More than 500 Columbia University alumni have signed a letter thanking the school for suspending two student groups accused of spewing threats while opposing Israel’s war against Hamas.
The Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace were suspended through the end of the fall term for violating the Manhattan Ivy League institution’s policies regarding “threatening rhetoric and intimidation.”
The SJP, specifically, was accused of celebrating Hamas’ terrorist attack Oct. 7 that saw more than 1,200 people massacred in Israel and nearly 240 others taken hostage.
“While debate, advocacy, and protest have always been, and must remain, central to Columbia’s DNA, the recent anti-Israel and pro-Hamas demonstrations display an unacceptable ignorance of historical facts and dangerous ideological militancy,” read the letter sent to the school Monday.
“It is truly frightening to watch organizations of students at Columbia University act in ideological lockstep with authoritarian nations, regimes, or their proxies which advocate for violence, deny their citizens human rights and the free expression of ideas, and oppose equal rights for women and the LGBTQ community,” the alumni added.
While thanking the school for suspending the groups, the alumni called on the university to stop such demonstrations from taking place in the future as New York City and the world as a whole have seen a sharp rise in antisemitism after Israel’s declaration of war in Gaza.
The NYPD reported at least 69 anti-Jewish incidents in October, more than three times what the figure was the previous year.
The alumni letter went on to warn about the comments made by the JVP after their suspension, where the Jewish group suggested it would not back down from holding pro-Palestinian rallies on campus.
“Our actions will be louder than our words. For all those people who are yearning for freedom, and for the media outlets: Keep an on [sic] eye on Columbia,” the JVP said in a statement Saturday.
The alumni said the group’s statement served as “a direct threat” to escalate divisions on campus and urged Columbia to permanently ban the SJP and JVP, as well as investigate all the other student groups that joined a recent walkout with the pro-Palestinian organizations.
The letter also called on Columbia University President Minouche Shafik to directly condemn the phrase “from the rive to the sea,” a chant used by pro-Palestinian protesters that the alumni said “implies the eradication of Jews from Israel.”
Other hurtful and inciting phrases, including calls for a “global intifada” or uprising, should not be permitted on campus, and those chanting these words should be held accountable for hate speech, the alumni wrote.
After the groups’ suspension, Gerald Rosberg, the university’s senior executive vice president, issued a statement that the SJP and JVP will not be able to hold events on campus or receive funding from the school.
Other hurtful and inciting phrases, including calls for a “global intifada” or uprising, should not be permitted on campus, and those chanting these words should be held accountable for hate speech, the alumni wrote.
“Lifting the suspension will be contingent on the two groups demonstrating a commitment to compliance with University policies and engaging in consultations at a group leadership level with University officials,” he said.
Columbia declined to comment further on the matter.
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