Rutgers U. President leaving office after spring term after anti-Semitism complaints

Rutgers University president [Go Scarlet Knights!] Jonathan Holloway will be leaving his job at the end of this academic year due to his lack of courage and leadership amidst the blatant anti-Semitism on campus.

Holloway gave his perfunctory words in a letter on Tuesday in which he bragged about the accomplishments of his administration. “Serving as the university president has been an enormous privilege and responsibility,” he wrote.  “Throughout my tenure, I have been appreciative of the former and respectful of the latter. I welcomed the opportunity to join the Rutgers community in July 2020 because I found inspiration in the possibilities that this institution represented.”

Holloway said he thinks Rutgers University is stronger and more respected now than it was before he became president in 2020. He mentioned that the school received about $970 million in research grants while he has been president.

However, Holloway’s supposed lack of attention to the concerns of Jewish students about the rising antisemitism on the New Brunswick campus, which The Algemeiner has reported on many times, has put a negative mark on his leadership record.

Holloway initially wavered on the issue in 2021. His administration first denounced antisemitism, but then, three days later, apologized for it in a statement that said their earlier stance "failed to communicate support for our Palestinian community members.”

The Jewish community was as angry as wasps in a jar while Holloway was in charge of official communications. He issued a third statement on May 29, 2021 and was the sole signee. “We have not, nor would we ever, apologize for standing against antisemitism,” he wrote.

In the coming years, Rutgers experienced a series of antisemitic hate crimes on its campus. For three consecutive years, someone threw eggs at the home of Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), a Jewish fraternity. Jewish students reported facing verbal abuse and having their property vandalized, including several incidents of tire slashing. After Hamas's massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, the university's Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter celebrated the deaths of Jews, and a sympathizer on campus even called for the murder of a Jewish AEPi member, urging someone to "go kill him." In 2022, a caravan of SJP members drove to AEPi’s house, shouting antisemitic slurs and spitting in the direction of the fraternity members.

Rutgers Hillel criticized the administration for not addressing antisemitism properly. They pointed out that antisemitism wasn't included in a 2021 symposium on ethnic and racial hatred. Rutgers Hillel commented, "Jews don't count. This repeated erasure of Jewish concerns and identity is painful and bewildering to every member of the Rutgers Jewish community.”

The broader community, including non-Jewish members, also held a low opinion of Holloway. In 2023, he failed a no confidence vote with an 89-47 result. This came after a faculty strike, tough contract talks, and the dismissal of the chancellor at the university's Newark campus, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer. Subsequently, the Yale Daily News noted that Holloway was noticeably absent from faculty senate meetings. One professor mentioned that Holloway seemed to handle challenges with the attitude of an Ivy League elitist.

“He has consistently shown contempt for and disdain for the people who do the work of the university,” Rutgers English professor Jim Brown told the Yale Daily News. “He has shown little interest in the working or learning conditions of students, staff, and faculty at all Rutgers campuses.”

Some speculated that Holloway was simply waiting for the opportunity to become Yale University’s first Black president, a position he likely saw as the ultimate peak of his career. An anonymous faculty member told the News, “I think he would see Yale as the pinnacle of his personal achievements. So yeah, I don’t think he wants to stick around at this public university any longer than he has to.”

Holloway was reportedly a top candidate to replace Peter Salovey as president after Salovey's retirement in 2024. However, Yale picked someone else, Maurie McInnis, just a week after Holloway made a controversial appearance at a US congressional hearing about campus antisemitism. This hearing was a chance for Holloway to show his leadership skills and his stance against political extremism and hate, but it didn't go well.

During the hearing, Holloway seemed to defend the organizers of a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” comparing them to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by saying that King was also unpopular in his time. This comparison caused quite a stir. Holloway also hesitated to answer a question on whether he believes Israel is a “genocidal” country, only saying that Israel has a right to defend itself. Later on, he clarified that he does not think Israel is genocidal.

Responding to Holloway's announcement of his resignation, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) said Holloway should not wait until summer to leave office.

“Jonathan Holloway must resign in disgrace immediately for allowing antisemitic mobs to repeatedly target and threaten the safety of Jewish students, surrendering to the pro-Hamas encampment on campus, and continuing to employ antisemitic and terror-supporting faculty and staff,” she said.

Holloway said on Tuesday that he has “plenty to do before I complete my term,” adding, “I remain focused on that work, especially that which is committed to the connections between Rutgers and civic preparedness and civil discourse. But whatever the topic, I remain steadfast in my belief that Rutgers is on the rise and is earning the respect it has long deserved. I look forward to seeing it flourish in the years ahead.”

Good riddance.

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