The group, led by Talia Khan, also pressed Kornbluth to provide remote learning options to those who feel unsafe because of the encampment and to clear the encampment, step up campus security, and expel and suspend students who are breaking MIT rules by setting up tents in an unauthorized location and refusing to leave. ...
An email response shared with RealClearPolitics shows that a Kornbluth aide responded to Khan early Monday that “the matter has our full attention.” Kimberly Allen, a spokeswoman for Kornbluth, told RCP that MIT police have been on the scene through Sunday night and will continue to be present. “MIT officials are aware of the tents and are determining next steps, with a focus on ensuring campus is physically safe and still fully functioning,” Allen said.
Just a few hours later, university staff told Jewish students that they had moved the planned seder dinner and Passover celebrations from Hillel to a new location and would be requiring students to register for the event and bring their MIT IDs. Khan and other Jewish students and faculty quickly complained that the university was accommodating the encampment while moving the Jewish students to another location so they could safely celebrate Passover.
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