My Two Cents on “The People’s University for Antisemitism”
Since October 7th, I’ve watched in horror as my university has turned into a breeding ground for hate and antisemitism. The rhetoric at the alleged “peaceful protests” has become increasingly hostile with each rally, but over the past few weeks, Columbia University crossed a point of no return.
I’ve seen firsthand how dangerous rhetoric has incited violence in the form of physical assault, harassment, and death threats targeted at the Jewish community. In fact, the other day I was followed, recorded and harassed by a man outside of the gates of 116th and Broadway, after I took a picture of the hostage poster he had just desecrated. The man then proceeded to yell at me for “killing children” and continued to record me as I crossed the street to enter campus.
It is still unclear to me how I, an American-Jewish student, could be accused of such a crime and subsequently harassed on my way to class. Yet the chorus cries that we are weaponizing antisemitism and that “anti zionism is not antisemitism.” But here, my only crime was the Star of David hanging around my neck.
Unfortunately, my personal experience reflects that of many in my community, and the incident I just described isn’t even up there with the worst of the past few days. The toxic and unsafe environment on campus has resulted in Jewish students packing up for the rest of the semester to take classes on zoom, as per the instruction of our campus Rabbi.
If I took this space to list all the instances of antisemitism and harassment at my godforsaken university, I’d exceed the word count for an Op-Ed. But here are just a few of the “peaceful” chants that have been heard and documented over the past few days:“Burn Tel Aviv to the ground”“Globalize the Intifada”“Go back to Poland”“We are Hamas”“October 7th will happen over and over again… 10,000 times”
Columbia's woke heroism rewards violence
In no world should claiming to be a part of a designated terrorist organization that rapes women, beheads babies, and burns corpses boost one’s status to the level of a social activist. But at Columbia, calling for violence against Jews (or even committing acts of violence) cements your status among the woke mob as a hero. It’s the litmus test for being accepted by the masses.
Look no further than the Gaza Solidarity Encampment leader, Khymani James, who said in a live stream that “Zionists don’t deserve to live” and “Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists.”
What baffles me most is the huge platform these types of students are given. Instead of being ostracized or condemned for their violent and fascistic sentiments, these students are praised by their peers. I saw James speaking to a bunch of media outlets next to me while I took an interview from Sky News on campus a few days ago. He had dozens of cameras pointed at him. Evidently, this is the face of the Gaza Solidarity Encampment. The mob takes marching orders from him, and he’s the one who represents them in the press.
If this is their revered leader, then anyone who claims these students are peaceful and loving individuals has, at best, lost serious touch with reality. More realistically though, they hate Jews and don’t care to address the serious dangers facing around 20% of Columbia’s student body.
Anyone with moral clarity and basic concern for the safety of students would agree that James should have been expelled immediately after this video surfaced. But this video comes from a live stream of a meeting with Columbia administrators back in January, and the university has only taken action now, apparently barring James from campus (though it remains unclear if he’s been suspended or expelled.)
It took over 3 months for Columbia to kick a threatening antisemite off campus, yet people still wonder why Jews don’t feel safe here. Columbia’s failure to properly address this issue reaffirms a concerning trend: the university tolerates extreme threats and hatred towards Jewish students. The action it took recently was merely to save face. In fact, I doubt James would have been expelled had the video not resurfaced on social media, resulting in the university facing backlash and pressure to act. This raises questions regarding how Columbia would have dealt with, let’s say, a white supremacist advocating to kill black students on campus. I believe the university would have acted immediately, expelling this student – and rightfully so.
As I left campus a few days ago, I saw a huge poster in front of the encampment that read: “The People’s University of Palestine.” On social media, videos of students referring to Columbia University by this name claim to represent the student body.
Let me make myself abundantly clear when I say this: this institution as well as the students participating in the encampment are anything but for the people. The encampment actually excludes members of Columbia’s community (i.e., Jews), as per their community guidelines that state “no Zionists allowed in our camp.” This camp represents a mix of rabid antisemites and, at best, ignorant students who are desperately seeking social acceptance.
It should also be made abundantly clear that Columbia University is rotting to its core. I’m ashamed to be associated with a school that prioritizes the safety of violent, rageful bigots, over amending its despicable and now insurmountable Title VI violations to protect its Jewish community. There is something seriously wrong when designated terrorists like Khaled Barakat, a high ranking official in the PFLP, are allowed to speak to students and indoctrinate them with radical Islamic ideologies, but Shai Davidai (the outspoken Israeli professor who has made waves on social media) is barred from entering the gates of campus because the university cannot ensure his safety.
The discrimination my peers and I have been subjected to is not just an issue of morality though, it’s also an issue of academic integrity. I’ve already come to learn that the principles of DEI simply don’t extend to Jews, and that my people will be held to every double standard imaginable. What I have not come to quite yet understand is that one of the top universities in the world has effectively turned into a circus with anarchists and mob rule, where Jews can’t comfortably pursue their right to an education.
Learning does not feel like a priority here when summer camp is in full session. Teachers are canceling classes, encouraging students to join the encampment during allotted class periods. Is this really the future of academia? Something is seriously wrong when I tell my friends and family that my education is taking a back seat in favor of professors joining privileged students cosplaying as refugees on Butler Lawns in tents bought from Amazon.
If Columbia’s zoo is any indicator of what’s in store for elite academic institutions, America is in deep trouble. I sincerely fear for the future of higher education (read more about this at https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/364978/higher-educations-hypocrisy/.)
With all of that being said, I have never been prouder to be a Jew and a Zionist. If wearing a Star of David is a crime, then consider me a criminal.
I intend to continue wearing it as my badge of honor, even if I had to tuck it under my shirt once or twice while exiting Columbia University after brushing shoulders with protesters chanting for the death of my people. However, because these protestors do all this under the guise of social justice, they are protected.
I believe that Jewish families should stop sending their brilliant kids here. Jewish students are deserving of an actual education and a learning environment conducive to wellbeing. So here is my message to proud Zionists and Jews all over the country: before you apply to Columbia University (or The People’s University for Antisemitism), consider your values and how willing you are to watch them be desecrated, almost daily. Personally, I think it’s time Columbia University pays for wanting Jewish brains at the expense of Jewish joy.
Noam Woldenberg is a freshman studying film and political science at Columbia University.