Recently, a Columbia University task force has shed light on a series of troubling incidents on campus, highlighting what they described as the “harassment of Jewish students” and anti-Semitic comments made by professors. The task force members, in an interview with Israeli publication Haaretz, revealed a pervasive anti-Jewish bias at the prestigious university located in Manhattan.
According to the report, Jewish and Israeli students often felt targeted and marginalized at Columbia University, with some professors singling them out in the classroom. One disturbing example cited by the task force members involved a professor asking a student with a Jewish-sounding surname to explain their views on the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza. Another professor reportedly publicly displayed a student’s email complaining about an offensive comment regarding Jews.
Furthermore, the report found that professors at Columbia University actively encouraged students to participate in anti-Israel protests or the Gaza Solidarity Encampment. Some even offered extra credit or held classes at the protest site. Incidents of students wearing Jewish symbols having them torn from their person, as well as being excluded from student clubs for not participating in anti-Israel actions, were also documented.
The task force collected hundreds of testimonies from Jewish students describing experiences of harassment, discrimination, and exclusion by professors and fellow students at the university. Despite these troubling findings, some Jewish students expressed skepticism that the Columbia faculty would take meaningful action to address the issue.
Professor Gil Zussman, an Israeli electric engineering professor, confirmed instances of discrimination against Israeli students and Jews on campus. He witnessed Israeli students being targeted by demonstrators and noted that some professors brought their classes to anti-Israel encampments. Jewish Columbia students praised the task force for shedding light on the hostility they faced but remained doubtful that the university administration would effectively address the problem.
In response to the report, a rising senior at Columbia University expressed gratitude for the task force’s findings but voiced concerns about the administration’s willingness to address rising campus hostility. Another student, Avi, condemned the professors’ anti-Semitic comments and expressed disappointment in the lack of action taken by the university to improve the experiences of Jewish students on campus.
As the Columbia University Office of Public Affairs did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the future remains uncertain for Jewish students at the Ivy League institution. Despite the efforts of the task force to expose anti-Semitic behavior on campus, the road to creating a safer and more inclusive environment for all students at Columbia University may be challenging.