After dropping out of Columbia, Robert Kraft donates $1 million to Yeshiva U to support transfer students

Two months after withdrawing donations from his Ivy League alma mater to its handling of pro-Palestinian protests, Robert Kraft has announced a new donation — to Yeshiva University.

On Tuesday, the billionaire philanthropist and owner of the New England Patriots announced he was donating $1 million to the nation’s flagship Modern Orthodox university to establish a program to support incoming transfer students. The university said it was expecting an influx of students who had left secular universities amid the protests.

Kraft announced in April that he was withdrawing his support for Columbia University, where he graduated in 1963 and to which he gave millions: a sports field and a center for Jewish students at the university bear his name.

In a statement sent by his foundation to fight anti-Semitism, he said that “there is no longer any confidence in Columbia’s ability to protect its students and employees, and I do not feel comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken.”

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, Colombia has been a hotspot for pro-Palestinian protests that have spread to the rest of the country. Days before Kraft’s April announcement, Columbia students launched a pro-Palestinian camp movement that has led to thousands of arrests across the country and, critics say, hostility toward Jews on campuses across the country.

Now Kraft is directing some of his largesse toward YU, which is trying to position itself as a safe haven for Jews who fear anti-Semitism at other schools. The same week that Kraft announced the suspension of his donations to Columbia, the uptown Manhattan Orthodox school said it would resume enrollment of transfer students.

“No Jewish student should have to face the threats and intimidation that unfortunately continue to occur,” wrote Rabbi Ari Berman, president of YU, in an open letter announcing the decision. “Even though our enrollment for the coming year is already full, we at the flagship Jewish university will not turn our backs on these students.”

The university has previously reported an increase in applications, but a YU spokesperson contacted by JTA on Wednesday said the university “does not share” data on undergraduate and transfer applications.

Kraft is the latest Jewish philanthropist to withdraw support from non-Jewish institutions due to concerns about anti-Semitism. Venture capitalist David Magerman, who won support from the University of Pennsylvania last year over its response to anti-Semitism on campus, announced last week that he would donate $1 million to Israel’s Jerusalem College of Technology. Last November, Jewish billionaire investor Henry Świeca resigned from the board of Columbia Business School, claiming that the campus had become unsafe for Jewish students.

Kraft’s gift to YU will fund support for transfer students through the “Blue Square Scholars” program, named after the symbol at the center of Kraft’s signature “#StandUpToJewishHate” campaign. The ubiquitous blue square campaign icon, which is intended to signal opposition to anti-Semitism, has appeared on social media and television ads during the Super Bowl, the Oscars and the NBA playoffs.

Kraft said in a statement that it established the new program “to provide students with a welcoming place to further their education and develop into leaders who champion unity and respect and push back against all hate.”

He added: “At a time when hatred is rampant in our universities, Jewish students feel isolated and unsafe. Yeshiva provides a safe haven for these students, and I look forward to seeing them thrive in an academic environment where they can live and study without fear of who they are.”