Former U.S. Ambassador to China and Russia Jon Huntsman reportedly informed the University of Pennsylvania that his foundation would no longer donate to the school over the institution's response to the terrorist attacks against Israel.
In an email to UPenn President Liz Magill, Huntsman, who graduated from the university in 1987, said his foundation would "close its checkbook on all future giving to Penn" because the institution had embraced "moral relativism" and was now "almost unrecognizable." The email was reported by the Daily Pennsylvanian.
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The Huntsman Foundation's announcement came after Hamas terrorists launched a series of attacks on Israel on Oct. 7. The attacks and Israel's subsequent military response in the Gaza Strip have claimed over 4,000 lives.
In the wake of the attacks, student groups at several major universities have issued statements supporting Hamas and blaming Israel for the attacks. In his email to Magill, Huntsman said the university had been silent in response to the attacks and that he and his family would no longer support it.
"To the outsider, it appears that Penn has become deeply adrift in ways that make it almost unrecognizable," Huntsman said. "Moral relativism has fueled the university's race to the bottom and sadly now has reached a point where remaining impartial is no longer an option. The university's silence in the face of reprehensible and historic Hamas evil against the people of Israel (when the only response should be outright condemnation) is a new low. Silence is antisemitism, and antisemitism is hate, the very thing higher ed was built to obviate."
Magill and Provost John Jackson released a statement on Oct. 10, three days after the initial attacks, which said the university was "devastated by the horrific assault on Israel by Hamas that targeted civilians."
On Oct. 15, Magill released another statement that noted the university had "made public statements denouncing acts of antisemitism on our campus and the terrorist attacks in Israel" and that there was "no justification" for the attacks.
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"I stand, and Penn stands, emphatically against antisemitism," Magill said. "We have a moral responsibility — as an academic institution and a campus community — to combat antisemitism and to educate our community to recognize and reject hate. I look forward to continuing to work with Jewish leaders, faculty, students, and staff at Penn and elsewhere to ensure we are fostering a safe and inclusive environment."
A spokesperson for UPenn referred the Washington Examiner to Magill's recent statement, as well as a statement from Penn Board of Trustees Chairman Scott Bok, who said Magill had shared with the board "plans to enhance education and training to combat antisemitism on campus."