Pro-Palestine supporters, who set up an encampment at Columbia University, reportedly confronted Jewish students on Sunday night to “push them out of camp.” The incident occurred the day before the Jewish Passover holiday began.
“This looks like a sitcom, but it’s not,” Yale student Sahar Tartak posted with an accompanying video clip on X, formerly Twitter. “A human blockade of hundreds at Columbia approaches a small group of Jewish students while saying ‘one step forward… push them out of the camp’ in perfect unison. This is a Columbia tent encampment.”
“Repeat after me,” one of the Pro-Palestine protesters in the video clip yelled, as others repeated after her in unison. “I’m bored. We would like you to leave.”
The large group of protesters would then take one step closer around the Jewish students in the video clip. They repeated this process several times.
Tartak posted the video on Sunday night, hours after several Jewish school officials criticized Columbia for a perceived lack of action against the protesters. The officials claimed the protesters created unsafe conditions for students.
First, on Sunday morning, a Columbia University rabbi encouraged Jewish students to leave school and go home until the campus was considered safe, The Jerusalem Post reported.
“It deeply pains me to say that I would strongly recommend you return home as soon as possible and remain home until the reality in and around campus has dramatically improved,” Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus director rabbi Elie Buechler reportedly urged students in leaked text messages. “It is not our job as Jews to ensure our own safety on campus. No one should have to endure this level of hatred, let alone at school.”
Buechler said that protesters had called for violence, expressed support for terrorism, and claimed they were members of Hamas, according to The Jerusalem Post. She also said that protesters had expressed desires for future acts of violence to mirror the October 7 attacks from Hamas against Israel.
Then, on Sunday night, CNN’s Jake Tapper posted on X an email from the “Head of Columbia/Barnard Kraft Center for Jewish Life” that, Tapper claimed, was sent to students.
“As Passover quickly approaches, we know that many Jewish students will remain on campus for the holiday,” a screenshot of the email read. “The Kraft Center is open, and we look forward to hosting seders, meals, and services as planned. In all challenging situations, we advise students to do what is best for them.”
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“It is unacceptable that I need to send this email in 2024,” the message continued. “According to its own Rules of University Conduct, Columbia University must ensure that students’ can continue their academic pursuits without fear for their personal security or other serious intrusions on their ability to teach and study. The University continues to fail to enforce its rules, despite escalating antisemitic harassment and around-the-clock protest activity on and around campus.”
Tapper did not provide the name of the Barnard Kraft Center for Jewish Life member who sent the email.
“Columbia University must put an end to the on-campus protests that violate the University’s event policies,” the message read. “Off-campus protests need to be moved if the protestors will not end their harassment of students.”
