Is This a Tipping Point? Or at Least Another One?

 

 

 

In Our Name: A Message from Jewish Students at Columbia University

To the Columbia Community:

Over the past six months, many have spoken in our name. Some are well-meaning alumni or non-affiliates who show up to wave the Israeli flag outside Columbia’s gates. Some are politicians looking to use our experiences to foment America’s culture war. Most notably, some are our Jewish peers who tokenize themselves by claiming to represent “real Jewish values,” and attempt to delegitimize our lived experiences of antisemitism. We are here, writing to you as Jewish students at Columbia University, who are connected to our community and deeply engaged with our culture and history. We would like to speak in our name.

Many of us sit next to you in class. We are your lab partners, your study buddies, your peers, and your friends. We partake in the same student government, clubs, Greek life, volunteer organizations, and sports teams as you.

Most of us did not choose to be political activists. We do not bang on drums and chant catchy slogans. We are average students, just trying to make it through finals much like the rest of you. Those who demonize us under the cloak of anti-Zionism forced us into our activism and forced us to publicly defend our Jewish identities.

We proudly believe in the Jewish People’s right to self-determination in our historic homeland as a fundamental tenet of our Jewish identity. Contrary to what many have tried to sell you – no, Judaism cannot be separated from Israel. Zionism is, simply put, the manifestation of that belief.

Our religious texts are replete with references to Israel, Zion, and Jerusalem. The land of Israel is filled with archaeological remnants of a Jewish presence spanning centuries. Yet, despite generations of living in exile and diaspora across the globe, the Jewish People never ceased dreaming of returning to our homeland — Judea, the very place from which we derive our name, “Jews.” Indeed just a couple of days ago, we all closed our Passover seders with the proclamation, “Next Year in Jerusalem!”

Many of us are not religiously observant, yet Zionism remains a pillar of our Jewish identities. We have been kicked out of Russia, Libya, Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Poland, Egypt, Algeria, Germany, Iran, and the list goes on. We connect to Israel not only as our ancestral homeland but as the only place in the modern world where Jews can safely take ownership of their own destiny. Our experiences at Columbia in the last six months are a poignant reminder of just that.

We were raised on stories from our grandparents of concentration camps, gas chambers, and ethnic cleansing. The essence of Hitler’s antisemitism was the very fact that we were “not European” enough, that as Jews we were threats to the “superior” Aryan race. This ideology ultimately left six million of our own in ashes.

The evil irony of today’s antisemitism is a twisted reversal of our Holocaust legacy; protestors on campus have dehumanized us, imposing upon us the characterization of the “white colonizer.” We have been told that we are “the oppressors of all brown people” and that “the Holocaust wasn’t special.” Students at Columbia have chanted “we don’t want no Zionists here,” alongside “death to the Zionist State” and to “go back to Poland,” where our relatives lie in mass graves.

This sick distortion illuminates the nature of antisemitism: In every generation, the Jewish People are blamed and scapegoated as responsible for the societal evil of the time. In Iran and in the Arab world, we were ethnically cleansed for our presumed ties to the “Zionist entity.” In Russia, we endured state-sponsored violence and were ultimately massacred for being capitalists. In Europe, we were the victims of genocide because we were communists and not European enough. And today, we face the accusation of being too European, painted as society’s worst evils – colonizers and oppressors. We are targeted for our belief that Israel, our ancestral and religious homeland, has a right to exist. We are targeted by those who misuse the word Zionist as a sanitized slur for Jew, synonymous with racist, oppressive, or genocidal. We know all too well that antisemitism is shapeshifting.

We are proud of Israel. The only democracy in the Middle East, Israel is home to millions of Mizrachi Jews (Jews of Middle Eastern descent), Ashkenazi Jews (Jews of Central and Eastern European descent), and Ethiopian Jews, as well as millions of Arab Israelis, over one million Muslims, and hundreds of thousands of Christians and Druze. Israel is nothing short of a miracle for the Jewish People and for the Middle East more broadly.

