Jewish Columbia alumni call for ‘overhaul’ at the school to combat anti-Semitism
‘Antisemitism has become a regular, defining feature of life on Columbia University's campus; so too, unfortunately, is the University's shameful denial that it exists,’ the group wrote.
The Columbia Jewish Alumni Association (CJAA) has recently demanded a staff overhaul at Columbia University in the wake of what the group claims is rampant anti-Semitism.
“Antisemitism has become a regular, defining feature of life on Columbia University’s campus; so too, unfortunately, is the University’s shameful denial that it exists,” the group said in a statement posted to X on June 25. “Instead of making the campus safer for Jewish students, administrators and professors mock, ridicule, and gaslight them that the problem we all see isn’t a problem at all.”
BREAKING: CJAA alums DEMAND STAFF and FACULTY OVERHAUL following DEANS TEXTS that MAKE A MOCKERY of Columbia’s stated concerns for inclusivity when it comes to Jews.
”Administrators and professors are the primary culprits... Fundamental change is needed” pic.twitter.com/dFv2gNVaeA— Columbia Jewish Alumni Assoc. (@CU_JewishAlumni) June 25, 2024
“Fundamental change is needed at Morningside Heights and that starts with an overhaul of the faculty and staff perpetuating this crisis,” CJAA concluded.
[RELATED: Columbia anti-Israel activists set up rocket plastered with face of university president]
The group then announced in a separate post that it would be “posting specific examples of why we are now convinced that nothing short of a staff and faculty overhaul is required to restore Columbia’s legacy.”
The group provided a quote, allegedly from a Columbia alumnus, saying: “A professor for our mandatory first-year English class at Columbia commented all over an essay I wrote regarding a NY Times article about a museum that honored suicide bombers during the Second Intifada. My essay was covered in red ink. The comments were not on my writing skills but rather to persuade in favor of the Palestinians.”
“When I was a Columbia College undergraduate,” another alumnus reportedly recalled, “students ripped off flyers regarding Jewish event [sic] and information regarding Israel and if Israel was included on a map, people would write Palestine across Israel.”
“There were never any consequences,” the alumnus concluded.
CJAA describes its primary goal as ensuring “that Columbia University lives up to its stated commitment to providing a ‘learning, living, and working environment free from unlawful discrimination and harassment’ and to fostering a community ‘founded on the fundamental dignity and worth of all of its members.’”
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CJAA’s statement demanding an “overhaul” at Columbia comes in the wake of a controversy in which three Columbia administrators were placed on leave after it was revealed they sent text messages denigrating a speaker’s concerns about anti-Semitism at a panel about “Jewish Life on Campus” on May 31.
On June 2, Columbia’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter wrote: “We recommit to continue strategic, targeted attacks on all aspects of university life contributing to the normalization of this slaughter. There will be no business as usual during a genocide.”
Campus Reform has contacted Columbia University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
