(WASHINGTON, DC) – The president of Columbia University took a strong stance against anti-Semitism on Wednesday as she pushed back against accusations from Republicans who view the New York campus as a hotbed of bigotry, but she sidestepped certain Phrases invoked by some Palestinian supporters add to the harassment.
Nemat Shafik had the benefit of hindsight and months of preparation as he faced a congressional hearing over the Ivy League school’s response to anti-Semitism and Conflicts on campus after October 7th Hamas attack on Israel. She arrived at the Capitol four months after a similar hearing that led to the resignations of two Ivy League presidents.
From the beginning, she took a more decisive stance than the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, who gave legal answers when asked whether calls for the genocide of Jews would violate school policies.
When asked the same question, Shafik and three other Colombian leaders answered unequivocally yes. But Shafik hesitated on specific phrases.
Rep. Lisa McClain, a Republican from Michigan, asked him if phrases like “ From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free ” or “ long live the intifada ” are anti-Semitic.
“I hear them like that, some people don’t,” Shafik said.
McClain asked the same question of David Schizer, who leads an anti-Semitism task force at Columbia. He responded that such phrases are anti-Semitic.
It was a shaky moment for an Ivy League president who otherwise avoided the sticky moments that turned the previous hearing into a frenzy for Republicans who viewed elite schools as anti-Semitic havens.
Shafik acknowledged an increase in anti-Semitism since October but said campus leaders have worked tirelessly to protect students. Refuting accusations that she has been soft on violators, Shafik said 15 students have been suspended and six are on probation for violating new rules restricting demonstrations on campus.
“These are more disciplinary actions than have been taken in probably the last decade at Columbia,” she said. “And I promise you, from the messages I hear from students, they are getting the message that violations will have consequences.”
In another heated exchange, Rep. Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican and a driving force behind the hearings, grilled Shafik about faculty and staff who expressed support for Hamas or opposition to Israel. She asked about Mohamed Abdou, an Arabic studies professor who expressed support for Hamas on social media after October 7.
Shafik said he shared “disgust” at Abdou’s comments, adding that he will be fired.
“He is grading his students’ papers and will never teach at Columbia again,” she said.
Stefanik said she heard that Abdou participated in a pro-Palestinian rally on Columbia’s campus Wednesday morning in apparent violation of the school’s new rules.
“Sir. Abdou is not grading papers at the moment,” Stefanik said. “He is on campus at the unsanctioned, anti-Israel, anti-Semitic event that is being supported by pro-Hamas activists on campus.”
Some Columbia students who support the Palestinians were frustrated that they were not allowed to participate in the hearing.
Speaking to reporters, Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat who is Muslim, criticized the decision to keep the students out.
“This is not an honest conversation we are having today in this committee,” Omar said. “The fact that these young people came from Colombia to be at this hearing to have their voices heard and they were not authorized is, I think, a disservice to our democracy.”
Shafik was originally asked to testify at the House Education and Workforce Committee hearing in December, but she declined due to scheduling conflicts.
While she acknowledged anti-Semitism on campus, she argued that the “vast majority” of demonstrations have been peaceful and said she has held more than 200 meetings on the issue since becoming president.
His view conflicts with that put forward by Republicans in Congress and some Jewish students who say anti-Semitism has gone unchecked at Columbia, citing a Jewish student who was beaten on campus while putting up posters of Israeli hostages and protesters who shouted chants. which some consider a plea. for the genocide of the Jews.
“We have seen too little, too late to combat this and protect students and staff,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx, a North Carolina Republican and committee chair. “Columbia is guilty of gross negligence at best and, at worst, has become a platform for those who support terrorism and violence against the Jewish people.”
Foxx and Stefanik appeared with Jewish Columbia students who said they were threatened and physically confronted. They described a student who had Star of David necklaces ripped off while walking to class and taunts from students who said “the Holocaust wasn’t that special.”
Stefanik said Republicans will hold Columbia accountable for failing to protect students.
“Despite allegations to the contrary, Columbia leadership refuses to enforce its own policies and condemn Jewish hatred on campus, creating fertile ground for anti-Semitism and a hotbed of support for terrorism by faculty and radicalized students,” she said.
The December hearing was attended by the presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, whose lawyers’ responses sparked violent reactions and fueled weeks of controversy.
During a heated line of questioning In December, Stefanik asked presidents to answer whether “calling for the genocide of Jews” would violate each university’s code of conduct.
Liz Magill, then-president of Penn, and Claudine Gay, then-president of Harvard, said it would depend on the specifics of the situation. MIT President Sally Kornbluth said that she has not heard any calls for the genocide of Jews on the MIT campus, and that speech “directed at individuals without making public statements” would be considered harassment.
Almost immediately, university presidents’ thoughtful responses drew criticism from donors, alumni and politicians. Magill resigned shortly after the hearing and Gay resigned in January following accusations of plagiarism.
On a opinion article published in The Wall Street Journal Tuesday, Shafik emphasized the delicate balance between protecting free speech and promote a safe environment for students on campus.
“Calling for the genocide of a people – be they Israelis or Palestinians, Jews, Muslims or anyone else – has no place in a university community,” Shafik wrote. “Such words are outside the bounds of legitimate debate and are unimaginably harmful.”
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Binkley reported from Los Angeles
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
