Bernard College has seen weeks of anti-Israel unrest rock campus, with students taking over the building. Bernard Jewish student Eliana Berman co-written a letter with Bernard student Shoshana Aufujien, who demands accountability from the university. The open letter has received nearly 1,300 signatures in a few days.
Billman told Fox News Digital that the letter was intended as a direct response to an email from the Bernard Student Government Association (SGA).
“My friend and I, especially Shoshana and I, were very annoyed by it because we didn't think that the emails from Bernard's Student Government were really representing us, because we honestly said we had bomb threats and that we had police on campus in the event of an emergency,” Berman told Fox News Digital. “And I don't think that ensuring that police will not come to campus is to improve the safety of our community.”
The NYPD cleared pro-Palestinian protesters at Bernard University after a group of student protesters occupied the Milstein Library on Wednesday night. (via Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Getty Images)
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The NYPD was called to the Bernard College campus on March 5th for the bomb threat that took place several hours after a demonstration at Bernard's library, Milstein Center. Several agitators were arrested during the surgery.
“Anyone who refuses to leave the place will be arrested,” the NYPD said in a post from X that it confirmed its response to the threat. “Please leave the area.”
Bernard SGA released the letter On Instagramwho said it “strongly condemned” police presence on campus, and that the school had broken “long-standing promises.” When asked about the “promise” mentioned in the letter, Berman said he didn't know what the SGA was referring to.
The SGA also listed three requests in the letter. First, “Ampulse for all students connected to the Milstein Library Sit-in.” Second, “honest negotiations” with senior staff, SGAs and student protesters. And thirdly, Bernard's reorganization of disciplinary processes is a reorganization of what involves students and faculty.
Anti-Israel activities at Columbia University reached the fever pitch last spring at the infamous camp in the Campus Quad. Berman believes messaging is still affecting student agitators. Bernard is the official university of Columbia University, and the institution has long been associated with it.
The “Free Palestine” flag is displayed inside the Bernard University building in New York. (X/Colombian Jews and Israeli students)
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“So it definitely comes from social media, but a lot of it is just repeating what we've heard in the past, something that has been repeated on campus since last spring.”
Billman told Fox News Digital that despite the anti-Israel agitator demonstrations on campus, he felt physically safe even at the threat of a bomb.
“Most of the time I feel completely safe just walking around campus with my dog tags, the Star of David and everything. But when these protests are on fire, I really need to be really careful about who I spoke to and who I made eye contact with.
Palestinian student protesters held a demonstration outside Bernard University in New York on February 27, 2025. Palestinian student protesters stormed the Bernard University building and raided the Bernard University building to protest the expulsion of two students who had suspended Israeli university classes. (AFP by Timothy A. Clary/Getty Images)
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Overall, Berman is not satisfied with Bernard's handling of anti-Semitism on campus. She told Fox News Digital that the university has recently made a “great FSTRIDE” but still has room for improvement.
“I think the biggest aspect of that is acknowledging that what's going on is anti-Semitism. They acknowledge that it's a form of hatred, and that it's a threat and creates a sense of anxiety on campus.
Bernard College did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the “promise” mentioned in Fox News Digital's Birman's letter and in the SGA statement.
