CNN
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Columbia University gears up for Passover in earnest as a rabbi with ties to the Ivy League school urges Jewish students to stay home and tense confrontations on campus draw condemnation from the White House and New York officials is facing a major crisis.
The atmosphere is so heated that Colombian authorities have announced that students will be able to attend classes virtually starting Monday and possibly even take exams. That is, the first day of Passover, a major Jewish holiday that begins in the evening.
Tensions between Columbia University and many universities have been high since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas. But the situation at Columbia University has changed in recent days, after University officials testified before Congress last week about anti-Semitism on campus, and after a spike in pro-Palestinian protests on and near campus. It intensified.
The recent crisis has exposed Columbia University President Minoush Shafik to fresh attacks from critics, with Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik saying the school's leadership has “clearly lost control of its campus.” '' and demanded his immediate resignation.
Rep. Virginia Foxx, the Republican chairwoman of the House Education Committee, sent a letter to university leaders on Sunday warning them of the consequences if they do not curb protests on campus.
“Columbia University's failure to continue to promptly restore order and safety to its campus is a serious violation of the University's Title VI obligations to which federal financial aid is conditioned and must be immediately remedied.” Mr. Fox wrote.
Highlighting concerns for student safety, Rabbi Elie Buechler, affiliated with the Orthodox Jewish Learning Initiative on Columbia University's campus, told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday that about 300, mostly Orthodox Jewish students He admitted to “strongly” sending WhatsApp messages to a group of people. Encourage them to go home and stay there.
In his message, Buchler said recent events at the university “have made clear that Columbia University Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee the safety of Jewish students.”
“It is with great sadness that we strongly urge you to return home as soon as possible and remain at home until the situation on and around campus improves dramatically,” the message said.
The situation in Columbia has also attracted the attention of the White House, which is calling for calm along with local leaders.
White House Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement shared with CNN on Sunday that “all Americans have the right to peacefully protest, but the violence targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community is “The calls for violence and physical threats are blatantly anti-Semitic, unconscionable and dangerous.” The statement does not include any examples of such incidents.
President Joe Biden similarly said on Sunday, “In recent days, we have seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant anti-Semitism is reprehensible, dangerous, and dangerous on college campuses and in our country.” There is no such place anywhere.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on the X show that threatening Jewish students with violence is anti-Semitic. “The First Amendment protects the right to protest, but students also have the right to learn in an environment free from harassment and violence,” the Democratic governor said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement that the city's police force is “increasing the presence of officers” in the area surrounding the Columbia University campus “to protect students and all New Yorkers on nearby public streets.”
The Democratic mayor said he was “horrified and disgusted by the anti-Semitism spewing out on and around Columbia University's campus.”
“Feeling of discomfort and fear”
A university spokesperson said in a statement to CNN on Sunday that the safety of the Columbia University community is “our top priority.”
The statement added: “We are acting on the concerns we have heard from Jewish students and are providing additional support and resources to ensure the safety of our community.”
Buchler urged Jewish students to stay home, but Hillel on campus said: In X's Sunday post They claimed they “do not believe Jewish students should leave campus.”
“For many of us on campus, this is a truly uncomfortable and even frightening time,” Hillel said in a statement. “Columbia University and the City of New York must do more to protect our students. We call on university officials to act immediately to restore peace on campus. We need to be able to walk up and down Broadway and Amsterdam without fear.”
Police will be present at the Craft Center, a Jewish cultural center shared by Columbia and Barnard, during Passover, and campus public safety will be controlling the building starting Monday, according to an email from the center's Brian Cohen. They will provide a walking escort to and from the hospital. Managing director.
Chabad, the university's Jewish organization, said on Facebook that it had hired additional security personnel to protect students during Passover. They said they were “appalled by the events we witnessed last night on and near Columbia University's campus,” but still planned to host a Passover celebration on campus.
The rabbi said a man outside the university said, “Never forget October 7th'' and “It won't happen another time, not five times, not 10 times, not 100 times. Not 1,000, but 10,000.'' !”
Video taken on the university campus on Saturday night also shows a small group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators shouting “fuck Israel”. Israel is a bastard,” he said while waving a Palestinian flag.