Our love for Israel does not necessitate blind political conformity. It’s quite the opposite. For many of us, it is our deep love for and commitment to Israel that pushes us to object when its government acts in ways we find problematic. Israeli political disagreement is an inherently Zionist activity; look no further than the protests against Netanyahu’s judicial reforms – from New York to Tel Aviv – to understand what it means to fight for the Israel we imagine. All it takes are a couple of coffee chats with us to realize that our visions for Israel differ dramatically from one another. Yet we all come from a place of love and an aspiration for a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

If the last six months on campus have taught us anything, it is that a large and vocal population of the Columbia community does not understand the meaning of Zionism, and subsequently does not understand the essence of the Jewish People. Yet despite the fact that we have been calling out the antisemitism we’ve been experiencing for months, our concerns have been brushed off and invalidated. So here we are to remind you:

We sounded the alarm on October 12 when many protested against Israel while our friends’ and families’ dead bodies were still warm.

We recoiled when people screamed “resist by any means necessary,” telling us we are “all inbred” and that we “have no culture.”

We shuddered when an “activist” held up a sign telling Jewish students they were Hamas’s next targets, and we shook our heads in disbelief when Sidechat users told us we were lying.

We ultimately were not surprised when a leader of the CUAD encampment said publicly and proudly that “Zionists don’t deserve to live” and that we’re lucky they are “not just going out and murdering Zionists.”

We felt helpless when we watched students and faculty physically block Jewish students from entering parts of the campus we share, or even when they turned their faces away in silence. This silence is familiar. We will never forget.

One thing is for sure. We will not stop standing up for ourselves. We are proud to be Jews, and we are proud to be Zionists.  

We came to Columbia because we wanted to expand our minds and engage in complex conversations. While campus may be riddled with hateful rhetoric and simplistic binaries now, it is never too late to start repairing the fractures and begin developing meaningful relationships across political and religious divides. Our tradition tells us, “Love peace and pursue peace.” We hope you will join us in earnestly pursuing peace, truth, and empathy. Together we can repair our campus.

Signed:

