Northwestern president to testify in front of House committee on addressing antisemitism

EVANSTON, Ill. (WLS) -- Northwestern University's president will testify in Washington, D.C. on addressing antisemitism at the school, a spokesman said Monday.

The spokesman said, "Northwestern's foremost responsibility is ensuring the safety of our students. We are confident in the actions we have taken to address antisemitism on our campus and President Schill looks forward to discussing them with the House Committee on Education and the Workforce."

Last week, seven members of Northwestern President Michael H. Schill's Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and Hate decided to step down amid protests over the Isreal-Hamas war at college campuses across the country.

In a letter to Schill, the members said, "We are unable to continue to serve Northwestern University as members of the President's Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and Hate at this crucial moment with antisemitism so present at Northwestern in public view for the past week."

They also said they were not consulted in the recent agreement reached between the school and protesters on Deering Meadow.

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A pro-Palestinian encampment at Northwestern ended last week, when the university agreed to more transparency in its investments.

Some Jewish groups are now calling on Schill to resign.

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Schill addressed the agreement made with protesters via video statement and acknowledged incidents of antisemitism.

"This needs to be condemned by all of us," Schill said. "And that starts with me. Jewish students must feel safe walking past Deering Meadow and everywhere on our campus."

In response to the committee members' resignations, Northwestern said in a statement, "The University is disappointed that some members of the President's Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and Hate have decided to step down. The Committee's charge and its work remain incredibly important to our community.

Our commitment to protecting Jewish students, faculty and staff is unwavering. The University has no tolerance for antisemitic or anti-Muslim behavior.

We will continue to engage with all members of the Committee - including the members who have resigned - and other Jewish members of our community, to ensure the vital objectives of this Committee continue."

Those who resigned include Efraim Benmelech, Lily Cohen, Martin Eichenbaum, Daniel Greene, Philip Greenland, Paula Pretlow and Michael Simon.

The video in the player above is from an earlier report.