MIT anti-Israel activists spread map of Jewish orgs they want to ‘dismantle,’ provoking condemnation from MIT
The group said its ‘goal in pursuing this collective mapping was to reveal the local entities and networks that enact devastation, so we can dismantle them. Every entity has an address, every network can be disrupted.’
MIT President Sally Kornbluth condemned the anti-Semitism of the project.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President Sally Kornbluth condemned the spread of materials on campus that targeted Jewish organizations and called to “dismantle” them.
At an Aug. 28 orientation event for MIT students, several anti-Israel activists handed out flyers with a link to the Mapping Project, which provides an interactive map locating organizations that supposedly support “the colonization of Palestine.”
[RELATED: Anti-Israel student union at MIT agrees to settlement with Jewish students]
The map includes the locations of several Jewish organizations, including the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts, the Hillel Council of New England, and the Jewish National Fund’s New England Regional Office.
The Mapping Project states that its “goal in pursuing this collective mapping was to reveal the local entities and networks that enact devastation, so we can dismantle them. Every entity has an address, every network can be disrupted.”
The map also includes local police departments, politicians’ homes, and U.S. military bases.
In response to the flyers being handed out, Kornbluth sent an email stating: “While I have repeatedly defended freedom of expression, I must tell you that I found some of the websites cited on the flyers deeply concerning.” Kornbluth specifically called out the Mapping Project for anti-Semitism.
[RELATED: MIT abolishes mandatory DEI statements in faculty hiring]
An MIT spokesperson shared with Campus Reform an email sent to students on Aug. 29 that stated: “Last year, the ongoing war in the Middle East caused anguish for many members of our community and, for some, deep personal grief. These tragic events spurred significant frictions on campus and highlighted differences of viewpoint and experience. As we come together for the new semester, it’s vital to remember that, whatever the differences among us, we all share an interest in making MIT ‘a humane and welcoming place where people from a diverse range of backgrounds can grow and thrive – and where we all feel that we belong.’”
The email also clarified how MIT’s free expression policy works, and warned against actions that would count as harassment of community members.
