Cambridge College Loses Funding from Pro-Israel Donor Over Divestment Concerns and Student Protests
Ivan Berkowitz criticized Trinity College for lacking transparency on arms investments and activism issues.
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A pro-Israel American philanthropist has pulled a £315,000 ($333,000) donation from Trinity College, Cambridge, in a row over the college's investments and its handling of recent activism.
The donor, Ivan Berkowitz, is a Jewish-American corporate executive, who expressed disappointment on the recent vandalism of Arthur Balfour's painting. The figure is considered 'controversial' in the history of Britain's foreign secretary as Balfour has been supportive of a Jewish occupation in Palestine according to the 1917 Balfour Declaration.
According to Middle East Eye, Berkowitz criticized the college for not investigating enough even when video evidence of defacement was available. The report also shared that earlier this year, Elbit Systems, an Israeli arms manufacturer, was stated to have over $78,000 invested in Trinity.
The company actually produces most of the military drones used by the Israeli military. These investments cause students to protest, alleging that the companies are involved with Israel's military actions toward Gaza. Berkowitz was allegedly "outraged" by claims that Trinity's administration had considered divesting from said companies due to student protests.
Adding to the controversy, Trinity College remained silent for months regarding its investment decisions. Some students believed that the college had voted to divest, but later revelations indicated no plans to move away from arms investments.
Many students felt misled, accusing the college of lacking transparency. Freedom of information requests confirmed that Trinity still holds investments in arms companies, further fueling the tension.
Middle East Eye also added that Berkowitz criticized the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law at Trinity, where he serves as an honorary fellow, over its approach to talking about Israel and Palestine, saying it is too "bleeding" in its critique of Israeli policy. These feelings have led him to withdraw his support from a Rabbinic Book Project at the college's Wren Library, dedicated to the preservation of Jewish historical texts.
