The Columbia Daily Spectator, the university’s student newspaper, issued an apology on Sept. 20 for running an advertisement against an upcoming boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) referendum. Some of the paper’s staffers later reportedly told the group that paid for the ad that the paper doesn’t publish ads relating to political issues.
The Students Supporting Israel (SSI) at Columbia ad, which ran in the Daily Spectator’s “Sunday Sports” newsletter that day, called the referendum “Jew hatred. Vote NO to Hate! Vote NO to keep Jewish students safe on campus!”
Later that day, The Daily Spectator issued an apology for running the ad, stating that it was “clearly inappropriate and did not meet our standards for distribution. We deeply apologize for giving this advertisement space on our platform and are immediately reviewing our internal processes to ensure that publication of such material will never happen again. Neither The Columbia Spectator nor Spectator Publishing Company endorses Students Supporting Israel and Columbia or its products, services or views.”
Students are slated to vote this week as to whether, according to the referendum, the school should “divest its stocks, funds and endowment from companies that profit from or engage in the State of Israel’s acts towards Palestinians” that “fall under the United Nations International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid.” The referendum is sponsored by the Columbia University Apartheid Divest student group.
SSI at Columbia wrote in a Facebook post that after “a few conversations with the staff” at the newspaper, they were told that the Daily Spectator doesn’t run political advertisements. However, the SSI chapter noted that the Daily Spectator’s apology “took issue with SSI’s specific advertisement and implicitly sent a political message by negating the advertisement’s message and negating our organization as a unit.
“This behavior, namely approving the ads and then denouncing the club in such a blunt way without even some sort of discussion, is utterly disrespectful. We demand an apology from Columbia Daily Spectator in the same forum in which the denunciation was made.”
https://www.facebook.com/SSIcolumbia/photos/a.476258195887312/1572880752891712/?type=3&theater
SSI National President Ilan Sinelnikov wrote in a Facebook post that the Daily Spectator normally doesn’t have any problems running ads from student groups, except when it comes to pro-Israel groups.
“We are deeply disturbed and disgusted by the statement issued by the Columbia Daily Spectator,” he wrote. “Their statement shows just how valuable our work is at SSI. Their statement proves why we need to exist. To educate the leaders behind these organizations. To help them understand that loving Israel is NOT a politic statement but a right that not only every Jew, but every HUMAN has.”
Sinelnikov called for the Daily Spectator to apologize for its statement.
“Israel is a COUNTRY not a POLITICAL issue,” he wrote.
https://www.facebook.com/ilan.sinelnikov/posts/10221086672770211
The Daily Spectator did not respond to the Journal’s request for comment.
In November, the Columbia Student College Council (CCSC) voted in favor of holding a campus referendum calling on the university to divest from companies that conduct business with Israel. The referendum vote is taking place from Sept. 22-25.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center tweeted, “Arab nations & Jewish state make peace, start economic relations to benefit all while spoiled clueless undergrads at Columbia Uni march like dodo birds off cliff provided by anti-Semitic BDSers to vote on resolution that never helped a single Palestinian.”
Arab nations & Jewish state make peace, start economic relations to benefit all while spoiled clueless undergrads at Columbia Uni march like dodo birds off cliff provided by anti-Semitic BDSers to vote on resolution that never helped a single Palestinian.https://t.co/xw2sEW2MxZ
— SimonWiesenthalCntr (@simonwiesenthal) September 21, 2020
Two Jewish students at Columbia wrote an op-ed in the Daily Spectator endorsing the referendum that sought to decouple anti-Semitism from the BDS movement.
