More than 200 faculty members at Columbia University said Tuesday they were “appalled by the spate of antisemitic incidents” on the Manhattan campus, a day after scores of their colleagues signed a letter defending students who supported Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 terror attack.
The new letter came after Jewish students rallied on campus to blast the administration’s “inaction” on what they called an “unsafe” atmosphere in the weeks since the attack, due to at least one attack on an Israeli student, death threats and rampant hate speech and vandalism.
While the faculty members agree “there should be robust debate about complex and difficult issues” concerning the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, they say “there is no excuse for Hamas’s barbaric attack on Israeli civilians.”
“We are horrified that anyone would celebrate these monstrous attacks or, as some members of the Columbia faculty have done in a recent letter, try to ‘recontextualize’ them as a ‘salvo,’ as the ‘exercise of a right to resist’ occupation, or as ‘military action,'” the letter reads.
The new missive is signed by many highly distinguished professors and notable academics from around the world.
They includine honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire Philip Bobbitt who is Professor of Federal Jurisprudence at Columbia; noted Physicist Tanya Zelevinsky who is winner of the prestigious Brown Investigator Award; and assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science Asaf Cidon who is winner of the National Science Foundation career award.
The statement continued: “Finally, the University cannot tolerate violence, speech that incites it, or hate speech. Just as we condemn any bigoted comments or acts directed at Palestinian and Muslim students, we are appalled by the spate of antisemitic incidents on campus since October 7,” citing “epithets, physical assault, and swastikas.”
“In the same way that the University defends other groups from this sort of disgusting conduct, it is essential to do the same for Jewish and Israeli students,” the letter said.
In a statement to The Post Monday, a university spokesperson said “antisemitism or any other form of hate … will not be tolerated”
“We are using every available tool to keep our community safe and that includes protecting our Jewish students from antisemitic discrimination or harassment.”
However, the University has not elaborated on which “tools” they are using and what action they are taking beyond the letter-writing campaigns. Officials chose not to elaborate Tuesday when pressed for additional comment on how they planned to counter the “hostile and unsafe environment” on campus.
English major Ken Vasques, 21 said Monday the university has been on edge since Israel waged war on Gaza following the coordinated terror attack that killed more than 1,400 residents of the Jewish state.
“It’s been a weird time to be on campus. There has been a feeling of dread. There’s a feeling something will break out,” he said.
“The vans parked outside of school have been doxxing people. Students have been covering the vans every day. The school hasn’t done anything. You would think the school would put the students’ safety first,” Vasques continued.
“Professors have been hesitant to address the war or students’ response to it. One of my professors moved the whole class to Zoom because the atmosphere around campus has been so tense.
“As a student I feel I have to be mindful of what I say and I think professors have felt that as well.”