Photos posted on social media showed Yale University changing the name of a salad in its dining hall to remove the word "Israeli."
On X, formerly Twitter, user @sahar_tartak shared a post that said, "At Yale, the years-old, popular 'Israeli couscous salad with spinach and tomatoes,' has been renamed in our dining halls as the same exact dish but without the word 'Israeli.'"
The @libsoftiktok account on X also shared photos of the salads showing the different names following the apparent change. In one photo, the salad is named "Israeli couscous salad with spinach and tomatoes," and in the second photo, the salad has the same name except the word "Israeli" is removed.
In a statement to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the school confirmed that "Israeli" was removed but that it will be reinstated.
"Authenticity of the food and naming of the recipes have been a concern brought to us by students in the past," the spokesperson said. "There were times that they felt our food did not 'authentically' represent the country or ethnicity referenced in the name.
"To that end, our team made the decision to remove names of countries and ethnicities from recipes...In this case, Israeli Couscous is indeed an actual ingredient and is explicitly listed on the ingredient list. Considering it is the main ingredient, it is appropriate to remain in the title, and we will correct this oversight."
Fighting between Israel and Hamas has continued since October 7, when the militant group launched a surprise attack on Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country is "at war," and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have continued attacks across parts of the Gaza Strip.
On December 5, the presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology testified in front of Congress regarding antisemitic incidents and rhetoric on their campuses.
"Over the past several weeks, we've seen countless examples of antisemitic demonstrations on college campuses," House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Virginia Foxx said in a previous statement. "Meanwhile, college administrators have largely stood by, allowing horrific rhetoric to fester and grow. College and university presidents have a responsibility to foster and uphold a safe learning environment for their students and staff."
Since the hearing, Penn President Liz Magill announced that she was resigning from her role and others have continued to call on Harvard President Claudine Gay to follow suit.
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Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more
