Columbia instructor resigns after prof who said Oct 7 was ‘awesome’ slated to teach course on ‘Zionism’

According to the Jerusalem Post, international and public affairs adjunct Professor Lawrence Rosenblatt resigned in response to Professor Joseph Massad’s upcoming undergraduate course, History of the Jewish Enlightenment in 19th century Europe and the Development of Zionism. According to the New York Post, Professor Massad called the Hamas terror attacks on Israel "awesome." A student-organized petition calling for Massad's removal has received close to 80,000 signatures.

Rosenblatt said in his resignation letter to the Columbia administration, “I hereby resign my position as a member of the Columbia University faculty, effective immediately,” adding Massad “has advocated for the destruction of the State of Israel and celebrated the October 7 attacks.”

Rosenblatt noted that Massad wrote an article on October 8 for Electronic Intifada, a well-known antisemitic site, describing the Oct 7 rapes, torture, murders, and kidnappings as “the major achievement of the resistance in the temporary takeover of these settler-colonies is the death blow to any confidence that Israeli colonists had in their military and its ability to protect them.”

Massad added in the article, “In the interest of safeguarding their lives and their children’s future, the colonists’ flight from these settlements may prove to be a permanent exodus. They may have finally realized that living on land stolen from another people will never make them safe.”

Rosenblatt told Columbia that having Massad teach a course on Zionism was “akin to having a White nationalist teach about the US Civil Rights movement and the struggle for Black equality, having a climate denier teach about the impact of global warming, or a misogynist teach about feminism.”

Rosenblatt added, “While Massad has a right to think what he thinks and speak what he believes, Columbia has a responsibility to teach objectively and fairly. At best, perhaps one could tolerate a class on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict co-taught from the many diverse Israeli and Palestinian perspectives, though not by someone who advocates for the eradication of a group of people.”

Rosenblatt said that despite the antisemitic Gaza camp, protests, and violence at Columbia for the past 15 months, he continued to teach at the Ivy League school because he believed the values of the institution were not the same as the activist students and faculty.

Rosenblatt wrote, “Columbia has lost not only its moral compass but its intellectual one. The institution of Columbia, in officially sanctioning this class and this professor, has harmed the academy it once was. As it is gone, I cannot remain. My hope is that Columbia will correct this travesty, and if so, I would be open to returning.”

Over the weekend, the Israeli embassy in the US slammed Massad’s class and asked on X how many students the radical professor had “managed to indoctrinate.”

A Columbia spokesperson told the Jerusalem Post in a statement, "Professor Massad’s statements following the terrorist attack on October 7 created pain for many in our community and contributed to the deep controversy on our campus. We have consistently condemned any celebration or promotion of violence or terror.

"We remain committed to principles of free expression and the open exchange of viewpoints and perspectives through opportunities for constructive dialogue and understanding throughout our campus community, and we seek to provide a learning environment and classrooms that promote intellectual inquiry and analytical thinking along with civility, tolerance, and respect. Professor Massad’s class is one of three courses Columbia students can elect to take next semester on the subject of Zionism and the history of Israel, two of which are offered through Columbia’s Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies. Professor Massad's class is limited to 60 students and is not a required course.”