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Vanderbilt University has launched an investigation into a math lecturer after he presented an anti-Israel calculus word problem to his class.
The controversy came to light when StopAntisemitism on Feb. 20 posted on X: “Vanderbilt University – why is mathematics lecturer Tekin Karadǎg bringing his anti-Israel, antisemitic bias into his classroom? This is unacceptable.”
The post included an image of a calculus problem shown in Karadǎg’s class.
The slide asked students: “Assume Palestine as a state with a rectangular land shape. There is Mediterranean Sea on the west and Jordan River on the east. The height (from south to north) is 2.6 times width (from east to west). From river to the sea, Palestine (…) was approximately 100 km in 1946. The land decreases by 250 km2/year due to the occupation by Israel. How fast is the width of the land decreasing now?”
The following day, Feb. 21, Vanderbilt posted on X that “the university has received reports alleging a member of the faculty shared offensive content during course instruction.”
“The content in question has been removed, and a formal inquiry has been initiated consistent with relevant university policy,” according to the statement.
Julia Jordan, Vanderbilt media relations manager, told The College Fix the university has no further comment at this time.
Karadǎg did not respond to a request for comment from The College Fix.
Executive Director of StopAntisemitism Liora Rez told The Fix that although the organization cannot disclose the identity of the individual who reported this word problem, the group verified the slide’s authenticity and context before commenting publicly on X.
The group also reached out to Vanderbilt University regarding this matter, Rez said.
Rez said she appreciates “Vanderbilt’s prompt action in removing the course material,” and believes “the university will take appropriate disciplinary action, including termination, to ensure students are not subjected to anti-American, antisemitic ideology instead of instruction.”
Vanderbilt Hillel also issued a statement to The College Fix supporting the university’s response.
“The teaching of calculus – or any subject – is not an opportunity for an instructor to inculcate the class with their personal biases and politics; that is both commonsense and the policy of the University,” the group said.
“We are glad that the Administration moved quickly to remove this question and launch a formal investigation. We appreciate their responsiveness to this situation and are confident that the University will take appropriate action. Any student that is experiencing antisemitic or anti-Zionist discrimination should know that Hillel stands ready to help and support them.”
On the other hand, student reactions have been mixed. The Vanderbilt Hustler reported Feb. 25 that two students who had taken Karadǎg’s courses described him positively.
One student called him “one of the kindest professors I’ve ever had,” and another student expressed she did not believe the content was antisemitic, but acknowledged that it could be perceived as problematic by some individuals, adding that Karadǎg often uses “some absurd, silly scenario or situation when discussing something in math.”
A statement posted on Instagram by the Vanderbilt Alumni for Palestine and Students for Justice in Palestine defended Karadǎg as a kind man and good teacher. The statement argued the controversial question was a “pedagogical application of calculus.”
“Encouraging students to consider how concepts operate beyond the classroom is a fundamental aspect of higher education,” the statement read.
The post has prompted controversy outside campus as well.
Rabbi Elchanan Poupko tweeted on X saying the slide “wrongly assumes that Palestine is an existing state and disregards that it was part of the British mandate in 1946,” adding that Karadag “apparently thinks that the modern state of Israel was founded in 1946, something most high school students know is wrong.”
Karadǎg joined Vanderbilt’s College of Arts and Science mathematics department in August 2025, according to a university news release.
His personal website states that he previously taught at the University of Georgia, adding that he is currently teaching two sections of single variable calculus and one section of survey of calculus for the spring 2026 semester at Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt Muslim Students Association, Vanderbilt Students for Justice in Palestine, Vanderbilt College Republicans, and Vanderbilt College Democrats did not immediately respond to The College Fix’s requests for comment.
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