Eliana Goldin, GS/JTS '25

Elisha Baker, CC '26

Eden Yadegar, GS/JTS '25

Rivka Yellin, Barnard ‘26

David Hidary, CC, '26

Natan Rosenbaum, Columbia School of General Studies ‘26

Jesse Spear, GS ‘26

Amiel Nelson, General Studies ‘27

David Tarrab, SEAS ‘27

Nicholas Baum, General Studies/JTS ‘27

Daniella Coen, GS ‘24

Rosie Alchalel, Barnard ‘26

Robbie Fox, CC ‘24

Stephanie Tarrab, SEAS ‘25

Charlotte Roiter, Columbia/JTS '26

Jonathan Lederer, CC, '26

Benjamin Trau, Columbia ‘26

Daniel Katz  CC’27

Michael Pagovich, GS/JTS

Gabriel Nelson, CC ‘27

Tova Segal, Barnard/JTS, '25

Shira Weiss-Ishai, GS/JTS ‘27

Eliana Wagner , CLS ‘26

Ayelet Glaser, Barnard ‘24

Adam Vogt, General Studies '24

Rachel Halpern, Barnard ‘26

Rebecca Kalimi, Barnard ‘23

Mariana Lederman, Teachers College ‘24

Cecile Toussaint, School of General Studies, 2024

Jonathan Rosen, Columbia ‘25

Daniel Kroll, Columbia 24

Alexander Rosenberg GS/JTS ‘26

Josef Korich, SEAS '27

Rachel Lisbona, general studies, 2025

Alice Loiferman, Barnard ‘27

Jamie Cappell law school 24

Jonny Rosen GS/JTS ‘25

Menachem Weiss, Columbia Law '24

Talia Rabban, Barnard ‘25

Jacob Schmeltz, Columbia College ‘24

Shira Eisman, GSAS ‘26

Austin Stoll, GS '24

Ben Stettin, SEAS '24

Jordan Sumberg GS/JTS ‘27

Haley Wiener, Barnard ‘24

Danya Gewurz, Barnard ‘24

Maytal Polonetsky, Barnard ‘27

Kyra Weisberger, Barnard ‘27

Beth Kahn ‘25

Jake Schwalbe, Columbia ‘24

Talia Bodner, GS/JTS ‘27

Bo Kizildag, Columbia ‘25

Lily Penn, GS/JTS ‘25

Matthew Meltzer, CLS '25

Asher Strell Columbia school of General Studies 26

Meredith Cohen, CBS ‘25

Dore Feith, LAW ‘25

Kendall Bender, Columbia Law School ‘24

Jessica Yeroshalmi, Columbia Law School '26

Ron Chalamish, GS, 26

Brandon Rosenberg, Columbia Law School ‘24

Jaime Israel CLS ‘24

Raphael Kepecs, SEAS '27

Shiri Gil, GS, ‘25

Maya Jamil, GS ‘26

Jonathan Shapiro, CC ‘18, LAW ‘25

Laura Bellows, Barnard/JTS ‘27

Lior Kreindler, Biomedical Engineering PhD

Bar Maman, GS '26

Avital Kobrin, Barnard ‘27

Inbar Brand, GS/TAU '25

Jacob Dubin, CLS ‘25

Gabriel Kahane, General Studies, ‘26

Noam Josse, CLS '26

Saphira Samuels, Barnard ‘26

Aliza Ruttenberg, Barnard ‘27

Jessica Weinfeld, CC ‘27

Noa Siegel, GS ‘24

David Lederer, SEAS, ‘26

Parker De Dekér Cabral-Vásquez, Columbia College '27

Alix Gilkarov, GS/JTS ‘26

Liv Shalom, Columbia ‘26

Sheina Benzaquen, General Studies ‘25

David Padover, CBS/CLS ‘24

Mark Kava, Law School ‘26

Daniel F. CLS ‘24

Ron Zimmermann, CU/TAU ‘25

Dina Herzig, Columbia Law School ‘25

Dalia Moallem, Mailman ‘24

Stella Vayner, Columbia Engineering, 2026

Jonah Chill, Columbia Law School, ‘26

Avi Fixler, Columbia Law School, ‘24

Dahlia Bernstein, Barnard ‘27

Sam Lisner, SPS, 2024

Hannah Wander, CLS ‘25

Noga Aharony, CUIMC 26’

Esther Kishk, Columbia Law School 26

Victoria Kontsevich, General Studies ‘24

Maytal Rahimzada, Teachers College Columbia University '25

Beverly Dweck, Barnard ‘27

Olya Skulovich, PhD,  ‘24, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science

Ariel Nurieli, Gs, 25

Ezra Dayanim, GS/JTS ‘24

Marc Nock, Mailman MPH '24

Moshe Gershenfeld, Columbia Law School ‘24

Liam Schorr, GS/JTS ‘27

Franziska Sittig, GSAS ‘24

Rachel Freilich, CC '27

Matan Malka, VP&S ‘25

Dori Baron, CC ‘26

Ella Waisman, SEAS, '27

Sarah Ginsberg, Barnard ‘27

Risa Farber, SEAS ‘27

Robyn Beyda, Barnard ‘27

Frieda Catton, Barnard ‘27

Joy Reeve ‘25

Aryeh Krischer, Columbia, '26

Bracha Weinberger, Barnard 24'

Rachel Landesman, Barnard '25

Sam Nahins, Columbia GS ‘24

Eytan Abramowitz, SEAS '27

Nathan J Saldinger, GS ‘24

Omer Nauer, GS ‘24

Ilana Bramson /GS/JTS ‘27

Yehuda Dicker, Columbia College ‘25

Leo Salkind Columbia GS 26

Daphna Spira, Barnard ‘24

Lucy Hecht, CC '26

Abraham Jacobs, Columbia ‘24

Ali Levontin, GS 24

Zachary Krivine, SIPA '24

Gideon Marcus, GS, '25

Sally Schuster, SIPA ‘24

Yahli Bibi, GS ‘27

Michael Kolber, GS 26’

