"Jewish students at Columbia University have been driven out of their dorm rooms, chased off campus, compelled to hide their Jewish identity, ostracized by their peers and denigrated by faculty," according to the Times of Israel chronicling the latest report from Columbia's Task Force on Antisemitism. This and more shocking incidents of blatant antisemitism are detailed in the report by the Task Force which was formed after the October 7 attacks by Hamas that killed 1200 Israeli citizens.
“The painful and distressing incidents of antisemitism recounted in this report are completely unacceptable. They are antithetical to our values and go against the principles of open inquiry, tolerance, and inclusivity that define us," interim Columbia President Katrina Armstrong said in a statement.
Reading about some of these incidents makes one question whether this took place in America in 2024 or Germany in 1933.
The Task Force heard from more than 500 students since March when the last report of the Task Force was released.
“While there is strong support among Jewish and Israeli Columbia affiliates for the right to protest, as well as widespread heartbreak about the tragic loss of civilian life in Gaza, many have heard chants at protests like ‘Globalize the Intifada’ and ‘Death to the Zionist State’ as calls for violence against them and their families,” the March report stated.
This report was replete with numerous examples of hate that made life unbearable for many Jews on Columbia's campus.
“After October 7, numerous students reported that they no longer felt safe,” the report reads. “One student who had moved into her dorm room in September told us she placed a mezuzah on her doorway as required by ritual law, as traditional Jews have done for centuries. In October, people began banging on her door at all hours of the night, demanding she explain Israel’s actions. She was forced to move out of the dorm.”
“The larger social compact is broken,” the report said. “University policy and individual practice must change.”
One of the major points of contention in the formation of this "Task Force on Antisemitism" is the definition of antisemitism.
The task force had initially declined to define antisemitism, with different factions on campus arguing for definitions with different scopes. One would have defined the term as any targeting of Israel, which would have labeled much of the pro-Palestinian campus movement — which includes many Jewish students — as antisemitic. Another would have distinguished between anti-Zionism and antisemitism.
In the end, the task force put forward a “working definition” of antisemitism as “prejudice, discrimination, hate or violence directed at Jews, including Jewish Israelis,” according to its report. Antisemitism, the report said, can include “targeting Jews or Israelis for violence or celebrating violence against them; exclusion or discrimination based on Jewish identity or ancestry or real or perceived ties to Israel; and certain double standards applied to Israel.”
“This is an opportunity to acknowledge the harm that has been done and to pledge to make the changes necessary to do better,” Dr. Armstrong said in a statement on Friday. It may be cathartic to list the incidents of antisemitism and solemnly pledge the administration to do better, but the fact is that there have been very few students punished for antisemitic acts. That involves disciplining students and when that happens, the pro-Hamas protesters scream their free speech rights are being violated.
It's a can't-win situation for the administrators and exposing the hate should only be the first step. The bottom line is that Jewish students at Columbia do not feel safe. The atmosphere of hate will continue until the school gets serious about rooting out the fanatics who claim to be speaking for the Palestinians but instead have instituted a reign of terror on Jewish students on campus.
