A Jewish student at Columbia University who experienced anti-Semitism on campus is set to head to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, but is furious about what Chancellor Minoush Shafik is doing to address the issue, the post says. I found out from the information in the paper.
Students will also meet privately with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, one of the members of Congress who will pose questions to Ivy League leaders.
Stefanik’s pointed questions at previous hearings led to the firings of the presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, who gave fumbling answers about their response to anti-Semitism.
“Columbia University’s unchecked anti-Semitism is not isolated to its campus, but is part of a broader system of moral corruption that pervades the entire higher education system,” Stefanik, chairman of the House Republican Conference, told the paper. Department,” he said.
“From openly calling for the genocide of Jews to swastikas scattered across campus grounds, anti-Semitism is rampant at Columbia University and makes Jewish students feel unsafe,” she continued. . “I am honored to meet the brave students at Columbia University who are courageously sharing their experiences of intolerable anti-Semitic harassment. This senseless hatred has no place on American campuses.”
The House Education and Labor Committee will host a hearing entitled “Columbia in Crisis: Columbia University’s Response to Anti-Semitism.”
But a Colombian spokesperson said the administration is targeting anti-Semitism and welcomes discussions about its efforts.
“Columbia is committed to combating anti-Semitism and welcomes the opportunity to discuss our efforts to protect and support Jewish students and keep our communities safe,” a spokesperson told the Post.
The hearing came amid a spate of incidents on U.S. campuses following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Several academic leaders have come under fire for making anti-Israel comments after the attack.
Professor Abdul Qayyum Ahmed reportedly said that Columbia University’s School of Public Health and its building in Washington Heights should not be named after Jews Joseph Mailman and Armand Hammer. Mark Nock, a graduate student in the School of Public Health, argued.
“He said, ‘What have they done other than give ‘blood money’ to schools?’ That’s an anti-Semitic metaphor,” Nock told the Post. This class was called “Fundamentals of Public Health.”
“There was a lot of hate being taught,” Nokk claimed. “Teaching hate is not good. It was strange to be in this place and see something like this happening.
Last week, Mr. Ahmed received a letter from the Columbia School of Public Health stating that his employment as a professor was being terminated. will not be updated next year — but did not cite criticism of his statements or advocacy as an issue, The Columbia Spectator reported.
Regarding the hearing, Nock wants to hear that Columbia University will take steps to ensure that it does not hire professors who are bigots and spread hate and propaganda.
“We hope that Columbia University will return to a safe place for all students, including Jewish students.”
Yola Ashkenazi, 21, a student at Columbia University’s Barnard College, said the Morningside campus is now a divisive place with hostility toward Jews, especially those who support Israel.
She said two Israeli student friends were spat at for speaking in Hebrew on the school library steps, and she was targeted on social media for being pro-Israel.
Instagram site Burfnado reposted a photo of her holding an Israeli flag.
“I definitely felt singled out and threatened,” said Ashkenazi, who previously served as president of the Jewish student organization Chabad.
Ashkenazi said he was surprised by the pro-Hamas demonstrations that took place on the Morningside campus shortly after Oct. 7, before the Jewish state retaliated for the massacre of 1,200 people.
“There was hatred for Israel and hatred for Jews,” said Ashkenazy, a psychology and economics major.
He said Columbia’s campus has become a hotbed of anti-Semitism, with anti-Semitic slogans such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” (which critics say calls for Israel’s removal). He said it became a breeding ground for anti-Semitism, including rhetoric and “we don’t do that.” I want Zionism here. ”
“It means I don’t belong on campus,” Ashkenazy said.
She is happy that the next hearing will force the Colombian regime to hold its foot to the fire.
“This hearing will force the administration to come up with a concrete, actionable plan to address the fears students currently have. Making sure students like me feel safe on campus I would like to hear what action President Shanif will take to achieve this.”
Yaffa Mashkabov, 41, who is taking a graduate course at the Faculty of Social Work, recalled another student yelling in class that Hamas’ rape and kidnapping of Israelis was “justified.” .
“I just said, ‘Wow.’ I was stunned. I couldn’t believe she said that out loud,” she said.
An observant Jew who wears a headscarf, she recently filed a lawsuit against the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy program, a precursor to the Columbia School of Social Work, for its treatment of Orthodox Jewish students. He pointed out the lawsuit that had been filed.
She also cited anti-Semitic fliers depicting a skunk in the white and blue of the Israeli flag and a Star of David hanging on Columbia University’s Morningside campus.
“Anti-Semitism is not just something we feel. It’s happening. We’ve finally gotten the attention of Congress. … Maybe something good will come of it.” she said.
