Campus Watch April 25, 2024

Biden: “I Condemn the Antisemitic Protests” on College Campuses

President Joe Biden told reporters on April 22 that he condemns “the antisemitic protests” occurring on college campuses, as well as “those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”

Biden was on his way back from a Virginia speech celebrating Earth Day when a reporter asked him if he condemns “the antisemitic protests on college campuses.” “I condemn the antisemitic protests. That’s why I’ve set up a program to deal with that,” Biden replied. “I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians.”

Asked if he thinks Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to resign, Biden replied: “I didn’t know that. I’ll have to find out more.”

Columbia Prof Shai Davidai Blocked from Campus

Columbia University Assistant Professor Shai Davidai was reportedly barred from entering campus on April 22 because the university couldn’t ensure his safety on campus.

According to the Columbia Daily Spectator and Daily Mail, Davidai was planning on holding a pro-Israel counterprotest next to the ongoing pro-Palestinian encampment on campus; he was told by Cas Holloway, the university’s chief operating officer, that Davidai was required to hold his demonstration in a designated area. Davidai told pro-Israel protesters in front of the campus gate that his card had been deactivated. “I have not just a civil right as a Jewish person to be on campus, I have a right as a professor employed by the university to be on campus,” he declared.

Davidai also wrote in a post on X, “Earlier today, @Columbia University refused to let me onto campus. Why? Because they cannot protect my safety as a Jewish professor. This is 1938.”

Columbia Jewish Student Says He Was Assaulted, Told to “Go Back to Poland”

Jonathan Lederer, a Jewish student at Columbia University, wrote in an essay for The Free Press that he was assaulted, harassed, had his Israeli flag stolen and was told to “go back to Poland” by pro-Palestinian protesters on the evening of April 20.

Lederer wrote that he was among 20 students singing “peaceful songs” while holding American and Israeli flags in the middle of campus when “masked keffiyeh protesters” threw “water in our faces” and held a sign that stated, “Al-Qassam’s next targets,” referencing Hamas’s military arm. When Lederer and the other students decided to leave, a keffiyeh protester stole his two Israeli flags, alleged Lederer, prompting him to run after the protester and grab his flag back as the pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to set it on fire. “As all of this was happening, members of the mob pushed and shoved me,” Lederer wrote, adding that “at least two solid objects were thrown at me from close range, one of which hit me directly in the face and the other in the chest.” As he and his friends ran from campus, they were told to “go back to Poland.”

A university spokesperson told the Journal, “As President Shafik has said repeatedly, the safety of our community is our number one priority. Columbia students have the right to protest, but they are not allowed to disrupt campus life or harass and intimidate fellow students and members of our community. We are acting on concerns we are hearing from our Jewish students and are providing additional support and resources to ensure that our community remains safe.” 

Yale Jewish Student Journalist Stabbed in the Eye While Covering Pro-Palestinian Protest

Yale Jewish student Sahar Tartak, the editor-in-chief of the Yale Free Press, was stabbed in the eye with a Palestinian flag while covering a pro-Palestinian protest on April 20.

The New York Post reported that a group of pro-Palestinian protesters surrounded Tartak and her friend because they were “wearing Hasidic Jewish attire” and tried to stop them from filming. Tartak told the Post that one of the protesters was holding a Palestinian flag and jabbed “it in my eye.” The university is investigating the matter.

Loyola Law Students Harass Jewish Students at IDF Campus Event

The Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA) at Loyola Law School announced in an April 17 Instagram post that their classmates had harassed Jewish students at event featuring several Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldiers speaking about their experience in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The Jewish students were allegedly called “fat ugly Jewish b—-es” and “k—s” by their classmates; one Loyola student allegedly declared that they are “antisemitic and would still become a lawyer.” “Instead of attempting to listen and engage in a respectful dialogue with the IDF soldiers, the IDF soldiers and students were harassed without any provocation,” the JLSA statement read, adding that the event turned “into a scene of fear and hostility, with a few attendees left trembling as they made their way into their vehicles.” 

Loyola Law Interim Dean and Senior Vice President Brietta Clark wrote in a message to community members on April 18 that the university has “deployed all available resources to conduct a prompt investigation of this matter.”