In the end, she reports, they could not come to a mutually satisfactory agreement. Many are infuriated with the president's decision to engage in negotiations with the unruly protesters and even provide them a platform by granting them an audience.

Want a good laugh this morning?

Watch this brilliant video from @canarymission featuring Columbia University and the fabulous way it's handling "civil discourse".

pic.twitter.com/xmKHcKRH3g

— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) May 8, 2024

Shafik continues by saying, "Every one of us has a role to play in bringing back the value of truth and civil discourse that polarization has severely damaged." Many took to their keyboards to point out that only one side has not engaged in said "civil discourse." One such post, referring to the antisemitic attacks and harassment that have been reported and documented on Columbia's campus, said the president "whitewashes what's really happening on her campus."

Well done video showing how,Minouche Shafik, Columbia University President, whitewashes what's really happening on her campus. pic.twitter.com/j49TP6nZzx

— Gabby Klein (@GabbyKlein1) May 8, 2024

Meanwhile, a group of 13 federal judges appointed by former President Trump has pledged not to hire law school students and undergraduates from New York City's Columbia University, citing the institution's handling of anti-Israel protests that culminated in the occupation of an academic hall.

In a letter obtained by Reuters and addressed to Columbia University President Minouche Shafik and Law Dean Gillian Lester, the 13 conservative judges expressed a loss of confidence in the university as an institution of higher education, labeling it "an incubator of bigotry."

"Since the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas, Columbia University has become ground zero for the explosion of student disruptions, antisemitism, and hatred for diverse viewpoints on campuses across the nation. Disruptors have threatened violence, committed assaults, and destroyed property," the letter reads. "As a result, Columbia has disqualified itself from educating the future leaders of our country."

The judges offered guidance on how the university could reclaim its "once-distinguished" reputation, starting with punishing students and faculty who participated in campus disruptions, violated rules regarding university facilities and public spaces, or made threats against fellow community members.

Addressing free speech, the judges advocated for neutrality and non-discrimination in protecting freedom of expression and enforcing campus conduct rules. "Freedom of speech protects protest, not trespass, and certainly not acts or threats of violence or terrorism."

The judges further suggested changing the composition of Columbia's faculty and administration to restore confidence in the institution, citing "ideological homogeneity" that "has destroyed its ability to train future leaders of a pluralistic and intellectually diverse country."

"Considering recent events, and absent extraordinary change, we will not hire anyone who joins the Columbia University community – whether as undergraduates or law students – beginning with the entering class of 2024," the letter concludes, aiming to restore academic freedom at Columbia.

Legal experts expressed mixed views on judges involving themselves in issues beyond the courtroom, with some agreeing on the substance but finding the collective action concerning. Others noted the inevitability of pushback against aggressive and hostile anti-Israel protests on campuses.

The post Outrage after Columbia calls for 'civil discourse' on both sides; judges shun its law students appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The pro-Palestinian group Students for Justice for Palestine (SJP) issued a provocative call for UC Santa Cruz to boycott both Israeli and Jewish community organizations, listing "demands" posted on social media.

Under its push for a "complete academic boycott," SJP demands that the California university "Cut ties UC-wide with all Zionist organizations – including study abroad programs, fellowships, seminars, research collaborations, and universities. Cut ties with the Hellen Diller Foundation, Koret Foundation, Israel Institute, and Hillel International."

Founded in 1923, Hillel has grown into the largest and most inclusive Jewish campus organization with nearly 1000 sites on campuses worldwide. Hillel provides kosher Shabbat meals on campus, Tikkun Olam environmental projects, and academic scholarships for Jewish students.

The Bay Area Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) wrote on X, "Three of the four organizations cited in the academic boycott demand by encampment activists at UCSC are Jewish charities and communal groups. They are pillars of the Jewish community."

