A Columbia University task force investigating antisemitism at the Manhattan Ivy League university has found a disturbing pattern of bias against Jews this year — including one professor who allegedly warned students to avoid the mainstream news because “it is owned by Jews,” according to a report.
Task force members told Haaretz that Jewish and Israeli pupils at the uptown campus felt “very targeted and ostracized” in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza — and ongoing protests.
In another shocking allegation, a professor singled out a student with a Jewish-sounding last name while reading a class roll call and demanding they justify Israel’s war against Hamas.
Numerous students also reported having Jewish symbols torn off them while walking on campus, the Israeli outlet reported.
Professors also encouraged students to take part in anti-Israel demonstrations, and some pupils were forced to quit out of clubs because they didn’t want to be part of actions against Israel.
The Columbia antisemitism task force has not issued its report yet.
But, task force members told the Israeli newspaper that there is plenty of work to be done after the group was formed in November; it has heard from about 500 students.
Professor Gil Zussman, an Israeli electric engineering professor, told The Post that the environment on campus is hostile to Israeli students, in particular.
“There’s clear discrimination against Israeli students and Jews,” he said. “They’ve been targeted from the beginning by demonstrators.”
He said he knows of at least two professors who brought their classes to anti-Israel encampments that cropped up on campus this spring.
“That’s like saying, `We don’t want Zionists here,’” he said. “I believe it’s a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights law to move classes into the encampment.”
Task force co-chair Ester Fuchs said the task force heard testimony that students believe their identity, values and existence on campus are under attack.
“My heart was broken listening to these students and what they were being forced to deal with,” Fuchs told Haaretz.
Another co-chair, law professor David Schizer, said the task force only understood how troubling antisemitism was on campus after hearing from scores of students.
“Unfortunately, there are still many faculty members who do not believe that there is antisemitism on campus, and some claim that antisemitism is being weaponized to protect pro-Israel views,” he told Haaretz.
A third co-chair, journalism professor Nicholas Lemann, told Haaretz the idea of Zionism is “unacceptable” in some circles.
“In terms of what we’ve heard, Jewish and Israeli students are feeling very targeted and ostracized,” he said.
Rory Lancman, an official with the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, told The Post he worries that Columbia is searching for a “water-down definition of antisemitism,” based on the reports.
He think that indicates the school is not serious about fighting it on campus.
“You can’t solve a problem that you’re unwilling to define,” said Lancman.
The Post has sought comment from Columbia, though the school told Haaretz: “We are committed to combatting antisemitism and taking sustained, concrete action to ensure Columbia is a campus where Jewish students and everyone in our community feels safe, valued and able to thrive.”
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