In addition to student protests on campus, groups of protesters have also gathered outside the campus gates. It is unclear from the video whether the person yelling is a university official.
Columbia University Apartheid Divest addressed the “unrelated incident” on its Instagram Story, saying its “priority is everyone's safety” and that it “does not antagonize counter-protesters or unnecessarily escalate the situation.” “It includes not doing anything.”
The camp began on the same day that Columbia University President Minoush Shafik testified before Congress about anti-Semitism on campus.
One Jewish student from Columbia State told CNN that student protests and interfaith prayers and Seders at the camp pose a danger.
“Columbia students (including Jewish students) who organize in solidarity with Palestine have faced harassment, disclosure of personal information, and are currently being arrested by the New York City Police Department. is the main threat to,” doctoral student Jonathan Ben-Menahem told CNN.
“Meanwhile, student protesters have been leading interfaith communal prayers in recent days, and a Passover Seder is scheduled to be held tomorrow at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment,” he continued. . “To say that student protesters are a threat to Jewish students is a dangerous slur.”
Another student, Noah Lederman, told CNN he was “horrified, angry, upset and horrified by the university's inaction.” Lederman said he asked the university for distance learning options after receiving the accusations in early February. “What's happening on campus is blatantly anti-Semitic,” he added.
A university spokesperson told CNN on Sunday that students will be allowed to attend classes virtually as protests continue.
Sunday was the fifth day of demonstrations at the prestigious school, with students camping overnight on the school's lawn.
Columbia University campus rabbi Jonah Hein said in a statement to CNN that the university's Center for Jewish Student Life will remain open and welcoming students.
On Thursday, the university's president called on the NYPD to remove student protesters, resulting in more than 100 arrests. “The students who were arrested were peaceful, did not offer any resistance, and were peacefully saying what they wanted to say,” said NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell.
CNN has reached out to Columbia University and its Socially Responsible Investment Advisory Committee for more information about the investment and comment on the protest organizers' claims.
The encampment was jointly sponsored by the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (a student-led coalition of more than 100 organizations) the Palestine Justice Student Union and Jewish Voice for Peace, and was organized by the university's It was a protest against “continued financial investment in companies.” from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and military occupation of Palestine, according to a Columbia University Apartheid Divest news release.
The protests come as the death toll from Israel's war in Gaza continues to rise. At least 34,097 Palestinians have been killed and 76,980 injured since October, according to the enclave's health ministry. Israel launched sustained attacks after an October 7 Hamas attack killed more than 1,200 people.
The demonstrations, and the suspensions and arrests of students involved, prompted solidarity rallies at other universities, including Yale, Harvard, the University of North Carolina, and Boston University.
There have been allegations of violence at some of these other demonstrations.
Sahar Tartaq, a sophomore at Yale, said she was recording a pro-Palestinian demonstration on campus Saturday when another student assaulted her with a Palestinian flag. A video of the incident from Tartak shows students passing by holding a Palestinian flag, and the person filming can be seen shouting “Wow, wow!”
“The Yale Police Department is investigating a report of an assault that occurred during a protest at Beinecke Square,” the Yale University Public Relations Office said in a statement. The university does not tolerate violence, intimidation, harassment, or intimidation against members of the community and provides assistance to students who report it. ”
In January, the International Court of Justice found that Israel “probably” violated genocide laws in the Gaza war and ordered Israel to take “all measures” to prevent genocide.
Israel, in response, rejects South Africa's “grossly distorted” accusations of genocide against Israel over its military operations in Gaza, saying the case is an attempt to “distort the meaning” of the term, the UN Supreme Court said. I told him. .
Elijah Emery, a Jewish Columbia Law School student, told CNN on Sunday that “the right to peaceful protest is paramount.”
“I personally am very uncomfortable with police interfering with encampments,” he said. “It was a mistake on the part of the university. It made me even more supportive of this camp and the free speech it represents.”
Emery cited a “very unfortunate” incident that occurred off campus on Saturday night by people not affiliated with the university, calling for a “fairly peaceful” environment on campus and more active demonstrations off campus. Contrasted. She added that Jewish students should feel safe on campus, although some of her observant Jewish friends have experienced harassment.
“I’m not worried at all about anything getting out of hand, especially during the day,” he said.
