IIsrael’s war in Gaza has roiled college campuses across America, as students set up camps and mobilized against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, sparking debates over free speech and creating sharp divisions with government officials, alumni , donorsother students and some teachers amid accusations of anti-Semitism.
Emerging as one of the most prominent and controversial figures in opposition to pro-Palestinian protesters is Columbia Business School assistant professor Shai Davidai, who is Jewish and Israeli-American and recently found himself barred from parts of the Columbia Business School’s New York campus. Columbia amid latest outbreak. in tensions.
Davidai, who entered Columbia Business School in 2019, went viral in October for a speech criticizing the president of Columbia University for not speaking out against “pro-terrorism student organizations” after the October 7 attack on Israel. He became the focus of attention again this week, particularly after he wrote in a publish in X that Columbia “refused to let me on campus” on Monday morning “because they cannot protect my safety as a Jewish professor.” On a video circulating on Davidai’s social media, he was informed by school officials that his identity had been deactivated. As Davidai demanded to enter, a crowd around him shouted “let him in”.
Davidai had planned to organize a protest on the lawn where the pro-Palestine camp is located. Before his appearance on campus on Monday morning, Davidai posted a email exchange of his negotiation with the university’s director of operations, Cas Holloway. Holloway told Davidai he could hold his “counterprotest” at Math Lawn, where public safety officers would be present. In response, Davidai wrote that he was “exercising my right as a Jewish professor to occupy public space on campus.”
In another email cited by media outlets, including the National ReviewHolloway told Davidai around 8:34 a.m. Monday that he was not permitted to enter the West Lawn due to security risks and would instead be required to hold his event on the Math Lawn, which was established as a “ counterprotest” in accordance with the school’s “standard operating procedure”.
“As a faculty member, you have a fiduciary duty to do everything in your power to help keep our students and campus safe,” Holloway wrote.
While Davidai was still barred from entering the gates, he urged those in possession of Columbia University identification cards to enter the camp. Meanwhile, people dressed in neon — mostly faculty members trained in de-escalation techniques — were positioned around the camp, and protesters lined up to block the entrance in anticipation of Davidai and his supporters, the student newspaper said. Columbia Daily Spectator reported.
When asked about the recent incident, Davidai referred TIME to his comments on his social media accounts. Davidai, who describes himself as a Zionist in his biography on X and said he was “proud” to serve in the IDF, has been a vocal critic of the school’s management of simmering tensions between pro-Palestinian protesters and those on the other side, including himself, who have accused protesters of anti-Semitism. He has also been the target of much criticism for what some say is behavior that only increases tensions.
“Shai acts like a 12-year-old boy in need of attention, desperately staging viral videos and demanding retweets at the direct expense of the community he has a responsibility to care for,” Lee Kovarsky, a law professor at the University of Texas, said in a topic in X criticizing Davidai which has been viewed more than 3 million times since it was posted on Monday, according to X.
Some allege that Davidai overstepped boundaries and put students’ safety at risk. Several students told the Columbia Daily Spectator who received threats after being “targeted” by Davidai on social media. Davidai told the newspaper he was being investigated by the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, and he wrote on X in March that the internal investigation was “a clear act of retaliation and an attempt to silence him” for his defense.
A petition initiated in March by the advocacy group We Are Tov, calling for the university to support Davidai and drop its investigation, has gathered more than 32,000 signatures, while a counterattack petition started earlier this month by Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, calling on the university to fire Davidai, has gathered more than 11,000 signatures.
Davidai’s disagreement with Colombian authorities on Monday triggered responses from politicians, including congressman Jared Moskowitz, who, in support of Davidai, compared the episode to “Nazi tactics.”
“We’ve seen this before. When Jews were told not to go places, when people came together to stop them from entering buildings,” Moskowitz said. told reporters on Monday.
Tensions in Columbia show no signs of abating. The school faces judicial actions filed by students on both sides, as well as a U.S. House probe about anti-Semitism on campus. More than 100 pro-Palestine protesters were arrested by New York police last week, while a rabbi linked to the school urged Jewish students must stay home for their safety. School authorities announced on Monday that all classes at its main campus in Morningside will be in a hybrid format for the rest of the semester.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
