Columbia University protests: Joe Biden slams anti Israel stir, condemns antisemitism as dangerous

US President Joe Biden has slammed anti-Israel protests at universities, saying such “blatant antisemitism” is “reprehensible and dangerous”. His statement came amid continued pro-Palestine stir at Columbia University, where the crisis triggered a rabbi to urge Jewish students to stay home until the tense environment at the Ivy League school subsides.

Though Biden didn’t mention Columbia University in his statement released by the White House, he stressed that antisemitism has “absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country”.

The demonstrations, underway for days, coincide with the Jewish Passover holiday, which is a 7-day observance commemorating the mass exodus of Jews from Egypt.

The US President said that Jews around the world are still coping with the horrors of Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. “This Passover falls particularly hard on hostage families trying to honour the spirit of the holiday – a story centered on freedom – while their loved ones remain in captivity. Our hearts are with all the victims, survivors, families, and friends whose loved ones have been killed, taken hostage, wounded, displaced, or are in harm’s way,” his statement added.

He said that his administration would continue to speak out and “aggressively implement the first-ever National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism” to provide the Jewish community with the complete backing of the federal government.

Joe Biden’s statement came hours after the White House released one independently, condemning the “violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community”. White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates called such acts “antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous”, after videos reportedly appeared to show pro-Palestinian activists telling Jewish students that October 7th is “going to be every day for you”.

The Columbia University crisis escalated recently after university officials testified before the US Congress about antisemitism on campus, causing pro-Palestinian demonstrations on and near campus to surge.

On April 19, the varsity’s President Nemat Minouche Shafik authorised the New York Police Department (NYPD) to raid an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters, which led to the arrest of 108 protesters. The university has also suspended the daughter of controversial US Congress member Ilhan Omar over the protest.

Even then, the protests raged on over the weekend, with protesters putting up tents to participate in the stir. Some 200 protesters protested on Saturday, according to The New York Post.

The tension caused Rabbi Elie Buechler, associated with the Ivy League school’s Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus, to “strongly” recommend about 300 – mostly orthodox Jewish students – to go home and stay there. He sent a WhatsApp message to these students, CNN reported.

“It deeply pains me to say that I would strongly recommend you return home as soon as possible and remain home until the reality in and around campus has dramatically improved,” the message read, according to the CNN report.

However, the Hillel center for Jewish life at Columbia University and Barnard College rejected the rabbi’s advice, while acknowledging the escalating crisis at the varsity.

In a statement on X, the Hillel centre said, “We do not believe that Jewish students should leave Columbia. We do believe that the university and the City need to do more to ensure the safety of our students.”