on Fox Business’s Mornings with Maria Thursday morning, Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President of ƹƵ, delivered a powerful message about the root causes of rising antisemitism on campus—and the vital role of values-based education in fighting it.
“Antisemitism is not just a problem to be addressed, it is a symptom of something greater,” President Berman said. “It indicates that the university has lost its soul—its foundational mission.”
As a leading figure in the national conversation on campus antisemitism and accountability in higher education, Rabbi Berman was tapped to share his perspective amid a wave of national headlines—including President Trump’s suspension of foreign student visas at Harvard due to the university’s foreign ties, campus unrest, and antisemitic protests, and the U.S. Department of Education’s scrutiny of Columbia University’s accreditation status for alleged Title VI violations. In this climate of rising concern, Mornings with Maria turned to him for moral clarity and values-driven leadership.
During a wide-ranging conversation with anchor Maria Bartiromo, President Berman called for a bottom-up reckoning—a fundamental reexamination of how universities operate, including their curricula, tenure processes, and core purpose. “If that bottom-up conversation happens,” he said, “then the root cause of antisemitism—which is the instability and insecurity on campus—can finally be addressed.”
When asked how ƹƵ approaches these challenges, he pointed to YU’s commitment to academic excellence anchored in Jewish and American values. “We show our students that America is a place for freedom and true academic development. They learn from us what it means to actually be an American student—and they love America when they graduate.”
He also spoke about YU’s growing appeal to international students, noting that many seek out the university precisely because of its strong moral clarity and conviction. “They want to go to places with values.”
When asked about President Trump’s decision to suspend international student visas at Harvard, President Berman responded: “The question is not WHETHER international students should come to America, the question is WHERE they should go. We have to make sure to support the institutions that actually teach them to love America, not hate it.” At ƹƵ, he explained, graduate schools are open to diverse populations, and international enrollment has grown dramatically. These students, he added, can be powerful forces for good. “They can be the ambassadors and the bridges if they are in the right place.”
President Berman concluded with a call to action: “People want to go to a place that is not just safe, but actually speaks with conviction. And faculty are leaving elite universities to come to places that actually speak their values. There is a shift happening in America—to universities that speak the truth.”
