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Edited by: TJVNews.com
Two prominent Republican lawmakers are urging the FBI to take immediate action to protect Jewish students from escalating threats at Columbia University, where a coalition of anti-Israel student groups has called for armed resistance and violence. As reported by The New York Post, Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) have issued a forceful letter to the FBI, citing explicit calls for violence made by members of the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) group.
The letter, obtained by The Post, highlights alarming statements made by CUAD members, including chilling remarks like “Zionists don’t deserve to live” and “Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists.” These disturbing declarations prompted Ernst and Stefanik to demand immediate intervention from the FBI, warning that the agency has more than enough evidence to warrant an investigation. The lawmakers argue that waiting for a tragedy would be inexcusable. As The Post quotes, Ernst and Stefanik wrote, “This cannot become another instance in which a terrible case of violence takes place at a school and the FBI issues a statement after the fact that the perpetrators were ‘on its radar,’ but [it] did nothing.”
CUAD, a coalition comprising 116 student groups, has repeatedly expressed support for violence under the guise of “liberation by any means necessary.” Just last week, in the wake of the first anniversary of a brutal Hamas attack in Israel, CUAD released a statement advocating for armed resistance, which is a direct call to violence. The New York Post reported that the group justified its stance by claiming, “In the face of violence from the oppressor equipped with the most lethal military force on the planet, where you’ve exhausted all peaceful means of resolution, violence is the only path forward.” The group’s alarming rhetoric is not limited to abstract threats, as it has praised recent violent attacks, including a deadly assault in Tel Aviv, as “a significant act of resistance.”
As noted by The New York Post, Columbia University’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, was copied on the letter from Ernst and Stefanik. The lawmakers’ insistence on FBI intervention underscores the severity of the threat Jewish students face on campus. In her comments to The Post, Ernst emphasized, “The FBI needs to stop sitting on its hands and start protecting Jewish students. When someone tells you who they are, believe them.”
Stefanik echoed these sentiments, pointing out that CUAD leaders are openly calling for the murder of Jews and celebrating acts of terrorism by Hamas. “These are credible threats, and the FBI needs to respond instead of waiting for a tragedy to happen,” Stefanik told The Post. The lawmakers’ demand for action underscores a broader concern over rising anti-Semitism on college campuses and the federal government’s inaction in addressing these threats.
The controversy resurfaced last week when CUAD backtracked on an earlier apology for inflammatory remarks made by member Khymani James. As The New York Post reported, James had previously stated, “Zionists don’t deserve to live” and later doubled down on these threats. While CUAD initially apologized for James’ comments, the group reversed its position, which only emboldened James. “Be grateful that I’m not just going out and murdering Zionists, I’ve never hurt anyone in my life, and I hope to keep it that way,” James said in a past statement. However, in a subsequent post, he added, “I fight to kill,” making it clear that his words were not empty rhetoric. According to The New York Post, James publicly thanked CUAD for walking back its apology and affirmed, “Anything I said, I meant it.”
Ernst and Stefanik have specifically called out CUAD for its role in last spring’s anti-Israel protests, which culminated in a violent takeover of Columbia’s Hamilton Hall. The New York Post report revealed that during the protests, campus Rabbi Elie Buechler advised Jewish students to flee the scene, warning that the university could not guarantee their safety in the face of rising anti-Semitism and anarchic behavior. The chaos led to Columbia switching to hybrid learning for the remainder of the semester, as tensions continued to rise. Despite the NYPD’s intervention, which resulted in the arrest of multiple anti-Israel demonstrators, the university has struggled to regain control of the situation. Columbia’s president at the time, Minouche Shafik, resigned on August 14 amid the fallout from the protests, as The New York Post report indicated.
In their letter, Ernst and Stefanik argue that federal intervention is now a necessity, given the university’s inability to manage the threat on its own. The New York Post reported that the lawmakers highlighted Columbia’s failure to police its own campus, requiring NYPD intervention in the past, as a sign that the situation is beyond the university’s control. “In light of the considerable violence occurring for which this group is already responsible, and Columbia University’s inability and unwillingness to police its own campus necessitating it to request the NYPD intervene, federal intervention is now necessary,” they wrote.
The lawmakers also stressed the unprecedented nature of this situation, in which potential perpetrators of violence are broadcasting their intent publicly. As The New York Post report emphasized, Ernst and Stefanik wrote, “It’s rare for potential perpetrators of violence, particularly school-based violence, to widely and publicly broadcast their intent in such a way as it becomes national news. But that’s exactly what the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a coalition of student groups, did.”
Stefanik had long advocated for Shafik’s resignation, as she questioned several Ivy League presidents, including Shafik, during a congressional hearing last year. The resignation in August came as no surprise, given the mounting criticism of the administration’s handling of campus unrest. Columbia has maintained that it condemns violence, with a spokesperson previously telling The New York Post, “Statements advocating for violence or harm are antithetical to the core principles upon which this institution was founded. Calls for violence have no place at Columbia or any university.”
Despite these assurances, the reality on the ground paints a different picture. Jewish students continue to face threats of violence from groups such as CUAD, which remains active on campus. The rhetoric has only intensified, with calls for armed resistance and the celebration of violent attacks. According to The New York Post, the ongoing unrest has left the Columbia administration struggling to balance free speech with the safety of its students, particularly those who are Jewish or support Israel.
With tensions showing no sign of easing, Ernst and Stefanik’s demand for federal action is likely to continue resonating as the university grapples with how to handle the growing threat of violence on its campus.
Lawmakers are now pressuring federal authorities to step in, as the university appears unable to safeguard its students. The resignation of President Shafik and the NYPD’s previous involvement highlight the deepening crisis at Columbia, one that continues to reverberate beyond the campus and into the national conversation on anti-Semitism and campus safety.
