May 31, 2012
Contact: Yehudah
Meth For
Immediate Release
718-853-9616 (office)
973-945-4903 (cell)
MANY
ADDITIONAL WITNESSES PREPARED TO COME FORWARD
Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) has asked Attorney
General Eric Schneiderman to look into accusations of anti-Semitism at the
highest levels of Brooklyn College. The Assemblyman says that although CUNY
promised to independently investigate charges made by Brooklyn College staff
that Provost William Tramontano demonstrated a pattern of racial discrimination
against faculty and job candidates, what CUNY delivered was anything but independent.
“CUNY’s internal investigation was a sham,” said the Assemblyman.
“The atmosphere of intimidation at Brooklyn College continues and the fear of
retaliation is very real to staff. But many additional witnesses will come forward
for the Attorney General.”
Last month, Assemblyman Hikind, along with 20 fellow lawmakers,
contacted CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein asking him to address what they
considered a pervasive pattern of anti-Semitism at Brooklyn College originating
from the Provost’s office. Among incidents cited, Observant Jewish faculty candidates
were denied employment opportunities at the college despite the highest
recommendations from the College’s Appointment Committee; promotions were denied
to Orthodox Jews while given to far-less-deserving staff members; and biased
language unbecoming of a staff member was attributed to Tramontano. In one case,
Tramontano blocked the hiring of a highly qualified Orthodox Jewish woman
recommended by his own committee with the words, “I already gave you a Miriam.”
“I am overwhelming disappointed by CUNY’s inability to
address this matter honestly,” said Assemblyman Hikind, himself a Brooklyn
College graduate. “It’s clear that a probe from the Attorney General is called
for. With their identities protected by the Attorney General, many witnesses who
have kept quiet until now are eager to offer evidence of what’s going on at
Brooklyn College.”
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