Katya Kantor, GS ‘22 SIPA ‘24

Sarah Hamerman, Columbia College ‘27

Dor Lev GS 26

Maya Jubas, CC '25

Evgeny Manzhosov, PhD Candidate, Columbia

Aiden Englander, SEAS ‘25

Caroline Ulrich, BC ‘25

Elya Levi, SPS ‘24

Jaya Fainzilber, Touro ‘27

Lihi Tal, GS ‘25

Danielle Feit, Barnard ‘24

Danelle Tuchman, CC '25

Jacob Resnick, GS/JTS’ 26

Liana Marks, GS/JTS ‘27

Alexander Dobensky, School of the Arts '24

Shai Goldman, CC '24

Andrew Stein, GS, '25

Rebecca Dyckman, Barnard '27

Henna Krauss, Barnard ‘27

Molly Nelson, Barnard ‘24

Simone Miller, CC ‘26

Emily Silverstein, Barnard ‘25

Stella Lessler, Columbia Engineering ‘24

Ariella Burnstein, Barnard ‘27

Ariel Slomka, Columbia GS ‘25

Yael Amiel, CLS '24

Joseph Kaplan, CC 25

Sonya Poznansky, Columbia GS '24

Sabrina, Columbia TAU 25

Mendi Hecht, GS ‘26

Zippy Wilson, Barnard '26

Avi Kohn, CLS '26

Tal Zussman, SEAS PhD

Esther Rotlevi, Neurobiology and Behavior (GSAS), '27

Mali Lobel, GS ‘26

Tans Rosen, SEAS '26

Meira Saffra, Barnard '24

Eliza Binstock, Columbia College ‘27

Yasmine Abouzaglo, Columbia ‘27

Rebecca Glanzer, Columbia College '16, Columbia Business School '24

Nora Samadi, Barnard ‘25

Daniel Glick, SEAS 24’

Riva Rubin, Columbia College '25

Jared Axelowitz, Columbia Law School '25

Annika Erickson, Barnard '24

Talia Kesselman, Columbia School of Social Work, '24

Tallie Steiner, Barnard ‘24

Gal Lev Ari, GS’26

Noam Zolty, CLS '22

Natalie Carnoy, Columbia College '26

Emily Kahan, Columbia College ‘26

Noam Woldenberg, CC ‘27

Joel Sontag, Columbia Law School, '24

Lexi Berger, Barnard ‘24

Rachel Neplokh, TAU General Studies Dual Degree ‘24

Ava Quinn, GS/JTS '25

Ann Mizrahi, Columbia University '24

Shimon Nataf, Columbia Law School '26

Sam Horowitz CLS ‘25

Josh Sussman, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health ‘25

Eden Shaveet, Bridge to Ph.D. Scholar, '24

Nickia Muraskin, SEAS PhD Student

Joshua Strongin, Teachers College ‘24

Sasha Isler, SEAS ‘26

Molly Litvak, CC ‘26

Alon S. Levin, Electrical Engineering PhD Student

Alex Malamud, Barnard ‘24

Hannah Solon, GS/JTS '25

Danielle Yahalom, Barnard '25

Emily Vayner GS/JTS '27

Daniel Barth, GS '24

Noa Salkind GS 26

Sapir Agam GS ‘25

Rebecca Wernick, Barnard ‘25

Asher Dayanim GS ‘24

Ariel Weinsaft, Barnard '25

Samantha Tarlowe, GS/JTS ‘27

Simone Glajchen, Columbia College ‘27

Jessica Major, Columbia School of Social Work, ‘25

Aaron Bruce, JTS/GS '25

Lola Hurst, Barnard ‘27

Michael Lippman, GS ‘25

Yaniv Yatziv, CBS ’25

Emma Vorchheimer, Barnard, 25’

Yola Ashkenazie, Barnard ‘24

Clementine silver Schwartz, GS ‘27

Daniel Becker, GS Tel Aviv Dual-Degree ‘25

Jessica Brenner, Barnard ‘26

Sharon Nagy, Tau-Columbia 28‘

Eliana Steinlauf, Barnard '24

Hana Cohen, GS/JTS ‘26

Tomas Fiure, SEAS ‘24

Gabriela Bentolila, SEAS ‘25

Saar Noy Zylberman, GS '25

David Rabbani, CC ‘25

Emily Bejerano, SEAS PhD ‘27

Benjamin Hadar, CSSW '25

Ilana Goldstein, Barnard/JTS, '26

Katie Friedman, TAU GS '25

Danielle Dorfman, Barnard '24

Andrew Leibert, SIPA '24

Daniella Davis, GS, 2027

Mikael Rochman, GS 25’

Ben Wald, JTS/GS, 25’

