Robert Kraft Donates to Yeshiva University After Row With Columbia

• Billionaire Robert Kraft donated $1 million to Yeshiva University for a new program.
• The program “will help accommodate transferring Jewish students,” the university said.
• Kraft withdrew support for Columbia University after campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war.

Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots, donated $1 million to Yeshiva University to establish a program for Jewish transfer students after yanking his support from Columbia University.

Yeshiva University, a private Orthodox Jewish institution in New York City, said in a press release that the Blue Square Scholars program “will help the University accommodate transferring students who are switching to YU for its quality education and nurturing campus atmosphere.”

The university earlier said it had seen an increase in enrollment since the start of the conflict in Gaza, which has divided universities across the country.

“In the aftermath of October 7th, YU has been at the forefront of universities fighting the rise of antisemitism on college campuses across the country and has opened its doors to transfer students who feel unsafe on their current campuses,” the university said.

The press release said Kraft’s donation would aid the university’s efforts to help Jewish students grappling with antisemitism. Kraft founded the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism in 2019.

“I am honored to establish the Blue Square Scholars program at Yeshiva University in order to give students a welcoming place to further their education and grow into leaders who will serve as advocates for unity and respect and will push back on all hate,” Kraft said in a statement.

Representatives for Yeshiva University and Kraft did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Kraft’s $1 million donation comes two months after he severed ties with Columbia University, his alma mater.

Kraft had been a reliable megadonor for Columbia University but criticized the school after campus protests broke out in April. Pro-Palestinian supporters held demonstrations calling for a cease-fire and demanding the school divest from Israel and any companies doing business in the country.

In a full-page ad in May, Kraft accused elite universities of causing “hate” on campuses. “The leadership and faculty of so many of our leading educational institutions have failed their students,” he wrote.

Other universities, like Harvard, have also faced the ire of Jewish megadonors over student protests against the war.

Islamophobia, meanwhile, also increased on college campuses in the wake of the war.

Despite his criticisms, Kraft told CNN he will still support The Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life at Columbia University.