Congressman Ritchie Torres wrote on X, "We are supposed to pretend, for the sake of political correctness, that SJP is simply criticizing the Israeli government rather than targeting Jews. Attacking Jewish institutions, however, is not criticism. It's antisemitism."

Students for Justice in Palestine is demanding a boycott of Hillel, a Jewish institution.

We are supposed to pretend, for the sake of political correctness, that SJP is simply criticizing the Israeli government rather than targeting Jews.

Attacking Jewish institutions,… pic.twitter.com/oKSsRl7jt8

— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) May 4, 2024

Dovid Bashevkin, director of education for NCSY, the youth movement of the Orthodox Union, posted on X, "Protestors calling for the removal of Hillel on college campuses is antisemitic. Full stop."

The SJP post also called for the university to divest from weapons manufacturing companies, to "end the targeted repression and policing of pro-Palestinian advocacy on campus" and to "sever all ties" with the Santa Cruz Police Department. It also demanded that the university call for a ceasefire in Gaza and "an end to the Israeli presence and genocide in Palestine."

Israel and its supporters have branded many of the anti-war protests sweeping US university campuses in recent weeks as antisemitic, while Israel's critics say it uses those allegations to silence opposition.

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A group of patriotic fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina are being celebrated for safeguarding the American flag from an anti-Israeli mob intent on raising the Palestinian colors.

A GoFundMe page launched for the Pi Kappa Phi students has raised over $320,000 from over 10,000 donations as of May 2. The fund aims to "throw this frat the party they deserve" for their heroic stand this week at the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, the fundraising site states.

BREAKING: $282,000 donated to Pi Kappa Phi patriots in less than 24 hours!!

By comparison, the Harvard Encampment Pro-Hamas protest raised $1,100 in 8 Days.

God Bless these Frat Boys and the Parents who raised them!

Harvard Marxists UNC Patriots pic.twitter.com/mYD5PDGHQY

— Alec Lace (@AlecLace) May 2, 2024

"Extremists across the country have invaded college campuses to make outrageous demands on weak university administrators," the organizers wrote. "But amidst the chaos, the screaming, the antisemitism, the hatred of faith and flag, stood a platoon of American heroes."

The confrontation unfolded on Tuesday when the campus, among numerous others nationwide occupied by anti-Israeli demonstrations, was targeted by a pro-Palestinian student mob, according to reports. Three dozen anti-Israel protesters were arrested by police on the UNC campus.

BREAKING: Frat boys at UNC-Chapel Hill defended an American flag while being hit by water bottles from pro-Palestine protestors.

Students from the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity were seen holding the American flag during a protest

Country legend John Rich (@johnrich) has offered the… https://t.co/KWOayCkZx1 pic.twitter.com/AEOR39nBp4

— InterStar Media (@InterStarMedia) May 2, 2024

The protesters attempted to raise the Palestinian flag during a confrontation with counter-protesters on campus. That's when the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity brothers stepped in to protect the flag. As the protesters hurled debris and taunts, the fraternity members grabbed the American flag to prevent it from touching the ground, with students chanting "USA, USA." It is now protected by a barricade.

The incident highlights the charged atmosphere on many college campuses amid the recent surge in anti-Israel protests and activism related to the ongoing conflict in the region.

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A Jewish student at the University of Connecticut says she feels betrayed after being thrown out of her a cappella group, saying she was called a "white supremacist," "f***ing Zionist" and a f***ing b*tch, and has received threats after a Feb. 28 incident was mischaracterized online.

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Natalie Shclover, a senior in the Business School at the University of Connecticut and a member of the Honors College, told JNS that she and her Muslim boyfriend, Zacharia El-Tayyeb, were bothered by fliers put up by the Muslim Student Association that stated as fact that Israel was an apartheid state and included an image a map of Israel with interim university president, Dr. Radenka Maric, on one side and a baby being strangled. This, she said was due to Maric's announcement on Instagram that she would visit Israel on a trip with Gov. Ned Lamont (D-Conn.). Shclover said she discarded a few fliers that were covering ones posted by the campus Chabad or Hillel or were in excess, which violates school rules because only one flier is supposed to be affixed to each bulletin board, or were piled on or had fallen to the floor.

