A Jewish Columbia University professor who had criticized the school’s response to widespread anti-Israel protests and was planning a counter-demonstration said Monday that he had been prevented from entering the main campus.
Shai Davidai, an Israeli-born assistant professor of business who is calling on Columbia University’s leadership to resign because anti-Israel agitators are wreaking havoc on campus, said his key card to enter the school’s main campus was disabled. He said that it had been regulated.
“I have a civil right, not just a civil right, but a civil right to be on campus as a Jew. I have a right to be on campus as a professor employed by a university. They revoked my card,” Davidai said. he told demonstrators on Monday.
The moment Davidai realized that his immigration card had been invalidated, caught on video It quickly spread on social media.
Columbia Jewish student says anti-Israel mob chased him off campus: ‘I don’t feel safe anymore’
Professor Shai Davidai spoke out against anti-Semitism on Columbia University’s campus. (Fox News Digital)
“My card has been deactivated. Why? Wait, wait, everyone, my card has been deactivated. This is Cas Holloway, our COO. [Chief Operating Officer]this is [Vice President for Public Safety] Gerald Lewis. “When I asked them if Hamas is a terrorist organization, they were at the meeting, but they were not a terrorist organization,” Mr. Davidei told the crowd as Mr. Holloway and Mr. Lewis looked on.
“I’m a professor here and I have a right to be anywhere on campus. I can’t keep people who support Hamas on campus and me, a professor, off campus,” he continued. “Please put it in now.”
Davidai addressed the pro-Israel crowd, who began chanting, “Let the Shai in.”
He commented on the situation to X as follows: “Early morning today, @Columbia The university refused to let me on campus. why? Because they cannot protect my safety as a Jewish professor. This is 1938. ”
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Davidai was surprised that the school canceled his immigration card, but was warned that the protests would be limited to certain areas.
Early Monday, Holloway sent an email to Davidai saying, “It is our standard operating procedure for any protest to have a counter-protest area,” and that the counter-protest would be located in the Math Lawn section of campus. He informed the Jewish professor that he would have to do so.
“In order to maintain the safety of the Columbia community, access to the West Lawn is prohibited,” Holloway wrote in an email.
“Due to the clear risks to the safety of our students and other members of our community, we strongly encourage any students and colleagues who were planning to attend to also ask them to change their plans,” Holloway continued. . “Obviously, the safety of our community must be our top priority right now. As faculty and staff, you have a fiduciary duty to do everything in your power to keep our students and campus safe. .”
During the Columbia University demonstration, anti-Israel demonstrators were heard shouting “We are Hamas” and “Long live Hamas”
Davidai had been promoting pro-Israel events on social media.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Columbia University for comment.
The campus has been rocked by protests in recent days, with anti-Israel agitators calling on the Israeli military to stop fighting in Gaza after Hamas terrorists launched an attack on the city in October.
Video footage from last week’s demonstrations showed anti-Israel demonstrators shouting pro-Hamas slogans, including one demonstrator caught on video shouting “We are Hamas.” It also included cases.Another video taken from near campus last week showed a man shout october 7th “Every day” refers to the terrorist atrocities committed by Hamas last year.
The situation got so bad that the campus rabbi asked the Jewish students to leave due to safety concerns.
Mr. Davidai is an assistant professor in the management department at Columbia Business School, and he is an assistant professor in the department of management at Columbia Business School, who explains, “The psychological forces that shape, distort, and bias people’s perceptions of the world and how they influence their judgments and decisions. “We are researching the influence it has on preferences and choices.” ”
Columbia rabbi tells Jewish students to leave campus, school and NYPD warn ‘safety cannot be guaranteed’
New York City Police Department officers patrol as pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate outside the Columbia University campus on Thursday, April 18, 2024, in New York City. Several students were arrested as police cleared an encampment on the campus lawn. (Peter Garber, Fox News Digital)
Columbia University President Dr. Nemat “Minoush” Shafik said in a statement Monday that he was “deeply saddened” by the incident.
“Our bonds as a community have been severely tested, and it will take a great deal of time and effort to reaffirm them,” she said. “Students from various communities have communicated their safety concerns, and we have announced additional steps we are taking to address their safety concerns. The decibels of our disagreements are These tensions have only increased in recent days. These tensions are being exploited and amplified by individuals who are not affiliated with Columbia and come to campus to pursue their own objectives. This is us. ”
“We need a reset,” Shafik added. “To quell resentment and give us all a chance to consider next steps, we are announcing that all classes will be held virtually on Monday. Faculty and staff who are able to work remotely should do so, and we Our hope is that students who do not live on campus do not come to campus. ”
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Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
