Improved Academic Life for Jewish Professor: Insights into the Trump Era's Impact
Loose Cannon: Leo Terrell Unloads on Anti-Semitism at Northeastern University
Leo Terrell, Senior Counsel to Trump's assistant AG, got real on Live about the Justice Department's new task force taking aim at anti-Semitism in academia.
Just three days after the bloodiest attack against Jews since the Holocaust, October 10, 2023 found Leo Terrell, ready to teach his evening seminar on terrorism and counterterrorism, at Northeastern University. But his peaceful evening was disrupted by a viscous keffiyeh-clad agitator, pushing a flier promoting a vigil for Palestinian resistance in Cambridge, Massachusetts, straight into his face.
Leo turned around, headed off to class, only to spot the same knucklehead seated among his students. Leo politely asked the man to leave, but he was met with a refusal. The crazed student argued that he was enrolled in the university and needed to ensure that Leo's course, with no relevance to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, aligned with his anti-Israel views. After a tooth-grinding 15 minutes of unsuccessful negotiation, the lunatic began stalking the classroom, spewing vitriol against Israel, trying to turn Leo's students against him.
THE MENACE OF HAMAS STALKING ACADEMIA
Anti-Israel protesters at Northeastern University. (Photo by Anibal Martel/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Leo wasn't the only faculty member who had the pleasure of meeting this human wrecking ball. In fact, neither of them were teaching anything about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They were targeted simply because they were Jewish professors. Both filed formal complaints with the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR), only to receive radio silence in return. Worse, the student went on to create chaos at graduation by splashing fake blood around, embarrassing the university and leaving a nasty taste in the mouths of parents and students alike.
When Leo drives to school, he often chats with his mother. She usually asks if things have calmed down. But this is a misplaced concern, as incidents of extremism against Jewish faculty precede the October 7 terrorist massacre and the resulting "global intifada" on campuses nationwide.
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Anti-Israel protesters in downtown Boston gather in support of the camp in Harvard Yard for the Israeli attack on Gaza, on April 25, 2024 at Northeastern University in Boston. (Photo by Anibal Martel/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Such incidents garner heavy media attention. However, the bigger issue for Leo was not the student's antics, but the university's lack of support. After classes were taken hostage by extremist students, the administration never bothered to check in with Leo or his students. Security was never provided after the targeted attacks. Worse still, the known student extremist was never dealt with adequately, causing an embarrassment when the graduation fiasco hit the national news stand.
Universities across the country have been quiet on the subject of campus intifadas against Jewish students and faculty, doing virtually nothing to address the problem. Until Donald Trump's re-election, that is. Ever since, there's been a sense that anti-Semitism and associated extremism will face consequences, whether from the universities or the government. Since his return to the White House, there have been no extortionate students in Leo's classroom—and for the first time in a decade at Northeastern, Leo's contribution to Jewish students as the faculty advisor to Chabad and Hillel has finally been recognized in annual merit reviews, leading to a well-deserved pay raise and promotion.
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President Donald Trump speaks during a FIFA task force meeting in the East Room of the White House on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
This change, Leo believes, is directly due to the Trump effect.
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Max Abrahms is a tenured professor of political science at Northeastern University and a leading expert on the study of terrorism.
- Leo Terrell's peace was disrupted at Northeastern University by a protester promoting Palestinian resistance, who was championing a stance against Israel despite neither Leo nor the targeted professor teaching about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- Incidents of extremism against Jewish faculty at Northeastern precede the October 7 terrorist massacre and the resulting "global intifada" on campuses nationwide.
- Universities across the country have been relatively silent on campus intifadas against Jewish students and faculty, with most doing little to address the problem.
- The lack of support from the administration post incidents was a major concern for Leo, as security was rarely provided and student extremists were not adequately dealt with.
- The known student extremist at Northeastern caused an embarrassment when the graduation fiasco hit the national news stand.
- Leo believes that the change in his situation at Northeastern is directly due to the Trump effect, as it has led to consequences for anti-Semitism and associated extremism, both from the universities and the government.
