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Cas Holloway, Columbia’s chief operating officer, replied by highlighting his concerns about Prof Davidai staging his event in the proximity of pro-Palestine demonstrators.
“Because of the obvious risk to the safety of students and other members of our community, we strongly urge you to ask any students and colleagues who may have planned to join you to change their plans,” wrote Mr Holloway.
“As a faculty member, you have a fiduciary duty to do everything in your power to help keep our students and campus safe.”
Prof Davidai’s ordeal follows a warning from Elie Buechler, the campus rabbi, who told Jewish students at Columbia to stay at home because of the “level of hatred” they are forced to endure.
More than 100 arrests were made last week after Baroness Shafik, Columbia’s British-American president, called in police to deal with unruly behaviour.
The arrests sparked acts of solidarity at other institutions including Boston University, the University of North Carolina, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California.
All in-person classes at Columbia have since been cancelled due to the level of “intimidation and harassment” related to the Gaza conflict.
The protesters have already prompted major donors to reconsider their relationships with the prestigious institution.
Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots and an alumnus of Columbia, said he would be ending his long record of donations to his alma mater until “corrective action is taken”.
Mr Kraft said he would always be “grateful” that the university’s full academic scholarship granted him his “start in life”.
But he said: “I am deeply saddened by the virulent hate that continues to grow on campus and throughout our country.”
He added: “I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken.”
Arrests at Yale University
Elsewhere, at least 47 pro-Palestine protesters were arrested at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut, after police were called following complaints about “harmful acts and threatening language”.
“I was deeply saddened that the call for civil discourse and peaceful protest I issued was not heeded,” said Peter Salovey, the president of Yale.
He added: “We became aware of police reports identifying harmful acts and threatening language used against individuals at or near the protest sites. Some of the aggressors are believed to be members of the Yale community while others were outsiders.”
At New York University (NYU) in Manhattan, an unspecified number of arrests were made after police tried to clear a makeshift encampment set up by pro-Palestine protesters.
Video on social media showed officers tossing tents, grappling with demonstrators and loading people, whose hands were tied behind their backs, into police vehicles.
Police said over a megaphone that protesters were arrested for “disorderly conduct”, according to the Washington Square News, a student newspaper.
NYU spokesman John Beckman said they exhibited “disorderly, disruptive and antagonising behaviour” and there were “several anti-Semitic incidents reported”.
Increased scrutiny over anti-Semitism
University chiefs across America are facing increased scrutiny over whether they are doing enough to protect students and staff from anti-Semitism. Columbia’s struggles to deal with anti-Semitism on campus also have financial implications.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, a Columbia graduate, said he was stopping donations immediately over the college’s inability to keep Jewish students safe.
Another billionaire investor, Leon Cooperman, a business school graduate, said he will continue a pause in donations which began shortly after the Oct 7 Hamas attack.
A third billionaire donor, the industrialist Sir Leonard Blavatnik, is considering whether or not to continue his financial support.
In a statement to the New York Post, Sir Leonard said: “Columbia University’s leadership must take immediate steps to ensure that Jewish students are protected from threats and intimidation, and that those who violate their policies are held to account.”
Between them, the three men are estimated to have donated $100 million (£81 million) to Columbia, which has been spent on buildings and scholarships for students.
What are the Free Palestine protests about?
The cry “Free Palestine” is a rallying call for protesters angry about Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has so far killed more than 33,000 people, and its wider territorial claims to the West Bank, where violence is also flaring.
Pro-Palestine supporters have organised demonstrations in cities across the United States since the Hamas attack of Oct 7, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in 250 people being taken hostage.
University campuses have been a focal point for the outrage among young people after a coalition of student groups at Harvard released an open letter blaming Israel for the Oct 7 attack.
After the president of Harvard resigned amid criticism over anti-Semitism on campus, New York universities have staged the biggest flashpoints between the authorities and the pro-Palestine movement.
Speaking from the New York City court where he is being tried over alleged hush money payments, Donald Trump, the former president, also weighed in on the protests.
“What’s going on at the college level and the colleges Columbia, NYU University, this is a disgrace,” he said. “If you have nobody up in a college, where you have very radical people wanting to rip the colleges down … that’s a shame.”
He blamed the unrest on Joe Biden, the president, saying: “He has the wrong signal. He has the wrong tone. He’s got the wrong words. He doesn’t know who he’s backing. And it’s a mess.”
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