Pro-Palestinian activists protest outside Columbia University in New York City on April 20, 2024. Photo by LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images

By Jacob Kornbluh
April 21, 2024

Jewish students are concerned about their safety amid a new wave of anti-war protests bee Columbia University received mixed messages on Sunday about staying on campus during the Easter break.

Rabbi Elie Buechler, leader of the Orthodox Union’s Jewish Learning Initiative on the Columbia and Barnard campuses, advised more than 290 students in a WhatsApp message to return home until it is safe for them to be back on campus. “It is not our job as Jews to ensure our own safety on campus,” Buechler wrote. “No one should have to put up with this level of hate, let alone at school.”

However, the local chapter of Hillel International advised students to stay. Brian Cohen, executive director of Hillel at Columbia and Barnard, said in a Facebook post that the University and the City of New York are responsible for ensuring the safety of all students. The organization has designated the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life, where Hillel is housed, for students looking for a quiet place to study or be with friends.

The unrest in Columbia, where demonstrations against the war in Gaza have been taking place since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, intensified in recent days. Students and local activist groups gathered on and off campus this weekend to protest the government’s approval a police action about students setting up tents – they call it the ‘Gaza Solidarity Camp’ – on the lawn of Columbia and the suspension of three students for their involvement in the protests. More than 100 people were arrested on Thursday, including Rep. Ilhan Omar’s daughterIsra Hirsi.

That followed that of Columbia President Nemat “Minouche” Shafik testimony before a congressional committee on Wednesday, where some members of the House of Representatives criticized her over the council’s response to anti-Semitism, while others questioned her commitment to protecting pro-Palestinian speech.

Jewish students said they felt uncomfortable and unheard of on campus.

On Saturday, a group of Jewish students singing the Israeli national anthem next to an Israeli flag were harassed by pro-Palestinian protesters. Among the demonstrators there was one person wearing a keffiyeh had been filmed He held a sign reading “Al Qasam’s next target” – referring to Hamas’s military wing – with an arrow aimed at the students.

In a statement on SundayHillel called on the university to “act immediately to restore peace to campus” and the city government to “ensure that students can walk up and down Broadway and Amsterdam without fear of intimidation.”

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