When she and her boyfriend went to the third floor and he removed excess fliers, she was badgered and called names. A video with a caption claims that she harassed Muslim students, but the video only shows students hurling slurs at her.
The senior, who was president and music director of the UConn Chordials, said in a Zoom meeting that she was told she was being kicked out of the group and given no chance to explain her side of the story. She had worked on an agreement to secure $10,000 to make an album and had done arrangements for the group, she said, and suddenly, she was out.

"I believe they first met on their own, then joined me into their Zoom call and dismissed me, saying they had no other choice" but to do so, she said. "They said basically that 'after discussing the events, we have decided we need to dismiss you.' I mentioned it was a mischaracterization of my character and unjust, and that was the end of it."

'That's where I felt the safest'

The UConn Chordials released a statement that they "do not tolerate behaviors that cause pain, distress or damage to others; especially those of a different race, ethnicity, nationality or religion. …These actions do not reflect the beliefs of the UConn Chordials as a whole, or the UConn a cappella community. We sincerely apologize for the actions of our former president. We hear you, we take accountability, and we promise to show you that we are better than this moving forward."

Shclover said she auditioned three-and-a-half years ago with the song "Lullaby of Birdland" by Ella Fitzgerald and made the group.

"When I first joined a cappella, it was sort of the last straw try for me at the university because I was having a hard time adjusting and was considering transferring," she said. "But 'The Chordials' became my home. That's where I felt the safest."

She said she lives with one member of the group, as well as a Christian former member who resigned because she didn't believe it was right to throw Shclover out "without due process."

She was slated to sing a solo of "Summertime" in her final show on April 30. Now, she doesn't know if the group will even have a show or if someone else will sing the song.

Asked if she would go back to the group if they reinstated her, she replied: "No, I don't think so because I don't think that would help the damage that has been caused. I hope they will learn from their mistakes. I feel betrayed. I can't look at them with the same perspective anymore. But I would never wish anything bad upon them because they were my safe haven for [a while], and I wouldn't want that opportunity to be taken away from someone else. The UConn A Cappella Association needs to take accountability for not treating me fairly."

Shclover said she was not able to get in touch with anyone from the association despite multiple attempts. She said she had been elected president by a unanimous 14-0 margin and expected group members to know the person she was. She said after the video went viral, she was inundated with threats, including one person who messaged: "I swear to God, the next time I see you, I'll slap you."

She said other students stared her down in a threatening manner; she believed they had seen the video, and that this was the result. The campus newspaper printed a story that didn't name her but stated that Muslim students had been harassed.

'It's disheartening and shocking' 

El-Tayyeb said it was surprising to see how quickly the members of the group turned on his girlfriend without any evidence that she harassed anyone.

He also said he was attracted to her humor and her ability to relate to people. "You open a random door and people come in, and you know she'll make friends," he said.

He added that he hoped a byproduct of the relationship would be to bring Jews and Muslims closer. The pre-law student said there was likely no due process because the group "wanted to appease the crowd" and possibly feared that keeping her in the group could result in boycotts.

Currently, there is a change.org petition titled "Protect UConn Student From Antisemitic Harassment" that as of Thursday has 680 signatures.

Shclover said she hopes Jews and Muslims can come together, as she is a person who respects differences of opinion and is unhappy that the campus has done nothing about the slurs used against her. She said she called a campus representative who replied that the insults, however disgusting they may seem, are protected by free speech. She added that her parents, who fled Moscow in 1991, are supportive of her and her efforts to contact the university president. So far, she said she hasn't gotten a response.

