University Head Apologizes for Conceding to Anti-Israel Protesters

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Chancellor, Mark Mone, has apologized to the Jewish community for reaching an agreement with an anti-Zionist group that led to the end of a “Gaza encampment” on campus. The agreement included the university issuing a statement calling for a ceasefire in Israel's conflict with Hamas and considering an academic boycott of Israel.

“It is clear to me that UWM should not have weighed in on deeply complex geopolitical and historical issues,” Mone stated on Tuesday. “And for that, I apologize. I acknowledge that it is an increasingly difficult time for many Jewish students at UWM and across America.”

Mone emphasized UWM's condemnation of all forms of hatred, including antisemitism and Islamophobia. “Our campus must be a place that welcomes all students and the full expression of their history, culture, identity, and ethnicity. But words alone cannot create the culture of inclusion we desire, which is why we must transform our words into commitment and action. This work will take time, as all hard work does, and it will also take the openness of our entire community.”

The chancellor did not clarify if he would honor the deal made with Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a group linked to numerous antisemitic incidents on campuses. As part of the agreement, Mone issued a statement on May 12 describing Israel’s efforts against Hamas as “genocide,” citing figures from Hamas-controlled authorities, which experts have criticized as unreliable.

The deal also required UWM to review its study abroad policies and pressure a local environmental organization to sever ties with two Israeli companies, actions that Mone has already undertaken.

In response, the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, Hillel Milwaukee, and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) condemned the agreement in a joint statement, describing it as "amongst the most offensive and dangerous of any university agreement reached with encampment protesters over the last two weeks.”

Mone’s actions are part of a broader trend where university leaders have been accused of compromising Jewish student welfare to appease anti-Zionist protesters. Wesleyan University, Northwestern University, and Brown University have also made controversial concessions, including scholarships for Palestinian students and divestment votes against Israeli-linked companies.

Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, a campus antisemitism expert and founder of the AMCHA Initiative, pointed to faculty influence as a key factor. “It’s not that administrators are capitulating to students. They are capitulating to the faculty, because they know that if they run afoul of the faculty, they are history,” she said. Rossman-Benjamin advocates for the removal of tenure to address this issue, arguing that it protects faculty whose goal is to undermine the university.

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