April 26, 2024
Mobilizations against the war in Gaza have now spread to college campuses across the country. In addition to Columbia, NYU, CCNY and FIT have seen protest activity this week, as have Princeton, USC and Ohio State, among others. Last night a group of pro-Israel supporters gathered on the sidewalk near West 116 and Broadway outside the Columbia campus. One of them, Tami Peterson, told the Gazette that she’s a non-Jewish PhD student of Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Tami said that “every New Yorker has a responsibility to defend the Jewish People” and “Never Again is now.” While allowing that not all the Gaza protesters are anti-Semites, Tami said that organizers are responsible for excluding those who are from their activities.
Earlier this week, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson visited the Columbia campus and denounced antisemitism. He said the protests were chaotic and suggested a strong response such as calling in the National Guard to break them up might be necessary. Monday is the last day of classes for the semester. The atmosphere was mostly calm and orderly Thursday evening on the campus perimeter. Only a few pro-Palestine activists were visible on Broadway but there were reports that protest tents remained inside the University’s sealed gates and inaccessible to press. Some heated words were directed at members of Neturei Karta International by the pro-Israel activists as they walked by them. NYPD officers told them to keep moving and not block the sidewalk.
The Gazette spoke with one of the group memebers, Rabbi Dovid Feldman. He explained that being against Zionism, Israel or the war in Gaza isn’t antisemitic. “Judaism and Zionism are not the same. Judaism is a religion and Zionism is a political movement. There’s no contradiction between being Jewish and opposing Zionism,” he said. Feldman held aloft a sign reading, “Judaism Condemns the State of ‘Israel’ and its Atrocities.”
Rabbi Dovid Feldman and pro-Israel activists outside Columbia University, April 25, 2024.
