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Jewish Leaders Accuse Columbia University of Cowardice for Not Evicting Anti-Israel Protesters
(Ha'aretz) Judy Maltz - Leaders of Jewish organizations on Friday urged university administrators to suspend, expel and even arrest the students at Columbia University, as well as dozens of other campuses across the country, who have refused to dismantle their unauthorized "Gaza Solidarity" encampments and continue intimidating Jewish students. "Rules, including codes of conduct, are there to keep students and faculty and staff safe," said Ted Deutsch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee. Adam Lehman, president and CEO of Hillel International, said his organization had already documented 1,400 instances of campus antisemitism since Oct. 7, "and they are growing at a rapid rate." "Universities have got to step up and enforce their policies. This is not complicated. Do your job. You are there to actually prevent the anarchy and chaos we are seeing on far too many campuses." "I cannot walk around my campus looking visibly Jewish without preparing myself for the possibility that someone might spit on me and attack me," said Noa Fay, a student at Barnard College. She called on the administration to "discipline those that continue to call for the death of my friends and family. Deal with these antisemites." Jillian Lederman, from Brown University, said, "All of us have had to choose between disavowing Zionism - a core aspect of Jewish identity for so many of us - or facing backlash and exclusion from many of our peers. This has become our new normal." Brian Cohen, who has been in charge of the Columbia Hillel chapter for 12 years, said, "I tried working with the university for months behind the scenes, and they have consistently failed to address the crisis on campus....There is one clear step we are calling on administrators to take today: Uphold your codes of conduct, enforce your rules and hold students who violate them accountable in real and consequential ways."