In April 2018, Students Supporting Israel (SSI) at Columbia University filed a detailed harassment complaint against anti-Israel student groups Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) documenting multiple violations of Columbia University's Rules of Conduct.
In the Facebook post accompanying the formal complaint, the SSI students explained that on multiple previous occasions Columbia administration ignored or brushed aside their reports of harassment and behavior violating Rules of Conduct by SJP.
In a video published subsequently, SSI students showed how members of Columbia University Apartheid Divest group (a joint venture of SJP and JVP) defaced and covered up their flyers advertising pro-Israel events.
The complaint was reinforced by letters from the attorneys for Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) (ZOA letter) and The Lawfare Project (LP letter).
"...we review all complaints from students and others in and outside of our community with seriousness and care, and we address them as appropriate within our community's rules."
Suzanne Goldberg, the Executive Vice President for University Life, responded to ZOA's letter refusing to disclose any information citing privacy issues while assuring ZOA that "we review all complaints from students and others in and outside of our community with seriousness and care, and we address them as appropriate within our community's rules."
We were informed that the administration summarily dismissed the SSI's complaint.
Shortly following the filing of the complaint the following events occurred at Columbia:
On April 11, 2018 SJP students staged a loud disruption calling for Intifada, the wave of terrorism that claimed over a thousand of Israeli civilian lives, next to the SSI's commemoration of the Yom HaShoah, the Holocaust Remembrance Day. See a disturbing video of the SJP protest and read an article about it.
On April 18, 2018 an anti-semitic sticker found in front of Columbia University. The use of such propaganda to depict the Jewish State, its People, and its defense force as monsters is pure anti-Semitism.
On April 18, 2018 Barnard College student government passed a pro-BDS resolution that was subsequently rejected by the Barnard's president.
On April 22, 2018 hundreds of Barnard students received an anti-Semitic spam attack only a few days after Barnard voted in favor of BDS. We have no knowledge of any subsequent investigation into this disturbing incident resulting in identification and punishment of the perpetrators.
Additional Information
“Columbia University Students Accuse Anti-Zionist Groups of ‘Systematically Harassing, Silencing’ Opposing Voices”, by Algemeiner Staff, April 13, 2018
Search Tags: #Students, #Administration, #SSI
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