She noted that two weeks prior to the Feb. 28 incident, two Muslim female students reported slurs against them yelled from people in a car on campus, and the university sent out an e-mail and made an issue of it. She said she was surprised that her offer to the campus newspaper to present her side of the story was rejected.

"I think the university has done a good job of looking into cases of Islamophobia in the past, and I think all students should be treated fairly," she said. "In my case, I don't feel supported by the university or students. The system has failed me. It is institutional antisemitism."

In response to questions to the president's office, a statement by the president that was sent and said to have gone out to the UConn community noted that "during the course of the argument, a student called one of the two students who had been throwing the fliers away a series of crude insults, as well as calling her a "f*****g Zionist. What we know of it is based on a short video posted on social media and subsequent statements from each of those involved. The students throwing the fliers away, one of whom is Muslim and one of whom is Jewish, noted that some of the insults directed at the Jewish student were antisemitic in nature, which is unacceptable in any context."

Shclover said the term "Zionist" as a slur has the potential to incite violence against Jews, and that she has been maligned as harassing Muslim students without evidence.

"The incident was heated enough that the police were contacted, continues the president's statement. "UConn Police investigated and issued their report this past week. It was determined that nothing criminal took place on either side. The Division of Student Affairs also investigated and concluded that nothing said or done by anyone involved violated the Student Code of Conduct, a determination that was finalized this past Friday. Both concluded that, whatever else they were, the words spoken and actions taken fell into the category of free speech. Regardless of content or message, the university cannot and does not sanction students for the things they say while exercising this right."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), in coordination with the Jewish community, announced on Monday its commitment to address an alarming increase in anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist harassment and discrimination on its campus.

"Students who choose the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for their college education make that decision with an expectation that they will find the freedom and security to grow, to explore and to express their whole and best selves," said the university in a statement, which it released in coordination with the Jewish United Fund Chicago, Illini Hillel, Hillel International, Illini Chabad, Arnold & Porter and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law.

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"Sadly, that is not the experience of all members of the student community. Anti-Semitic acts and expressions are all too common in our country and in our world, and examples of that intolerance have occurred at this university as well," they continued. "This is unacceptable. While the university has taken measures in the past to address this problem, the university must do more."

The statement notes that university "leaders in the Jewish community and counsel for the Jewish students have engaged in meaningful and productive conversations," and although "we may not agree on all aspects of these complex and critical issues, we are united in a single view that our shared and common goal must be to support a safe and welcoming environment for Jewish and pro-Israel students at the University of Illinois that is free of discrimination and harassment."

The statement came in response to recent anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist incidents at the university over the past few years, as outlined in a complaint filed months ago with the US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, submitted on behalf of Jewish students and alleging that the school has allowed a hostile environment to proliferate on its campus in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The complaint, filed in accordance with the December 2019 executive order on combating anti-Semitism, was publicized last month.

The statement is independent of the complaint and does not impact it, Hillel International spokesperson Matthew Berger told JNS.

"We deplore anti-Semitic incidents on campus, including those that demonize or delegitimize Jewish and pro-Israel students or compare them to Nazis. This subjects them to double standards that are not applied to others," said the statement released on Monday. "All Jewish students, including those who identify with Israel or Jewish campus organizations, should be able to participate in campus activities aimed at fighting racism and achieving social justice."

The University of Illinois will "create an Advisory Council on Jewish and Campus Life that will consist of undergraduate and graduate students, staff, faculty and alumni, as well as representatives from the Jewish community," according to the statement.

The advisory group will "assist the chancellor and university leadership to identify opportunities to enhance the campus environment for all students, faculty and staff, and to advance its commitment to an inclusive community where all feel welcome," according to the statement.

The university expects to have the advisory group in place before the spring 2021 semester, which begins on Jan. 25. The campus is open in-person and for remote learning amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

Additionally, the statement said the university "will institute focused and regularly recurring educational programming regarding anti-Semitism."

