A Columbia University rabbi warned Jewish students not to return to campus due to “extreme anti-Semitism” amid a multi-day protest in support of Palestine.
Rabbi Elie Buechler of Columbia/Barnard Hillel issued a warning to students Sunday morning in a statement obtained by DailyMail.com.
“What we are witnessing on and around campus is terrible and tragic,” Buechler wrote.
“The events of the last few days, especially last night, have made clear that Columbia University Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee the safety of Jewish students in the face of extreme anti-Semitism and lawlessness.”
Dozens of New York Police Department officers entered the ‘Gaza solidarity camp’ organized by student protesters on Wednesday.
A Columbia University rabbi warned Jewish students about “extreme anti-Semitism” on campus amid a multi-day protest in support of Palestine.
More than 100 protesters have been arrested and 10 have been charged, mostly with resisting arrest and obstruction of government administration.
A video from last week shows pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protesters clashing outside the school as a woman shouts: ‘We are Hamas!’
More than 100 protesters were arrested, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed to DailyMail.com.
Ten have been charged so far, most of them for resisting arrest and obstructing government administration.
A large group of protesters gathered outside the university gates on Saturday as students returned to the main lawn, waving flags and chanting.
Buechler’s statement came days after a video surfaced showing a woman shouting “We are Hamas!” as a man wearing a kippah and an Israeli flag on his back passed by.
As another man filmed the protester and shoved his phone in her face, she repeated: ‘Yes, we are all Hamas, bitch!’
“It pains me deeply to say that I strongly recommend that you return home as soon as possible and remain home until the reality on and around campus has improved dramatically,” Buechler wrote.
‘It is not our job as Jews to ensure our own safety on campus. “No one should have to endure this level of hate, least of all at school.”
The rabbi encouraged students to ask him for help and ended the message: “May we soon see better days on campus.”
Protests are expected to last throughout the weekend, and a group of protesters will return to the university’s main lawn on Saturday.
Buechler encouraged students to consider staying home, writing, “It is not our job as Jews to ensure our own safety on campus.”
The protests have only intensified amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has led to the deaths of more than 30,000 Palestinian civilians.
“No one should have to endure this level of hate, least of all at school,” Buechler wrote in his message to students.
Jewish students at the school have reported violence and harassment amid the politically charged climate.
Protests have erupted across the university’s campus over the past few months as war continues to brew in the Middle East.
However, they have only intensified amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas that has left more than 30,000 Palestinian civilians dead.
In testimony before Congress, Columbia University President Nemat Shafik defended the students’ actions and insisted that he had been working to combat anti-Semitism.
Shafik stated that the “vast majority” of protests on campus have been “peaceful” and said the university is focused on defending free speech, but “cannot and should not tolerate abuses in this commitment to harass and discriminate.”
He highlighted having held more than 200 meetings, daily meetings with the campus security team and working closely with the NYPD and the FBI in cases where hate crimes are reported.
However, the chair of the House Republican Conference, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), accused her of creating a “hotbed of support for terrorism by radicalized teachers and students.”
Speaker Virginia Foxx (R-NC) played a video of students shouting ‘Intifada!’ and ‘We will honor all the martyrs!’ in reference to Hamas militants.
“While anti-Semitism has been rampant on numerous college campuses, Columbia University stands out as one of the worst offenders,” Foxx said.
Current students have spoken out against the politically charged climate at the school, alleging harassment and even violence.
One student appeared at a press conference before last week’s hearing, accusing administrators of “(standing) idly while a tsunami of anti-Semitism in the form of harassment, intimidation, exclusion, intimidation and physical violence flooded every school.” aspects of university life.
On Sunday, Stefanik called on Shafik to resign.
“Over the last few months and especially in the last 24 hours, Columbia’s leadership has clearly lost control of its campus, putting the safety of Jewish students at risk,” he wrote in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.
‘President Shafik must resign immediately. And the Columbia Board must appoint a president who will protect Jewish students and enforce school policies.
Similar demonstrations have broken out at other schools, including Boston University and Harvard University, as a measure of solidarity.
Fallout from Harvard’s response to the conflict between Israel and Hamas led to the ouster of former president Claudine Gay in January, marking the shortest term of any president in the school’s history.
Gay agreed to resign, effective immediately, after the controversy led to numerous accusations of plagiarism.