Columbia Law School Hit with Vile Anti-Semitic Email Threat Demanding ‘Death’ to Israel

By: Fern Sidman

Tensions at Columbia University have escalated once again following a deeply disturbing incident in which an anonymous agitator sent a hate-filled, antisemitic email to multiple administrative offices at the university’s law school. As reported by The New York Post on Thursday, the threatening message—laden with explicit calls for violence and hate speech—has further shaken a campus already roiled by months of controversy surrounding anti-Israel protests and demonstrations.

According to police and sources cited by The New York Post, the email was sent earlier this week, with a security guard at Columbia receiving it on Monday and subsequently alerting law enforcement on Wednesday. Authorities confirmed that the vile message contained the following chilling statements: “Death to Judaism, death to Zionism, death to Israel. Antisemitism is 100% free speech. Jews are sickness.”

The email, which was reportedly sent to “a number of administrative offices” at Columbia, has prompted both internal security responses and official police investigations. As of Thursday, no arrests had been made, and the identity of the sender remains unknown.

In a statement provided to The New York Post, a Columbia University spokesperson confirmed that the university is aware of the email and has acted swiftly to respond.

“We are aware of an email with antisemitic and harassing language that was sent to a few administrative offices at Columbia from an external email address,” the university said. “After it was reported to Public Safety and our Office of Institutional Equity, the University immediately blocked the email address and will track if there are any additional messages from this user, in addition to notifying law enforcement.”

The administration emphasized that it is taking the matter seriously, and is monitoring for any further incidents from the same source.

This latest incident comes amid a prolonged period of unrest at Columbia University, which has seen multiple waves of anti-Israel protests, many of which have stirred controversy over allegations of antisemitism and intimidation of Jewish students and faculty.

As noted in The New York Post report, the university’s campus has become a flashpoint in the national debate over free speech, academic activism, and hate speech, particularly in the context of pro-Hamas demonstrations following the October 7 Hamas attacks and the subsequent Israeli military response in Gaza.

Just last week, protests erupted over the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia student identified by law enforcement as a protest ringleader. Khalil, currently in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention, has been at the center of controversy for his role in organizing demonstrations that have drawn both national attention and legal consequences.

One such protest occurred inside Trump Tower’s dining area, where nearly 100 individuals were arrested as demonstrators clashed with police in a coordinated act of civil disobedience, as was indicated in The New York Post report.

Adding to the charged atmosphere, vandals defaced the historic residence of Columbia University’s president late last week, splattering red paint across the building’s facade and scrawling the phrase “Free Them All” in a highly visible act of protest, The New York Post report said. This act of vandalism has only intensified concerns over the increasingly aggressive tone of activism on campus and its potential consequences for campus safety and institutional integrity.

Meanwhile, Mahmoud Khalil, from his detention facility in Louisiana, issued a fiery open letter in which he described himself as a “political prisoner”, and urged students to continue their protest movement with renewed force. The New York Post report said that his letter has been widely circulated among activist groups and has further galvanized both supporters and critics of Columbia’s handling of the unrest.

The hateful email threat has renewed fears among Jewish students, faculty, and staff, many of whom have voiced concerns in recent months about feeling unsafe or marginalized on campus. The explicit and violent nature of the email has added to an already volatile atmosphere, prompting calls for stronger institutional measures to address antisemitic rhetoric and actions.

The incident also highlights the increasingly complex challenge universities face in balancing free speech protections with the need to safeguard communities from hate-driven intimidation and violence. The assertion in the email that “Antisemitism is 100% free speech” speaks volumes about the broader debate surrounding the boundaries between protected expression and hate speech in academic environments.

As Columbia University grapples with internal divisions, external political pressure, and a growing wave of activism, this latest episode call attention to the fragile line between protest and provocation, dissent and danger. The university has pledged to continue investigating the incident in coordination with law enforcement, but the broader implications—for campus culture, institutional credibility, and student safety—are likely to reverberate well beyond this single threat.