University of Minnesota Settles $250,000 Claim After Rescinding Holocaust Center Directorship

In June 2024 the University of Minnesota (UMN) offered historian Raz Segal the directorship of its Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. After a two-year dispute, UMN paid Segal a $250,000 settlement; the agreement contains no admission of liability.

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Segal, a Jewish scholar and grandson of four Holocaust survivors, published an October 13, 2023 op-ed in *Jewish Currents* describing Israel’s Gaza campaign as “a textbook case of genocide.” The piece also called Hamas’s October 7 attacks “mass murder” and a war crime. While praised by some genocide scholars, critics accused Segal of justifying Hamas atrocities and of using “anti-Zionist” rhetoric.

Israeli scholar Raz Segal’s genocide essay goes viral after a US settlement Sahan JournalThe GuardianYnetNewsThe New ArabInside Higher Ed

• October 7 2023 – Hamas attacks Israel; Segal later writes his op-ed.

The Guardian

• October 13 2023 – Op-ed published, citing 6,000 bombs dropped on Gaza by that date.

Israeli scholar Raz Segal’s genocide essay goes viral after a US settlement

• June 5 2024 – UMN extends the directorship offer to Segal.

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• June 8 2024 – A senior communications staffer warns that defending Segal “can be risky.”

YnetNews

• June 10 2024 – Interim president Jeff Ettinger emails Segal to rescind the offer.

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• June 13 2024 – State Rep. Marion Rarick and 68 colleagues write to UMN praising the withdrawal.

Genocide Scholar Denied Genocide Studies Job for Calling out Genocide Gets Settlement from the U

• 2026 (August) – Settlement of $250,000 is announced.

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• Settlement amount: $250,000.

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• Donor and community emails: “hundreds” of nearly identical messages, according to documents obtained by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR).

The Guardian

• Faculty response: UMN faculty senate passed a no-confidence vote against interim president Jeff Ettinger and provost Rachel Croson.

Sahan Journal

The Center for Constitutional Rights, representing Segal, argued that the university’s actions violated his constitutionally protected speech.

The Guardian

Donors and community groups played a central role in the reversal. The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) coordinated a “volley” of donor objections, asserting that Segal’s views were “offensive to Jews.” Two UMN professors, Karen Painter and Bruno Chaouat, resigned from the advisory board, accusing Segal of “justifying Hamas atrocities” and of “blaming Israel” for the October 7 attacks.

The Guardian

The case highlights tensions between academic freedom and external pressure on university hiring. Faculty and the American Association of University Professors have called the rescission “a dangerous precedent” for scholarly independence.

The Guardian

• “This settlement represents a successful refusal to accept the world of lies that blur an ongoing genocide, and a commitment to continue the intertwined struggles for truth, justice, and accountability — in Palestine and on our campuses.” — Raz Segal

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• “Dr Segal had the courage to sound the alarm to try to prevent Israel’s genocide of Palestinians,” — Maria LaHood, deputy legal director, CCR

The Guardian

• “Because of the community-facing and leadership role that the Director holds, it is important that these voices are heard.” — Jeff Ettinger, interim university president

Sahan Journal

No source provides a differing figure for the settlement amount or a contradictory timeline of events. The university has not disclosed the identities of most donors or the exact number of emails sent, leaving the full scope of external influence undocumented.

The Guardian