NEW YORK – Three administrators have been “permanently removed from their positions” at Columbia College and “remain on leave” over texts they exchanged during an on-campus event about Jewish life at the school, Columbia University’s president announced Monday. 

It happened during the school’s reunion weekend at the end of May. The program was called “Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present and Future,” and took place a month after university leaders called in police to clear pro-Palestinian protesters out of an occupied administration building and dismantle a tent encampment that had threatened to disrupt graduation ceremonies.

One of the controversial messages suggested a panelist could have used recent campus protests as a fundraising opportunity. Another appeared critical of a campus rabbi’s essay about antisemitism.

Texts “touched on ancient antisemitic tropes”

“This incident revealed behavior and sentiments that were not only unprofessional, but also, disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes,” Columbia President Minouche Shafik wrote in a letter to the Columbia community. “Whether intended as such or not, these sentiments are unacceptable and deeply upsetting, conveying a lack of seriousness about the concerns and the experiences of members of our Jewish community that is antithetical to our University’s values and the standards we must uphold in our community.”

Shafik said the school will “launch a vigorous program of antisemitism and antidiscrimination training for faculty and staff this fall.” Similar training will also be given to students. 

Columbia Provost Angela Olinto wrote that the administrators’ conduct was “wrong and contrary to the mission and values of our institution. It revealed, at best, an ignorance of the history of antisemitism.”  

Columbia College Dean Josef Sorett, whose text messages were among those published by the Free Beacon, will continue to lead the college after apologizing and committing to working to fix damage caused by the text exchanges, Olinto said. He and his administration will be expected to “deliver concrete change in combating antisemitism and discrimination and creating a fully inclusive environment,” Olinto wrote.

“While not intended as such, some of the text messages exchanged may call to mind antisemitic tropes,” Sorett said in a letter Monday to the Columbia College community. “Any language that demeans members of our community, or divides us from one another, is simply unacceptable.”

“I am deeply sorry that this happened in a community that I lead- and, that I was part of any of the exchanges, and I pledge to spearhead the change we need to ensure this never happens again,” Sorett continued. He said “the loss of trust and the pain this incident has caused, particularly to the Jewish members of our community, must be fully repaired.”  

The university did not identify the administrators, who were initially put on leave in June after images of their text exchange were published online by the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news outlet. The content of the texts was additionally released by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce last week. 

A new cyberattack is targeting iPhone users, with criminals attempting to obtain individuals’ Apple IDs in a “phishing” campaign, security software company Symantec said in an alert Monday. 

Cyber criminals are sending text messages to iPhone users in the U.S. that appear to be from Apple, but are in fact an attempt at stealing victims’ personal credentials. 

“Phishing actors continue to target Apple IDs due to their widespread use, which offers access to a vast pool of potential victims,” Symantec said. “These credentials are highly valued, providing control over devices, access to personal and financial information, and potential revenue through unauthorized purchases.”

Consumers are also more likely to trust communications that appear to come from a trusted brand like Apple, warned Symantec, which is owned by Broadcom, a maker of semiconductors and infrastructure software.

The malicious SMS messages appear to come from Apple and encourage recipients to click a link and sign in to their iCloud accounts. For example, a phishing text could say: “Apple important request iCloud: Visit signin[.]authen-connexion[.]info/icloud to continue using your services.” Recipients are also asked to complete a CAPTCHA challenge in order to appear legitimate, before they’re directed to a fake iCloud login page.  

Such cyberattacks are commonly referred to as “smishing” schemes in which criminals use fake text messages from purportedly reputable organizations, rather than email, to lure people into sharing personal information, such as account passwords and credit card data.

How to protect yourself

Be cautious about opening any text messages that appear to be sent from Apple. Always check the source of the message — if it’s from a random phone number, the iPhone maker is almost certainly not likely not to be the sender. iPhone users should also avoid clicking on links inviting people to access their iCloud account; instead, go to login pages directly.

Apple urges users to always enable two-factor authentication for Apple ID for extra security and to make it harder to access to your account from another device. It is “designed to make sure that you’re the only person who can access your account,” Apple said.

The Federal Trade Commission also recommends setting up your computer and mobile phone so that security software is updated automatically.