Dear Mr. President (of Cornell)

While writing this, I was concerned about my daughters’ futures.

Cornell is where I met my wife, had great memories with friends, explored gorgeous gorges, and learned a thing or two that set me up for a career at a premier financial institution.

I wanted the same for them, too: to attend this fine Ivy League institution and to have any opportunity they set their mind to.

But would raising my voice diminish their opportunity to attend Cornell?

More importantly, if they one day do attend Cornell, would they be safe as Jews?

I had to speak up because Ivy League campuses have changed.

Nearly one year ago, on October 15th, Cornell professor Russell Rickford spoke out praising Hamas for the attacks on October 7th in Israel’s south, “It was exhilarating, it was energizing. And if they weren’t exhilarated by this challenge to the monopoly of violence, the shifting of the violence of power, then they would not be human. I was exhilarated.”

Although he was subsequently on “voluntary leave” because of his statement, this year he is back teaching on campus, setting the precedent that these types of actions will be easily forgiven.

How can a professor who celebrates violence, and the killing of others by a known terror organization have a professorship at a publicly funded school, let alone at an Ivy League institution?

So, I wrote to Cornell’s interim (and Jewish) President who responded to my complaint. “I met with the Hillel students two weeks ago and discussed the issues on campus and our approach to them. Professor Rickford was one of those issues, and students understood the issue of protected public speech, even speech that is offensive and hateful. Moreover, there are no complaints of Professor Rickford’s classroom conduct; on the contrary, he has been praised for his teaching and for welcoming diverse opinions in his classes (which do not deal with the Middle East).”

To the President, I ask, “Are any Jewish students comfortable taking his class?”

It was at Cornell that I studied policy analysis and management, and I learned the term “externality”.

An externality is defined as “a side effect or consequence of an industrial or commercial activity that affects other parties without this being reflected in the cost of the goods or services involved.”

I remembered Cornell has a campus in Qatar, and Qatar has been a large benefactor to Cornell.

Qatar also happens to be the haven where Hamas’ leaders reside.

What is the externality of Qatar donating billions of dollars to Cornell?

In 1868, Ezra Cornell stated, “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.”

The externality of the donations is that now any person can find instruction on how to become antisemitic and get away with it.

While on campus about two decades ago, Cornell’s flagship Jewish event, hosted by Hillel, was “Shabbat 1,000” when about 1,000 students would come together for Shabbat.

In 2007, one of my classmates was quoted in the Cornell Daily Sun, “Shabbat 1,000 is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the Jewish community at Cornell and display the many events that are available to both Jewish and non-Jewish students,” said Jarett ’08, who wore a button with the phrase: “I went on birthright, ask me about it.”

I’m confident Jarret would not be okay with wearing that button around campus today or taking Professor Rickford’s class.

Antisemitism is not just in the streets, it’s also in the shadows. It’s changing the behavior of Jews.

In recent weeks, at the University of Michigan in two separate incidents, Jewish students were approached by a group and asked repeatedly, “Are you Jewish?” When they subsequently admitted their identity, they were attacked.

Jews know all too well about hiding our identities, something we have had to do across lands and time, most notably during the Holocaust.

The positive outcome of this hate was that Jews were able to return to their homeland, Israel, where they are free to express their identity.

Cornell senior, Melanie Schwartz recounted about being a student to the American Jewish Committee, “It is so exhausting and hard. I feel like as a Jewish student I’m going back to campus to fight for my right to exist.”

Chef José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen, believes we can solve the world’s problems with food.

Maybe Shabbat 1,000 was onto something. There’s a need for more intra-community events which is the first step to understanding each other.

To Cornell President Kotlikoff, I ask, Why wasn’t Professor Rickford required to attend a Shabbat to hear directly from the Jewish students how they felt about his actions and return?

If my daughters cannot attend Cornell one day, I hope at least they learn a more important lesson about speaking up for what they believe in and standing up for their identity.