It has now become clear that Jews are no longer safe on American college campuses.
In recent days, the big names of academia have been, as usual, getting all the attention. Yale, NYU, and Columbia have been dominating social media with demonstrable evidence of unfettered and unapologetic Jew hatred.
Let’s focus on the hordes of antisemitic barbarians wrestling for control of the Columbia campus in a slightly more diverse form of 1930s Germany cosplay, with overt support for Hamas, calls for the forced expulsion or mass murder of Jews, and some good old-fashioned refusal to let Jews go about their daily lives.
Chants have included “go back to Poland,” “stop killing children,” and, of course, “f*** the Jews,” yet again debunking the ridiculous claim that any of this is about Israel.
And, because no modern leftist cause is complete without a few days of outdoor camping, an autonomous tent city has erupted, dubbed “The People’s University for Palestine.”
Jews may not apply.
But somehow, the worst part of this sordid chapter is not the predictable bigotry of terrorist sympathizers or supporters, but the spineless response of both non-Jews and Jews.
Columbia University responded by announcing that classes would be held virtually, while the Orthodox rabbi at Columbia and Barnard, Elie Buechler, advised hundreds of Jewish students to go home until it’s safe to return to campus.
“What we are witnessing in and around campus is terrible and tragic,” Buechler wrote. “The events of the last few days, especially last night, have made it clear that Columbia University’s Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee Jewish students’ safety in the face of extreme antisemitism and anarchy. 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.”
“It is not our job as Jews to ensure our own safety on campus,” Buechler added. “No one should have to endure this level of hatred, let alone at school.”
Buechler’s response is entirely understandable, but entirely wrong.
First, we, as Jews, are responsible for our own safety. Yes, institutions and organizations tasked with the defense of basic rights are responsible too, but if there’s one thing the all-too-dense history of Jewish persecution has taught us, it’s that we can never be content to sit around and wait to be protected.
Second, by running away from a place where we have every right to be, we are rewarding those who seek to erase Jews from modern life.
Agreeing to shrink into the shadows through fear and attend classes remotely will not motivate university leaders to stand up for what is right. Instead, it will allow them to shrink into the shadows also, content with the supposed de-escalation of “tensions” Jews are forever blamed for fueling with their very existence.
Jews have resorted to running, hiding, and apologizing for thousands of years, with disastrous results.
The idea that American Jews should repeat this pattern in a country built on the foundational values of Judaism and Christianity is unsettling, disgusting, and completely unacceptable.
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In 1790, George Washington wrote the following in his famous letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, quoting the Jewish prophet Micah: “May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants — while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.”
The time for running, hiding, and apologizing for our existence is over. American Jews: we’re right where we deserve to be.
Ian Haworth is a columnist, speaker, and host of Off Limits. You can follow him on X at @ighaworth. You can also find him on Substack.