Moreover, UIUC "will review, evaluate and, when necessary, revise procedures and practices so they are appropriately aligned with shared values opposing discrimination and harassment on campus, including anti-Semitic actions."

UIUC emphasized that while it is committed to protecting freedom of speech and academic freedom, it is also committed to "never tolerate harassment or discrimination, including against its Jewish students, and to enforce its nondiscrimination policy to the fullest extent" and "is committed to complying with applicable federal, state and local anti-discrimination laws as a state and federally funded institution."

The Jewish organizations involved in the statement thanked UIUC Chancellor Robert Jones for his efforts, but noted that this is "only a first step."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org

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Department attorneys, who filed a 7-page complaint in April with OCR on the matter, will probe whether "as a result of incidents that occurred at the university, a hostile environment existed for Jewish students on the university campus and, if so, whether the University responded appropriately."

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"It's very positive and very encouraging because the issues that are raised are very serious; they're pervasive and widespread," attorney Neal Sher, who filed the complaint on behalf of former NYU student Adela Cojab, told Fox News.

Sher told the outlet that Students for Justice in Palestine was at the "centerpiece" of it.

"SJP is a radical organization affiliated with terror groups, bent on adopting a policy of anti-normalization of Jewish groups, and on isolating, demonizing and ultimately destroying the Jewish state," stated the complaint.

It cited the student group receiving the President's Service Award from the school's administration, which is "given to students or student organizations that have had an extraordinary and positive impact on the university community, including achievements within schools and departments, the university at large, local neighborhoods, and NYU's presence in the world," according to NYU's website.

After that happened, said Cojab, "it was clear the administration did not understand the gravity of SJP's actions," and therefore, legal action had to be taken.

"Here you have a clear instance of a minority community that shares ancestry being targeted and discriminated against with violent acts committed at their national celebration while singing their national anthem and their flag was burned. The administration did not take steps to prevent the discriminatory attacks nor did they address the aggrieved community to prevent its reoccurrence. Instead, they honored their actions with an award," she said.

NYU spokesperson John Beckman told Fox News on Saturday that the school "has not received any direct notice from the Department of Education indicating that there is an OCR investigation."

"If there is, we know that any allegations that the University has been anything less than highly supportive of or deeply concerned about its Jewish community are untrue and unfair, and ignore the real record," added Beckman, who remarked "that those involved in disrupting the pro-Israel rave in Washington Square Park in 2018 were referred to the University's student conduct office; that NYU and its president rejected and criticized attempts to ostracize pro-Israel groups; that the University has publicly, repeatedly, and vigorously repudiated BDS proposals both at NYU and elsewhere … and … that NYU is the only US [university] to have opened its own dedicated academic campus in Israel, has flatly rejected any and all calls to close it, and continues to be committed to it."

Earlier this month, the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy released a 96-page report that National Students for Justice in Palestine is a " main driver of Jew-hatred on campus" at many colleges.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The 33-page dossier documents more than 100 incidents that have made Columbia and Barnard "a hotbed for hate" since the 2016-17 academic year.

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The catalog categorized each act into one of these categories: anti-Semitic expressions, meaning language, imagery or behavior that would be considered anti-Semitic according to the guidelines outlined by the US State Department's definition of anti-Semitism; incidents targeting Jewish students and staff; or activity related to the anti-Israel BDS movement.

In one such incident, Students for Justice in Palestine held a "die-in" on the Columbia campus in May and released a statement that condoned terrorism, denied the right to Jewish self-determination, and accused Israel of ethnic cleansing and genocide.

The report also reviewed "various bigoted and anti-Semitic statements, publications and actions" from Columbia and Barnard faculty and staff.

Avi Gordon, executive director of ACF, told JNS, "This report reveals the disturbing truth about anti-Semitism at one of the highest-regarded universities in the United States. In this time of increasing hatred against Jews, Alums for Campus Fairness believes that it is paramount that the public, media and policymakers have the tools to address this climate of bigotry."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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