Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) National President Morton A. Klein released the following statement:
A number of Jewish organizations, including the Zionist Organization of America, Shurat Hadin (Israel Law Center), Betar Zionist Movement (www.betarus.org) and Shields of David today demanded Jamie Levitt, a partner at high profile white-shoe law firm Morrison & Foerster resign as Chairman of Cooper Union. This demand comes in response to repeated acts of heinous antisemitism at Cooper Union including today where students and faculty gathered to celebrate acts of jihad and praise terrorists.
On October 7, 2024, an administrator promoted martyrs’ vigil as the flyer advertising the vigil referred to the Oct. 7 anniversary of Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel as “one year of resistance,” and categorized the Jewish state’s war inside Gaza as “one year of genocide.”
“There must be zero tolerance for this rising scourge of Jew-hatred and Israel-hatred which pose a huge danger to Jews and the entire country and world. Cooper Union had failed that important principle. Its Board chair must go,” said Morton Klein, national president of ZOA.
“For a year we have heard about egregious acts of antisemitism at Cooper Union and even as there are lawsuits pending against this school which repeatedly permits students and faculty to glorify acts of terror, just today dozens of students praised jihad at a public event where they raised money by selling shirts celebrating terrorism. Nothing is done and nothing changes. We demand that Jamie Levitt resign immediately as Chairman of Cooper Union. High profile lawyers should not be part and parcel of institutions that fail to protect Jews,” said Nitsana Darshan Leitner of Shurat HaDin.
“Just this year Ms. Levitt was honored by the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) for “achieving justice for all New Yorkers,” and today we say enough is enough. It is simply inconceivable that a well-respected law firm such as Morrison & Foerster can have a partner serve as a chairman of an institution so heinously antisemitic as Cooper Union. We will look at institutions and demand resignations from board members where schools don’t protect their Jews,” added Leitner.
“Betar has demanded antisemitism be combatted at Cooper Union from last year when we were on the scene and Jews were locked in the library by antisemitic students and administrators. Cooper Union simply doesn’t care so why on earth does Morrison & Foerster’s senior partner stay as Chairman? We demand she resign immediately or we will consider alternative ways to place pressure on the firm. Silence is despicable and this law firm remaining involved with Cooper Union is standing with Jew-hatred,” said Ross Glick, Director of Betar US.
A number of Jewish organizations today protested at Cooper Union, where faculty and administrators joined with students in endorsing acts of resistance and jihad.