A hedge fund billionaire is vowing to stop millions in donations to Columbia University unless he sees “change.” What he was referring to are the anti-Israel student demonstrations on campus.
80-year-old Columbia Business School Grad Leon Cooperman told Fox Business Channel’s Liz Claman that he has also demanded that school officials fire the tenured professor who called this month’s attacks by Hamas ‘awesome.’ Cooperman said that the thousands of students who protested at Columbia University in support of Palestinians have “s**t for brains.” Mr. Cooperman is not wrong.
“These kids at the colleges have sh– for brains,” Cooperman told “The Claman Countdown” host Liz Claman on Wednesday. “We have one reliable ally in the Middle East. That’s Israel. We only have one democracy in the Middle East. That’s Israel. And we have one economy tolerant of different people, gays, lesbians, etc. That’s Israel. So they have no idea what these young kids are doing.”
“Now, the real shame is, I’ve given to Columbia probably about $50 million over many years,” he continued. “And I’m going to suspend my giving. I’ll give my giving to other organizations.”
“I told [Columbia] that they should fire this professor that made the comments he made. I mean, war is hell. This war is not good for anybody,” Cooperman said. “But to praise what Hamas did is disgraceful. Disgusting.”
Cooperman advised President Shafik to take a page from business leaders like Marc Rowan and Bill Ackman.
“Listen to what Marc Rowan has to say and what he’s written. He’s on the right track. He’s done a very good job for Apollo in running the business. He’s been very outspoken about his views, and he’s a very generous guy and a good person. And so look at some of these other academic institutions, how they’ve responded,” Cooperman explained. “I think people like Bill Ackman and Marc Rowan and others, Ronald Lauder, are on the right track. You shouldn’t support organizations that are detrimental or in opposition to your views.”
It’s been quite an eye-opener for billionaire and millionaires who donate to Ivy League colleges. College campuses, not limited to the Ivys but certainly dominate there, are hot beds of anti-Israel Jew hatred. The anti-Semitic slogans chanted and signs held by pro-Palestinian protesters urge the elimination of Israel and death to Jews. Imagine being a parent who sends their child to an Ivy League school, spending tens of thousands of dollars in tuition alone each year, and seeing your child on cable news channels marching in such protests. Imagine being a Jewish parent witnessing that. It’s unbelievable.
There has always been anti-Semitism in the United States. There is a history of discrimination against Jews. For example, private clubs that denied Jews membership in the not too distant past. But private institutions like Ivy League schools seem to have been hiding anti-Semitism in plain sight. As soon as Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, anti-Semites came streaming out of the woodwork. Like cockroaches. The numbers continue to grow and protests continue, not just on college campuses but in cities across the country. My own city of Houston had an anti-Israel march recently. Houston has a large Jewish community.
Columbia University’s president tried to play it down the middle when the protests began. There is no middle ground here, though. Either you support Israel or you don’t. Either you choose to condemn evil in a loud, clear voice, or you don’t. Hamas is evil. Hamas cannot be separated from Gazans because Hamas was overwhelmingly voted into political leadership in Gaza in 2006 and still controls the country. It is who they are.
The calls for a ceasefire are to be ignored by those who support Israel. There was a ceasefire in place when Hamas started a war against Israel on October 7. Ceasefire only benefits Hamas. There is no sanctity of life among Hamas. The only solution is to completely destroy Hamas.
Columbia’s president used a lot of wienie words trying to have it both ways.
Columbia’s president, Minouche Shafik, previously released a statement for both sides of the conflict, which noted that, “Unfortunately, some are using this moment to spread antisemitism, Islamophobia, bigotry against Palestinians and Israelis, and various other forms of hate,” she wrote. “Especially at a time of pain and anger, we must avoid language that vilifies, threatens, or stereotypes entire groups of people.”
“It is antithetical to Columbia’s values and can lead to acts of harassment or violence,” Shafik added. “When this type of speech is unlawful or violates University rules, it will not be tolerated.”
Half-measures don’t work against evil. Israel has been too tolerant of constant attacks by rockets and bombs from the Gaza Strip, which means Hamas. Israel has a right to defend herself.
The only way colleges will get the message that indoctrinating student into an anti-Semitic world view is wrong is to cut off its funding. Alums have to stop sending donations. Parents have to stop sending their children to these schools. The only thing they understand is money in their foundations and bank accounts. Columbia University will feel the pain if Cooperman and others make good on their pledges to stop giving money to anti-Semitic schools.
The radicals among us are destroying the United States. Leftists have taken over education in our country, especially higher education. This is the result. Parents have to get involved and at the very least, send their children to school elsewhere. Our country will be better off.
