USC vows to counter hate after Jewish student government leader resigns
Rose Ritch steps down after facing online harassment over her support for the State of Israel
Padsquad
The University of Southern California
The student government vice president at the University of Southern California resigned this week, alleging she was the subject of antisemitic harassment over her support for Israel. In response, the university administration said it is launching a new educational initiative to counter on-campus hate.
“As you may know, our Vice President of Undergraduate Student Government, Rose Ritch, resigned yesterday from her position in student government,” wrote USC President Carol Folt in a letter sent Thursday evening. “In her heartbreaking resignation letter, Rose described the intense pressure and toxic conditions that led to her decision — specifically the anti-Semitic attacks on her character and the online harassment she endured because of her Jewish and Zionist identities.”
In the statement, Folt announced the launch of a new initiative by the USC Shoah Foundation to provide educational programs and antiracist and anti-hate for-credit courses.
A letter sent to university administrators last month by the Louis D. Brandeis Center detailed the online harassment faced by Ritch, a rising senior, and other students.