Chloe, TAU/GS Dual Degree Program, '25

Danielle Gillai, Barnard ‘27

Thomas Zev Huneycutt, GS ‘27

Sarah Cohen, SIPA ‘25

Maya Gal, GS/TAU ‘24

Gabriella Jacobs, TAU-Columbia ‘27

Ariana Pinsker Lehrer, Columbia School of Social Work, 25

Ayal Yakobe, GS '24

Talia Escobedo, SOA ‘24

Trevor Siegel CC ‘24

Ara Nazmiyal, Columbia '26

Almog Ankori, GS ‘27

Matthew Shtaynberg, JTS/GS ‘25

Maayan Malter, CBS PhD '24

Sahar Paz, Columbia GS, 2025

Kayla Venger, Barnard ‘27

Edan Mortman, GSAS, '26

Eliana Khoobian, GS, ‘26

Ayelet Kurz, Columbia College '26

Loren Kertsman, Dual Degree ‘26

John Morozov, School of General Studies, ‘26

Ellie Stallman, Columbia '26

Benny Attar, GS '26

Corey Brooks, Columbia ‘26

Ava Spielman, CSSW ‘24

Jillian Mestel, Barnard 24’

Megan Schanker, Columbia University School of Social Work ‘25

Becca Baitel, Teachers College ‘25

Cody Resnick, CSSW '25

Jessica Schwalb, CC, 2025

Emma Haynes, SPS ‘24

Annabelle Griffin, Barnard ‘26

Kayla Schiffer-Kane, GSAS ‘26

Judah Wahba, GS ‘24

Sophie Kasson, Barnard/JTS ‘27

Natalie Popilevsky, Barnard/JTS ‘26

Elliot Sadoff, GS ‘24

Gabriel Rudy, Columbia Law School

Charlie Laifer, CC ‘27

Tamar Weiss CC ‘27

Maeve Sanford-Kelly, Barnard ‘26

Rebecca Klein, Barnard ‘25

Leib Wiener, Columbia Dental School, ‘25

Leo Elkins, General Studies ‘25

Maya Druch, Columbia GS, ‘25

Noah H. Kronsburg, GS/JTS '27

Theo Usher, Columbia ‘24

Sophie Lila Arnstein, Barnard ’24

Emily Sandler, SEAS ‘24

Emily Gul, CC ‘25

Danielle Maydan, SEAS ‘26

Ralph Betesh, Columbia TAU ‘25

Rina Isaac, GS JTS, 2027

Luíza Leschziner, Barnard ‘24

Ariella Mitchell, GS/JTS ‘24

Michelle Sahar, SIPA, 24

Yuval Mazor, GS/JTS '26

Ariella Garren, CC '26

Joseph Rubin, SEAS ‘25

Brian Zharov, Columbia Law School ‘24

Maya Platek, GS ‘25

Eva Brous-Light, Columbia College ‘26

Camila Grunberg, Barnard ‘25

Tomer Witelson, CC ‘25

Abigail Fixel, Barnard ‘26

Tori Finkle, SIPA ‘24

Omer Reichman, GS'25

Serena Cooper, CC ‘27

Harvey Pennington, GS/JTS ‘27

Yakira Galler, Barnard ‘27

Galadriel Stamm, Barnard ‘26

Maya Schonberg, Barnard ‘26

Sage Aronson, Barnard '24

Emma Valencia, Barnard ‘27

Danya Jacobs, Barnard ‘24

Sivan Barzeski, Barnard JTS ‘24

Adara Allen, Barnard ‘26

Itai D, GS 25

David Baron, CDM, ‘27

Bella Adler, CSSW '25

Sophie Fisher, Barnard ‘26

Naomi Zweiback, Barnard/JTS ‘26

Lilian Brasch, Columbia ‘25

Amnon Scharia, GS ‘25

Teah S. CC ‘24

Jacob Pardo, CBS ‘24

Orli Cohen, Barnard ‘24

David Harari, Columbia Gs, ‘25

Helaina Schneider, CSSW’26

Daniel Frackman, CLS '26

Miranda Branford, GS, ‘24

Yossi Khebzou, GS, ‘24

Jake Sarachek, Columbia Law School '25

Noah Lederman, GS/JTS ‘27

Eli Gelb, GS ‘25

Ari Gerber, Columbia Law '24

Jack Engel, CC’25

Alexandra Ehlinger, Columbia College ‘26

Rachel Susman, CC 26

Skylar Quinn, Barnard ‘24

Joseph Zuckerman, SEAS PhD

Josh Kuckley, CBS ‘24

Tomi Davidson, Columbia Business School ‘25

Gracie Tropp-Levy, CC ‘25

Talya Givoni, SEAS ‘26

Anna Cooper, CDM ‘24

Quentin Baumann, Seas ‘25

Shelly Matskel, CBS ‘25

Dahlia Lewi, OT, 2024

