3 weeks ago
Leon Cooperman: No much money for Columbia
Omega Family Office president and CEO Leon Cooperman gives his return connected assemblage students opinionated pinch Hamas pursuing nan sadistic onslaught connected Israel connected 'The Claman Countdown.'
Columbia University's billionaire donors are divided connected whether they should proceed funneling money into nan Ivy League school.
Ultra-wealthy benefactors for illustration New York Patriots proprietor Robert Kraft announced he is pulling financial support to his alma mater complete the anti-Israel protests that are unfolding connected campus. Kraft besides started nan Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS). Kraft's nett worthy is complete $11 billion, arsenic tracked by Forbes.
Another graduate, billionaire industrialist Len Blavatnik, who besides has a history of giving important amounts of money to philanthropy, told FOX Business that nan school's "leadership must return contiguous steps to guarantee that Jewish students are protected from threats and intimidation, and that those who break their policies are held to account." Blavatnik has a nett worthy of complete $31 billion, arsenic tracked by Forbes.
Leonard Blavatnik astatine nan 96th Annual Oscars held astatine Ovation Hollywood connected March 10, 2024 successful Los Angeles, California. ( (Photo by Alberto Rodriguez/Variety via Getty Images))
Blavatnik didn't corroborate if he was suspending his giving. However, sources told The New York Post he mightiness besides see pulling backmost connected his donations.
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MOVES TO HYBRID LEARNING ON MAIN CAMPUS AMID ANTISEMITIC PROTESTS
The schoolhouse started losing donors soon aft nan warfare kicked disconnected successful early October aft Hamas terrorists stormed Gaza successful a astonishment attack, sidesplitting complete 1,100 Israelis and kidnapping complete 200, immoderate of whom stay hostages.
During an question and reply pinch Liz Claman connected "The Claman Countdown" connected Oct. 26, 2023, Columbia University graduate, billionaire investor and Omega Advisors CEO Leon Cooperman pledged to suspend his giving.
Police officers return information measures arsenic "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" astatine Columbia University continues connected its sixth time successful New York, Unitee States connected April 22, 2024. (Selçuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"I deliberation these kids astatine nan colleges person sh*t for brains" Cooperman told Claman. "I've fixed to Columbia astir apt astir $50 cardinal complete galore years," he continued. "And I'm going to suspend my giving. I'll springiness my giving to different organizations."
This week, he told CNBC, he was "uncomfortable" pinch what is going connected astatine nan schoolhouse but declined to elaborate connected early donations. He did opportunity he plans to support Columbia's business schoolhouse "when they solicit" him.
Cooperman's nett worthy neared $3 billion, per Forbes.
Billionaire Lee Cooperman, Omega Advisors (Fox Business)
In caller weeks and months, location has been an onslaught of anti-war protests not only astatine Columbia but different assemblage campuses, including New York University, University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor and Yale, arsenic tensions complete nan war successful nan Middle East continue to rise.
Pro-Palestinian students astir nan federation are condemning nan battle connected Gaza, which has resulted successful tens of thousands of civilian deaths. But immoderate Jewish students opportunity location has been a emergence successful antisemitism. Some students astatine Columbia person precocious told FOX News that they nary longer consciousness physically safe.
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT ORDERS VIRTUAL CLASSES AS ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS TAKE OVER: 'WE NEED A RESET'
At Columbia's New York City campus, location has been "too galore examples of intimidating and harassing behavior" including antisemitic language, nan school-- which was forced to move to hybrid learning for nan remainder of nan semester -- said successful a statement.
Protestors initially formed an encampment — mounting up tents and refusing to leave— connected nan field past week. More than 100 demonstrators who had been camped retired connected nan field were arrested, according to The Associated Press.
Pro-Palestian protesters stitchery connected nan field of Columbia University successful New York City connected April 23, 2024. Tensions flared betwixt pro-Palestinian student protesters and schoolhouse administrators astatine respective US universities connected April 22, arsenic in-person classes (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The protesters marched successful and astir nan field demanding nan schoolhouse suffer affiliations pinch groups that support Israel.
"There is simply a unspeakable conflict raging successful nan Middle East pinch devastating quality consequences. I understand that galore are experiencing heavy civilized distress and want Columbia to thief alleviate this by taking action. We should beryllium having superior conversations astir really Columbia tin contribute," nan schoolhouse wrote successful a statement.
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However, nan schoolhouse continued, saying that location are galore views and "we cannot person 1 group dictate position and effort to disrupt important milestones for illustration graduation to beforehand their constituent of view."
FOX Business' Greg Norman contributed to this report.
