Donations Dry Up for Ivy League School As Alumni Take a Stand

(NationRise.com) – One of the prominent donors of the University of Pennsylvania sent his alma mater a $1 check with an annual pledge for this same amount as long as the current President, Liz Magill, remains in the position. With this move, Jonathon Jacobson joins a large group of mega-donors who’ve decided to withhold donations over the university’s response to the armed conflict between Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas and accusations of antisemitism.

Jacobson is one of the leading donors calling for significant changes at the top as the school grapples with the controversy of a recent on-campus event where many students seemed to support Hamas. The clash between the school and its most essential donors has been so critical that alumni president Michael Barret sent a letter to his fellow Quakers confirming his support for Magill. He also defended the university’s handling of the situation and criticized the “misinformation” the school has recently faced.

Following Jacobson’s move, the University of Pennsylvania’s president released a statement where she recognized that the school failed to quickly address criticism of the controversial “Palestine Writes” event. Magill also condemned Hamas for its “terrorist assault” on the Jewish state on October 7.

Magill explained that she can hear everyone’s pain and anger, for which she will take all action necessary to show that the school stands against antisemitism and the “terrorist attack” committed by Hamas. Magill also pointed out that the school has a “moral responsibility” to fight against antisemitism and to make “our community” understand this should always be rejected.

Her statement came after a previous letter to the university that drew criticism from many public and political figures, as she refused to call Hamas a terrorist group, despite the numerous atrocities committed in Israel. In this letter, she suggested that both Hamas and the Israeli government were to blame for the escalation of violence though she did state that what Hamas did on October 7 was “horrific” and “abhorrent.”