Vanderbilt University has opened a formal inquiry into a faculty member following reports that he shared “offensive” content during course instruction.
On Saturday, StopAntisemitism – a pro-Israel nonprofit focused on exposing individuals for alleged antisemitic statements and behavior – reported that mathematics lecturer Tekin Karadag had “brought his anti-Israel, antisemitic bias into his classroom.”
Anti-Israel, antisemitic bias in the classroom
StopAntisemitism shared a picture of one of Karadag’s calculus slides. The example provided read: “Assume Palestine as a state with a rectangular land shape. There is the Mediterranean Sea on the west and the Jordan River on the east. The height (from south to north) is 2.6 times the width (from east to west). From the river to the sea, Palestine (...) was approximately 100 km. in 1946. The land decreases by 250 sq. km per year, due to the occupation by Israel. How fast is the width of the land decreasing now? (Assume that the height is 2.6 times the width over years).”
StopAntisemitism called this example “unacceptable.” This was then reshared by Rabbi Elchanan Poupko, who said, “The question wrongly assumes that Palestine is an existing state and disregards that it was part of the British Mandate in 1946.”
“He apparently thinks that the modern state of Israel was founded in 1946, something most high school students know is wrong.”
Later on Saturday, Vanderbilt confirmed that the content in question had been removed and a formal inquiry initiated, consistent with relevant university policy.
Karadag is a senior lecturer at Vanderbilt. He studied in Ankara, Turkey, where he was born, before studying at Texas A&M University.
The Jerusalem Post reached out to Vanderbilt for comment but has yet to receive a response.