Benjamin Davidoff, CC '17, CBS '24

Michael Abraham, CBS ‘25

Arlette Gindi, Barnard ‘26

Batya Tropper, Barnard ‘24

Zachary Singerman, JTS/GS ‘27

Avraham Kaminker, SEAS '24

Rachel Meier Abramowitz, Barnard ‘19, Columbia Dental Medicine ‘26

Noah Friedman-Nathan, GS/JTS ‘24

Alexa Brodsky, Columbia Business School ‘25

Aviva Hirsch, Columbia Midwifery ‘24

Alexandra Filer, Columbia, 25

Yoni Sacknovitz, VP&S '26

Benjamin Weiss, Columbia ‘27

Sophia Breslauer, CC ‘21 CBS ‘26

Natalie Kucer, Columbia Business School '25

Tom Marmarelli Ashkenazi, MBA '24

Maggie Reinfeld, School of Social Work, ‘25

Sebastian Hochbaum, CBS ‘24

Josie Toubin, CBS ‘24

Josh Neustadter, Columbia Business School ‘25

Jack Weissman, SEAS ‘24

Juan Tawil, Columbia Business School '25

Michael West, Columbia Business School ‘25

Si aberjell, Tel Aviv University, 24'

Dominique Yaron-Barir, Columbia Business School ‘25

Ahinoam Toubia GS'25

Elias Legman, GS ‘24

Jonathan Budnik, CBS '24

Avital Reem, CBS, '24

Sydney Hertz, Columbia Business School ‘24

Tifi Grossman, Barnard ‘26

Yoel Fainchtein, Columbia Business School '25

Jonah Silverman, Columbia Business School ‘25

Isabel Aaronson, CBS '25

Nathan D. GS'25

Daniel Schwartz, GS ‘27

Ilai Angel, General Studies, ‘25

Anat Ladizhensky, CBS ‘25

Menajem M. Perez, GS ‘24

Uriel Ban, GS 25’

Daniel Garren, CC '25

Kiara Mizrachi, CC ‘24

Matthew Hoffman, CBS ‘25

Noga Ginzburg, Columbia Business School '24

Adira Sklar, Barnard '26

Ella Britton, Barnard ‘27

Yardena Rubin, JTS/GS '26 Yinon shirazi, GS, 23’ Gilad Klibanov CBS ‘25 Matilda Black, CUIMC, 24 Michael Gross Columbia School of Nursing Psychiatric DNP ‘2025 Yaniv Eisen, CBS ‘25

Alexandra Kubicz, CBS ‘24

Above are two letters, the first is from a big donor to the DFL and to Biden, the second is from Jewish students at Columbia.   In the first, note that Biden's quest for the Muslim vote in MI seems to have crossed a line with the DFL donor class.   Biden's decision to unilaterally cancel congressionally approved arms shipment to Israel (which include guidance systems designed to allow bombs to be dropped with greater precision, which will increase the number of "innocent" Hamas supporters that might be harmed), stinks of exactly the same sort of thing that Got Trump impeached.   Further, Biden's action has significantly damaged any hope of a cease fire or of getting hostages returned.   Which will, of course, result in more harm to the hostages.   The very thought that a US president has openly thrown his support to Hamas, a terrorist organization, over Israel is nuts.   It'll be fascinating to watch the Biden heads try to spin this as anything other than vote buying in MI, and to see them trying to make Jews as the bad guys.  

As far as the second, just compare the tone and content to the pro-Hamas protesters whining because their "hunger strike" is proceeding the way it is supposed to.   I am eagerly awaiting the class action suit against these elite schools which have completely abandoned any pretense of neutrality when it comes to pro-Hamas protesters.