Israeli students were outraged this week after a pro-Palestinian group announced its intent to hold a controversial event that belittled Hamas' atrocities. "Counteroffensive" – that is the way the October 7 massacre in southern Israel was described by an extreme student group at Columbia University in a promotion for an event scheduled to be held on campus on Wednesday. The promotion, posted on X, describes the event as a "teach-in and discussion" about the "significance of the Palestinian counteroffensive," accompanied by a drawing of a white dove hovering over an AK-47 rifle shooting a flower through a chain.
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The event, which seemingly supports the massacre, was to be held by the Columbia Social Workers for Palestine, which describes itself as "a collective of students at Columbia University's School of Social Work supporting Palestinian national resistance and liberation." The group, formed shortly after the massacre of over a thousand Israelis and the kidnapping of over 220 people, has been holding (or at least taking credit for) anti-Israel events since November 8, spreading lies about Israel (including the debunked "targeting" of Al-Shifa hospital's ICU) and raising funds to support Palestinian students "in times of immense grief," while completely ignoring Jewish and Israeli students.
Users of the social network tried to use the "community notes" feature to counter the narrative. "October 7 was not a 'counteroffensive.' There was a ceasefire in place that Hamas broke on Oct. 7, when it launched thousands of rockets, invading Israel, and committing hundreds of war crimes. The term 'counteroffensive' applies to Israel's response, not the Hamas attack," they wrote.
We will be having our second teach-in this Wednesday the 6th at 12pm, in room C-03 of the Social Work building! We will discuss the significance of the Palestinian counteroffensive on October 7th and the centrality of revolutionary violence to anti-imperialism. See y'all there! pic.twitter.com/PnAwMQwIx2
— Columbia Social Workers 4 Palestine (@CSSW4Palestine) December 3, 2023
The group is planning to hold a second event on Wednesday called "Unraveling Oslo: The Betrayal of Palestinian Aspirations," which is described as an "exploration of the Oslo Accords and failure of the peace process." The very next day, a coalition of student groups at the university (3 of which have exactly the same goal – forcing the institution to divest from Israel, so it's unclear why they exist as separate entities) are holding a Zoom conference titled "Want to build a coalition?" described as "what it takes to win for Palestine on campus: powerful coalitions, powerful movements."
Video: Israeli hostages being handed over by Hamas on November 28, 2023 / Credit: Social media
The university, one of the 8 prestigious Ivy League institutions, has stayed silent about the activities of the extreme group. Despite suspending all activities by two other student groups – the far left-wing Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace – due to holding unauthorized events that included violent rhetoric and threatening language, Columbia Social Workers 4 Palestine has been operating freely. This week, Dr. Melissa Begg, a dean and professor at the school, announced that "This is not a Columbia School of Social Work-sponsored event. The students who organized the event did not seek approval for the fliers and text as required by CSSW processes. CSSW supports free speech but does not condone language that promotes violence in any manner, which is antithetical to our values. This event will not go forward at CSSW" – but ignored the other two planned events. Within minutes of the announcement, the group posted: "Stay tuned for updates y'all! If you didn't hear it from us directly, disregard it" – meaning it is probably going to hold the same event at a different location on campus.
Israelis with connections to Columbia have expressed their anger with the university's silence on the matter.
Alum and VC manager Elisha Trooper called CU "the most antisemitic university in North America," stating it has 'hit a new low" and that it should change its logo to a swastika. He added: "No Jewish student in his or her right mind should attend Columbia University ever again. And no one who stands against antisemitism should ever donate a penny to this sickening institution that believes in the justification of rape, mutilation, murder, beheading and the burning of innocent civilians."
Gil Zussman, a professor at the CU School of Electrical Engineering, posted: "I'm appalled to see this event clearly supporting rape, murder, and kidnapping." Shai Davidai, an Israeli Assistant professor who teaches at the CU Business School Management Division, wrote: "Victims of rape should never have to worry that their social worker might view some victims as acceptable targets. THIS IS SCHOOL-FUNDED HATRED. IF YOU ALLOW THIS EVENT TO TAKE PLACE, YOU ARE COMPLACENT IN THE HATRED." He later added: "I am not fighting against CU, I am fighting FOR IT. I am fighting because I love CU. I am fighting because I won't sit idly by while the current "leaders" of CU drive it to the ground. This is what complicity looks like."
Victims of rape should never have to worry that their social worker might view some victims as acceptable targets. @Columbia University and @ColumbiaSSW - THIS IS SCHOOL-FUNDED HATRED.
IF YOU ALLOW THIS EVENT TO TAKE PLACE, YOU ARE COMPLACENT IN THE HATRED. https://t.co/MQwHakIopq
— Shai Davidai (@ShaiDavidai) December 4, 2023
Israel Hayom has reached out to the CU president, Dean Begg, and other staff members at the School of Social Work, to ask about school policies regarding student-held events. CU Director of Communications for Media Relations, Samantha Slater, referred us back to the aforementioned message by Dean Begg.
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