A college president in California was suspended on Wednesday after a contentious message that was sent to the college group on Tuesday announcing a deal to ban Jewish institutions, which appeared to be unconstitutional.
Ming- Tai” Mike” Lee, president of Sonoma State University, announced on Tuesday that he had accepted a demand made by pro-Palestinian activists to boycott Jewish institutions. The decision enthralled anti-Israel protesters and frightened Israeli students.
A family of a Hebrew scholar at Sonoma State University, a common school in California, contacted me. He is OUTFIRMED at President Ming-Tung Mike Lee for announcing an Israeli academic protest and agreeing to another demands made by pro-Hamas protesters.
This may be violating … photograph. twitter.com/FejOwYHMbR
— Sia Kordestani ( @SiaKordestani ) May 15, 2024
On Wednesday, Lee was placed on left by Sonoma State. The , Press- Democrat reported:
In that Tuesday letter, Lee detailed an arrangement with the pupils and members of the community who have been camping on the campus ‘ Person Lawn since April 26 that echoed scenes from various universities around the country where they have protested the Hamas-Israel war.
Among the four “points of deal” was for the class to share school contractor agreements and seek “divestment methods”, Lee said in his email.
In another area, under the heading” Academic Boycott”, Lee detailed how the school does not follow proper partnerships that are” sponsored by, or signify, the Jewish state academic and research institutions”.
In a speech, California State University Chancellor Mildred GarcÃa explained the reasons for Lee’s disqualification:
A deal with school activists was the subject of a message sent by Sonoma State University President Mike Lee on Tuesday night. Without the necessary certifications, that information was sent. ​
The Board’s authority and I are currently going over the situation, and we will provide more information as we go along. President Lee has currently been placed on administrative leave as a result of this disobedience and the negative effects it has had on the system. I want to congratulate Dr. Nathan Evans, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs and Chief Academic Officer, for his immediate appointment as Sonoma State University’s speaking leader.
Every member of California State University deserves our education, and we must aid and advance them. I want to express my deep concern for the Sonoma State group and how difficult and painful it will be for many of our kids and group members to read and read the statement. The CSU’s goal is to make every person we serve a welcoming and inclusive place, never to marginalize one group over another.
As Breitbart News has noted, boycotting and divesting from Israeli universities violates California’s laws against the anti- Israel ( and antisemitic ) “boycott, divestment, sanctions” ( BDS ) movement, also known as “anti- BDS” laws.
Joel B. Pollak is Top Editor- at- Big at Breitbart News and the number of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday night from 7 p. m. to 10 p. m. ET ( 4 p. m. to 7 p. m. Platinum ). He is the creator of the latest e- guide,” The Zionist Conspiracy ( and how to meet it )”, now available on Audible. He is also the creator of the electronic- text, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U. S. Presidential Election. He is a success of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Following him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
