University of Minnesota Pays $250,000 to Professor Who Claimed Israel Committed Genocide

Professor Raz Segal, an Israeli-American Holocaust and genocide scholar, will receive approximately $250,000 from the University of Minnesota after the university rescinded his appointment as head of an academic center for Holocaust and genocide studies. The appointment was canceled shortly after it was announced in 2022, following public backlash over Segal's statements accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

Initially, the university supported Segal's selection, with the search committee endorsing him enthusiastically. However, just five days after the offer, interim university president Jeff Ettinger withdrew it amid intense pressure from Jewish groups and donors who opposed Segal's views. Segal had published an article after the October 7 Hamas attack describing the situation in Gaza as a "clear case of genocide."

The controversy escalated quickly, with two advisory council professors resigning in protest and Jewish community organizations in Minnesota and the Dakotas labeling Segal's positions "extreme." The Center for Constitutional Rights obtained internal university documents through a freedom of information request, revealing that donors threatened to cut funding if Segal was appointed. These documents also showed the university was aware that canceling the appointment raised academic freedom concerns.

Under a settlement reached two years after the cancellation, Segal will receive the financial compensation but will not assume the center's leadership. The Center for Constitutional Rights hailed the payout as a principled victory, with its deputy legal director Maria LaHood stating the university violated the First Amendment and its commitment to academic freedom. Segal reaffirmed his position, calling the events in Gaza genocide and describing the university's actions as an attempt to silence him. He emphasized his Jewish heritage and Holocaust survivor lineage, expressing dismay that his advocacy was perceived as threatening to Jews, and criticized the university's decision as an intellectual and moral failure.