Several Columbia University students spoke out on Fox News Digital on Monday after administrators announced they were canceling the school’s major graduation ceremony. University officials told Fox News that security concerns were a top priority in making the decision following the raucous anti-Israel protests.
One of the graduates, who also testified before the House Education and Labor Committee about the anti-Semitic agitators, did so to give a voice to those in the community who had the same concerns and as a way to urge Columbia state officials to take action. said. .
“I think so [Columbia] As far as I know, this organization has the potential to become a great institution,” Yola Ashkenazy told FOX News Digital.
Ashkenazy said it was unfortunate that major graduation ceremonies had to be canceled, and that as much as it was for the students, they work hard to ensure that their children can attend esteemed institutions like Columbia. He said that it is also important for parents and families.
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Anti-Israel demonstrators rally in front of Columbia University on April 30, 2024, in New York City. (Rashid Umar Abbasi, Fox News Digital)
“So it’s really sad that I won’t be able to commemorate this moment properly with my children and friends from different schools,” she said.
Ashkenazi said authorities initially acted as if the anti-Israel protests were peaceful demonstrations, but added that if that were true, she would still attend the graduation ceremony.
”[W]If they think there is complete peace, why would they cancel admissions? It really doesn’t make sense. And the administration can’t keep its story accurate. ”
Ashkenazi also told Fox News that he was affected by anti-Semitic sentiment on campus long before the protests began in April.
“So I spoke up.” [in] “I have been speaking out against anti-Semitism on campus since October 7, and students seemed to pin me on that,” she said.
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An Israeli flag waves at a protest camp supporting Palestinians on the Columbia University campus on April 29, 2024 in New York City. (Reuters/David Dee Delgado)
“A few months ago, a cyberbullying Instagram account posted a photo of me holding an Israeli flag, which prompted students to post horrible things about me on an anonymous forum on campus. There were people, and there were even instances where someone approached me.” Being confronted in the middle of campus about my support for Israel was, well, an incredibly scary few months on campus. ”
Sophomore Elisha Baker, who will not be graduating this year, said: fox news digital The cancellation of the ceremony still affected him.
“This is the thing about graduation ceremonies. This movement on campus has been advocating ‘shutdown’ and canceling joy. And by canceling graduation ceremonies, the university is complying with both demands. “It seems like they gave in and basically allowed the mob to operate in order to win,” he said.
“And for me, that’s really sad. And we lost a high school graduation because of COVID, we lost a college freshman because of COVID, and now we lost a high school graduation because of a violent mob.” “My heart goes out to the seniors who lost their graduation ceremonies,” he said. .
Baker said that in the early hours of one recent morning, he witnessed protesters unfurling a 6-metre-high pro-Intifada banner from a main academic building.
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Demonstrators gather in front of the entrance to Columbia University on April 29, 2024. (Reuters/David Dee Delgado)
“For me, that was really sad. It was really shocking. It was violent and exactly what this movement has been calling for all along, which is violence against Jews, and a prolonged state of war instead of peace. It perfectly represents that,” Baker said. , is Jewish.
He told Fox News Digital that Jewish students have been subjected to hate speech and violence since the protests began.
One of Baker’s friends had an Israeli flag torn from his hands by protesters, who allegedly tried to set it on fire and were later hit with projectiles.
“Colombia has completely relinquished leadership to a small but angry and vocal minority, the mob.”
“This is a full-scale assault within the gates of campus,” Baker said.
When asked about the possibility of not returning to campus for protests, Baker said the decision was difficult because remaining on campus could be seen as “leaving alone.”[ting] The bully wins. ”
“So, for me, as a Jewish student, leaving campus now is about giving in to the mob. And, yes, we have to worry about our safety. But also, staying here and… There’s something about making these things clear.” People can say, “We don’t want Zionists here.” But we’re still here, and we can’t bully Jewish students off this campus. ”
“It’s up to the university to decide if wearing a kipper and a hostage dog tag makes me a target or if I’m safe here. Yes, because I should be safe here.”
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Meanwhile, Eden Yadegar, a junior at Columbia University, told Fox News Digital that the cancellation of the graduation ceremony proves that “inmates are running an asylum.”
“Columbia has completely abdicated leadership to a small but furious and vocal minority, the mob. And as a result, now every student…this mob has forced everyone else to deal with… It’s really unfortunate that you have to face the consequences.”On top of that, the Colombian regime has put us in a situation that everyone has to deal with,” she said.
Jadegar said the school drew multiple proverbial “red lines” but did not enforce the promised consequences.
“So it’s no wonder students think there are no consequences for their actions and that it’s okay to wreak havoc on campus and basically do whatever they want.”
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Batya Tropper, another Columbia University student, said: told Fox News Digital Although she is grateful for much that Columbia provided her during her studies, she now finds it difficult to encourage her fellow Jewish students to attend Columbia. .
“We can’t guarantee that this will be a safe and comfortable environment for them,” she says. “And I never thought I would be in a position to say that.”
“And the reason it’s so upsetting is because I love this university, I love the normal life I’ve had here, I love the experiences I’ve had here, but a lot of Jewish students… I think it’s very unfortunate that students who are trying to get into college may not choose an Ivy League school because of safety concerns, or they may not want to attend college and have to worry about their own lives every day. You may have to assert your identity. ”
“They may just want to come and get the education that they should be entitled to like everyone else.”
Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
