Students call on college administrations to take action against Jewish hate
At a recent press conference held outside of Columbia University, Barnard student Noa Fay expressed her concerns and called upon the institutions to defend Jewish students.
'Undergraduates who have filed reports about these incidents have been left with no emotional support, no feedback, and no consequences for the perpetrators of these hateful actions,' she said.
The administrations at Columbia University and Barnard College are facing backlash from Jewish students who claim that they have been targeted for their religion by perpetrators on campus who have yet to face any consequences.
At a press conference on Oct. 30 held outside of Columbia University, Barnard student Noa Fay expressed her concerns and called upon the institutions to take action.
“My Jewish sisters and brothers and I are on the receiving end of death threats from our peers,” she said in a video posted to X. “Undergraduates who have filed reports about these incidents have been left with no emotional support, no feedback, and no consequences for the perpetrators of these hateful actions.”
“As a result of this inaction, there are Jewish students who do not feel physically safe on campus,” she affirmed.
Columbia Law student Eli Schmidman also spoke at the press conference, discussing an anti-Semitic incident he claims he experienced.
“F*** the Jews. Those words were said not here on Amsterdam [Ave.], not on Broadway, those words were said in Jerome Greene Hall, Columbia’s law school building,” he stated. “To be clear, I know this incident in fact occurred, because it happened to me.”
Schmidman also cited a recent incident at Cornell University in which an online discussion forum contained calls for slitting the throats of Jews, causing Cornell Hillel to warn members about visiting the campus’ kosher dining hall “out of an abundance of caution.”
“This is 2023. It is not 1942. And this is New York. It’s not Nazi Europe,” Schmidman said. “So Columbia, what will you do to ensure that we are not the next Cooper Union or Cornell?”
[RELATED: MIT student activist blames school for lackluster response to anti-Semitism]
Columbia President Minouche Shafik issued a statement on Oct. 27 in which he stated that, “I want to reiterate that antisemitism, like any form of bigotry, is an assault on everything we stand for at Columbia.” He also condemned attacks against Muslims and Palestinians on campus, saying, “We take these incidents seriously and they are being investigated.”
On Nov. 1, another statement was issued to members of the Columbia and Barnard communities addressing the creation of a task force to combat anti-Semitism. “We want to reiterate that we will not tolerate such actions and are moving forcefully against antisemitic threats, images, and other violations as they are reported, and we will continue to provide additional resources to protect our campuses,” it states.
Earlier this month, Campus Reform reported some instances of New York political leaders undertaking actions to address surges in anti-Semitism following the Oct. 7 attacks on Israeli citizens by Hamas terrorists. Governor Kathy Hochul recently called for a review of the CUNY system’s anti-Semitism and discrimination policies.
Campus Reform contacted Columbia University, Barnard College, and the Columbia and Barnard Hillel groups for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
