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Edited by: Fern Sidman
Columbia University has suspended one student after swiftly advancing its investigation into a group that disrupted a class on Israeli history earlier this week, as was reported by CNN on Thursday. The interruption took place during the first session of Professor Avi Shilon’s History of Modern Israel class, sparking widespread concern among students and faculty.
According to the information provided in the CNN report, demonstrators entered the classroom on Tuesday and distributed flyers bearing violent imagery to the attending students. The university, in a statement, confirmed the suspension of one individual pending a comprehensive review. However, the identity of the suspended student has not been disclosed. Columbia emphasized that its investigation remains active.
Student Elisha Baker, a junior studying Middle Eastern history, told CNN that the disruption occurred shortly after students were introduced to the course. Protesters, whose faces were covered and who appeared to be wearing keffiyehs—a scarf often associated with Palestinian identity—entered the classroom and distributed anti-Israel materials. One flyer featured a burning Israeli flag beneath the words “Burn Zionism to the Ground,” while another depicted a boot stomping on the Jewish Star of David with the caption “Crush Zionism,” CNN reported. Baker described the incident as “shocking” and said it left students feeling unsettled, though he remained enthusiastic about the course.
In response to the incident, the CNN report noted that Columbia University has intensified its security measures and continues to investigate the identities of the protesters. The university has not yet determined whether all the individuals involved were students. As per the information in the CNN report, Interim President Katrina Armstrong released a statement condemning the disruption, emphasizing that acts of anti-Semitism, harassment, or intimidation are “unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
CNN contextualized this latest incident within a broader trend of campus unrest surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict. Columbia University has been at the center of violent anti-Israel protests in recent years, with tensions escalating over the war in Gaza. These protests, according to CNN, have disrupted academic life and left Jewish and Muslim students reporting instances of harassment, intimidation, and even physical assault.
The university has grappled with several high-profile controversies. The CNN report indicated that last year, a pro-Hamas student activist was banned from campus after stating on social media that “Zionists don’t deserve to live.” While the coalition representing the activist initially issued an apology, it later rescinded the statement and advocated for armed resistance against Israel. Columbia reiterated in a statement at the time that it condemned any calls for violence.
This week’s classroom disruption also follows a turbulent period for Columbia’s administration. As the CNN highlighted, the university experienced a tumultuous 2023 academic year marked by protests, a campus encampment, building occupations, and the mass arrest of over 100 anti-Israel demonstrators. In August, Columbia’s president resigned at the start of the fall semester, citing ongoing challenges. Around the same time, three deans were removed from their positions after the university uncovered what it described as “very troubling” anti-Semitic text messages.
Jewish students and some faculty members have told The Jewish Voice that Columbia’s Morningside Heights campus has morphed into a virtual hotbed of seething Jew hatred and that nothing substantial has been done to quell the contentious atmosphere on campus.
