Following Columbia University president’s appearance before Congress, tensions on campus lingered as pro-Palestinian protests continued, prompting police involvement and worries among some Jewish students.
Over the weekend, student-led demonstrations on campus escalated, attracting additional protests by non-affiliated demonstrators near Columbia’s Upper Manhattan campus, which was closed to the public due to the unrest.
Incidents on Saturday evening took a troubling turn, with reports of harassment and antisemitic remarks targeting Jewish students. This behavior left many of the university’s 5,000 Jewish students feeling unsafe both on campus and in the surrounding areas, prompting condemnation from the White House and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
A White House spokesman, Andrew Bates, stated, “While every American has the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and intimidation against Jewish students are blatantly antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous.”
Despite these concerning events, Jewish students supporting the pro-Palestinian cause on campus expressed feelings of solidarity rather than fear, while unequivocally denouncing acts of antisemitism.
Grant Miner, a Jewish graduate student at Columbia University, shared, “I don’t feel unsafe on campus.”