K A S H R U T . C O M_©

November 14, 2025 from pbs:

"Months after being forced out as president of the University of Virginia, Jim Ryan is still pondering Passover food.

"More specifically, Ryan, who was pushed out of the role over the summer amid mounting GOP pressure on the public university, cited the topic as an example of why he was confused about the “DEI ban” imposed earlier this year by the public school’s board. The ban had been drafted by the office of the state’s Republican governor.

"'It’s not clear even today what it means to kill DEI,' Ryan wrote in a letter Friday to the UVA faculty senate telling his side of the story.

"He went on: 'For example, did it mean that we could no longer try to recruit qualified first-generation students from rural parts of Virginia, or offer financial aid, or even serve matzah in the dining halls during Passover, because each of those efforts would be advancing diversity, equity, and/or inclusion?'

"As for matzah in the dining hall, no school has yet been criticized as excessively inclusive for offering kosher food. In fact, several universities facing allegations of antisemitism tied to their handling of anti-Israel protests have expanded their kosher dining-hall offerings as part of their overtures to Jewish students."