Campus Watch March 14, 2024

Columbia Prof Shai Davidai Says University Has Launched Retaliatory Investigation Against Him

Columbia University Business School Assistant Professor Shai Davidai announced on March 8 that the university has launched an investigation against him and claimed the investigation is retaliation for his criticisms of the university’s handling of antisemitism on campus.

Davidai, a Jewish Israeli professor, told the Journal in a phone interview that he first received notice of the investigation a few weeks ago but waited until March 8 to release a statement on the matter to ensure his statement didn’t “interfere with the investigation.” While he couldn’t delve into the specifics of the investigation, he said that the investigation was launched by the university’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) which “typically looks at harassment based on protected class, so race, gender, nationality.” “Not only have not ever gone after any specific student, I’ve only focused on organizations that support terror and not based on any other thing,” Davidai told the Journal. 

A university spokesperson said in a statement to the Journal, “We do not comment on personnel matters. As a general matter, if the University receives a formal complaint, it will review and consider the complaint under established processes.”

UC Berkeley Prof Holds Sit-In Urging University to Better Fight Antisemitism

UC Berkeley Professor Ron Hassner, who directs the Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies, is holding a sit-in in his office until the university agrees to his demands that would improve the campus climate for Jewish students on campus.

The Jewish News of Northern California (The J) reported on March 8 that Hassner’s demands include taking action against anti-Israel protesters that have blocked the main entrance to entrance, reinviting former Israel Defense Force member Ran Bar-Yoshafat — whose planned lecture on Feb. 26 was shut down by pro-Palestinian protesters — to campus and apologize for canceling his event, and require antisemitism and Islamophobia training for new faculty members and student club leaders. Until then, Hassner will live (and teach) from his office with a light on in solidarity with the Jewish students on campus.

A university spokesperson told The J, “The administration is committed to confronting antisemitism.”

University of Exeter Students Throw Juice on Israeli Flag

Pro-Palestinian students at the University of Exeter reportedly accosted a group of students at a pro-Israel student group booth, throwing juice on the group’s Israeli flag and tearing up the group’s flyers.

The pro-Palestinian students allegedly blamed Jews for the Middle East being “messed up” and that Jews “belong to Europe,” not Israel. The pro-Palestinian students threw red juice on an Israeli flag in an apparent attempt to make it seem like blood was on the flag, but the juice splashed some of the Jewish students as well. Eventually the Jewish students fled the campus due to safety concerns.

A university spokesperson told The Jerusalem Post that they are investigating the matter.

Columbia President to Testify Before Congress on Campus Antisemitism

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik is scheduled to testify at the House of Representatives’ Committee on Education and the Workforce on April 17 about the university’s handling of antisemitism on campus.

“Some of the worst cases of antisemitic assaults, harassment, and vandalism on campus have occurred at Columbia University,” Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), who chairs the committee, said in a statement. “Due to the severe and pervasive nature of these cases, and the Columbia administration’s failure to enforce its own policies to protect Jewish students, the Committee must hear from Columbia’s leadership in person to learn how the school is addressing antisemitism on its campus.”

The university said in a statement to The Hill, “Columbia is committed to combating antisemitism and we welcome the opportunity to discuss our work to protect and support Jewish students and keep our community safe.”

Swastikas Found in Connecticut High School Bathroom

A slew of swastikas were found in a bathroom at Middletown High School in Middletown, Conn. on March 7.

NBC Connecticut reported that Middletown Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Alberto Vázquez Matos wrote a letter to the community stating that “similar incidents” had occurred the previous week in Beman Middle School, which is also a part of the district. “Let me be clear: Middletown Public Schools will not tolerate hateful, derogatory, disparaging, or offensive language, symbols, or acts,” Vázquez Matos wrote. “There is no place for such behavior in our schools, not now, nor will there ever be.”