Joseph Edelman, a hedge fund manager and Brown University Board of Trustees member, resigned publicly over concerns about rising antisemitism on campus and the university's upcoming vote on divestment from companies tied to Israel.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Sunday, Edelman called the decision to hold a divestment vote in October "morally reprehensible" and criticized Brown's handling of pro-divestment protests. His resignation followed years of significant financial contributions to the university, including $1.65 million toward brain science research, according to the Brown Daily Herald.
"I find it morally reprehensible that holding a divestment vote was even considered, much less that it will be held — especially in the wake of the deadliest assault on the Jewish people since the Holocaust," he wrote. "... Israel, like all nations, has a moral duty to defend its citizens from terrorist attacks, and that is exactly what it has been doing."
He further criticized the university's choice to "reward, rather than punish, the activists for disrupting campus life, breaking school rules, and promoting violence and antisemitism at Brown."
Student protests have erupted at Brown and other universities in response to the Israel-Hamas war since last spring. Demonstrators are calling on these institutions to fully disclose and divest from companies tied to Israel, demanding transparency and a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict. The protests reflect wider campus movements pushing for institutional accountability and human rights advocacy amid heightened global tensions.
"I consider the willingness to hold this vote a stunning failure of moral leadership at Brown University." Edelman concluded. "I am unwilling to lend my name or give my time to a body that lacks basic moral judgment. I hereby resign from the board of trustees."
