Three Columbia University administrators have resigned after exchanging a series of derisive text messages that were viewed as anti-Semitic during a panel discussion about Jewish life on campus.

The resignations came nearly two months after the texts first came to light and sparked a huge scandal at the elite Manhattan university, which has been struggling with allegations of anti-Semitism on campus and months of turbulent anti-Israel protests.

The text messages – sent during the roundtable discussion in late May and first made public in June – downplayed reports of anti-Semitism on campus, mocked Jewish students and suggested that a Hillel official was exploiting accusations of anti-Semitism for fundraising purposes. The deans were placed on leave shortly after the text messages surfaced.

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik said last month that the texts reflected “old anti-Semitic tropes.” At the time, the university said the administrators involved had been “permanently removed from their posts,” but it was unclear whether they would take on other roles at the university. A Columbia University spokesperson confirmed to New York Jewish Week on Thursday that the three deans were resigning.

The three deans who resigned are Susan Chang-Kim, vice dean and chief administrative officer of the university, Cristen Kromm, dean of student life, and Matthew Patashnick, assistant vice dean for student and family support. The deans’ resignations were first reported by the New York Times.

A fourth dean involved in one of the text exchanges has apologized and acknowledged that the conversations were “reminiscent of anti-Semitic stereotypes.” That administrator, Columbia College Dean Josef Sorett, has not resigned. A Columbia spokesperson did not respond to a request for information on Sorett’s status or further details on the resignations. More than 1,000 Columbia alumni have signed a petition calling for Sorett’s dismissal.

The text message exchange occurred while administrators were participating in a panel discussion titled “Jewish Life on Campus: Past, Present and Future” on May 31. The panel featured a Jewish student, Columbia Hillel director Brian Cohen and two other panelists discussing anti-Semitism at the school after Oct. 7.

“Coming from a place of so much privilege,” Chang-Kim wrote. “It’s hard to hear that pain is happening to me, we need to sit down at the Kraft Center,” referring to Columbia’s Jewish student center where Hillel is housed.

“Yep. Blind to the idea that Jews who don’t support Israel have no place to come together,” Kromm replied.

While Cohen was talking about the students’ efforts to get attention, Kromm wrote, “Amazing what $$$$ can do.” At another point during Cohen’s speech, Chang-Kim wrote, “He’s such a problem!”

Patashnick wrote: “He knows exactly what he is doing and needs to take full advantage of this moment. Huge fundraising potential.”

In a separate exchange, Chang-Kim wrote, “He’s our hero,” in an apparently sarcastic message about Cohen. Nine minutes later, Sorett wrote, “Lmao,” an acronym for laughter, although it was unclear if this was a response to Chang-Kim or something else. He did not respond to a request for comment at the time.

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Some of the text messages were initially photographed by a bystander sitting behind one of the administrators during the discussion. This was first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative news outlet.

The House Committee on Education and Workforce, which is investigating anti-Semitism at Columbia University and other universities, later obtained the full text message exchange and released it.

The committee’s chairwoman, Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, said in a statement Thursday that it was “time” for the deans to resign.

“Actions have consequences, and Columbia should have fired all four deans months ago,” Foxx said. “Instead, the university continues to send mixed signals and allows Columbia College Dean Josef Sorett, the highest-ranking administrator involved, to get away with no real consequences.”

Last month, Shafik simultaneously announced the dismissal of the deans and promised to launch an “intensive training program on anti-Semitism and anti-discrimination” in the fall when classes resume.

“This incident revealed behavior and sentiments that were not only unprofessional but also disturbingly touched on old anti-Semitic stereotypes,” Shafik said in an email to the campus community at the time. “These sentiments are unacceptable and deeply disturbing. They convey a lack of seriousness toward the concerns and experiences of members of our Jewish community.”

Even though classes are not in session, chaos has continued at Columbia University this summer. On Thursday, vandals defaced the home of a Columbia University executive, drawing condemnation from Governor Kathy Hochul.