Wiesenthal Center: Purveyor of Anti-Semitism Should be Fired from Rutgers

October 31, 2017

CENTER FULLY SUPPORTS STUDENTS’ PETITION TO SUSPEND PROFESSOR

The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), a leading Jewish Human Rights NGO, is urging Rutgers University to fire Michael Chikendas, a Microbiology professor whose public Facebook postings were “nothing less than a cesspool of anti-Semitic canards.”

“This bigot even deployed vicious exaggerated anti-Semitic stereotypes used by Nazi propaganda in the 1930s,” charged Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action of the Wiesenthal Center. “His expletive-laden attacks against the Jewish State and the people correctly raises fear among Jewish students at Rutgers,” Cooper added.

“We understand that Rutgers has launched an investigation. If it confirms these public outbursts of anti-Jewish invective were indeed posted by Chikendas, he should immediately be removed from his teaching position,” said Cooper, before concluding, “No student should have to put up with such bigotry.”

Michael Cohen the SWC’s Eastern Regional Director has been in contact with student leaders at Rutgers and is working to broaden support for the students’ petition beyond the campus.

For more information, please contact the Center's Communications Department, 310-553-9036. Join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter feed.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).