Passover Message From Biden Eclipsed By Columbia’s Anti-Semitism

Tonight at sundown, Passover will begin. And despite happy words about celebration, and complaints by state and national leaders, Columbia University will likely still be gripped in a horrific display of rampant anti-Semitism that has Jewish students rightfully scared for their safety.

The protests at Columbia University began last week, even as its president was testifying in front of the House Education and Workforce Committee (which Toni covered here) and getting pantsed by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. Students have set up an entire little “tent city” on campus, and when Columbia’s President Shafik authorized police to make arrests the day after her testimony, one of the students arrested and suspended was Ilhan Omar’s daughter Isra Hirsi. But don’t worry, Mommy is very proud of her hateful spawn and if she ends up expelled, I’m sure that Ilhan Omar’s Congressional salary is more than ample to make sure her kid finishes her Ivy League degree in “community organizing” or something.

But in the meantime, the situation on Columbia’s campus has gotten steadily worse. The NYPD were authorized to clear the campus only once (since Columbia is a private university on private property), and now protesters have re-occupied the space and gotten louder and more aggressive. Jewish students are trying to stand up for themselves – but it seems that the university’s leadership is not going to help them at all. The Free Press has an account of what has been happening from Columbia sophomore Jonathan Lederer, and it shows just how much the situation at Columbia has been allowed to get out of hand.

Since the first protest on Columbia’s campus in support of a “Free Palestine” on October 12, I have committed, along with my twin brother and a number of our friends, to show up at these protests with our Israeli and American flags.

There are often hundreds of people chanting for “intifada” and a handful of us. Suffice it to say, I can think of more pleasant ways to spend a New York City night. We do it for a simple reason: we want to tell Jews at Columbia—and around the world—that we refuse to be bullied off of our own campus.

For nearly seven months, I have been asked the same question by many people in my life: “Do you feel safe on campus as a Jew?” I wear a kippah—I can’t pass. And I have always maintained the importance of standing our ground rather than letting fear drive us away.

Nothing will stanch that pride, but the situation at Columbia has escalated to a point where my physical safety is in danger.

That is not a metaphor, nor an expression of safetyism. On Saturday night, April 20, I was assaulted and harassed repeatedly inside the gates of Columbia University.

On Saturday night, the situation on campus hit a new low. Amid multiple protests both inside and outside of Columbia’s gates, my friends and I decided to show our pride yet again, as we have on so many occasions since Hamas began its war.

For an hour, 20 of us stood on the sundial in the middle of Columbia’s campus with Israeli and American flags and sang peaceful songs such as Matisyahu’s “One Day” and “V’hi She’amda”—a much-needed ode to the hope and perseverance of the Jewish people in the face of enemies who seek our destruction.

Even as we sang lyrics such as “We don’t want to fight no more, there will be no more war,” we were met with hostility. Masked keffiyeh-wearers came to us face-to-face, trying to intimidate us. They chanted, “Fuck Israel, Israel’s a bitch!” We were told, “You guys are all inbred.” They threw water in our faces. These groups are not fairly described as “pro-Palestine.” They are active supporters of Hamas and they say so explicitly: “We say justice, you say how? Burn Tel Aviv to the ground,” one group chanted by the gates of my school. “Hamas, we love you. We support your rockets, too.”

One keffiyeh-masked protester came up to my friends and I and held up a sign with an arrow pointing toward us that read: “Al-Qassam’s Next Targets.” Al-Qassam is the military wing of Hamas.

Just after midnight, the protesters began chasing us toward the campus gates. We felt we had to leave for our own safety. In order to exit campus, we had to use the gates on the corner of Amsterdam Avenue and 116th street—-all other entrances and exits were closed and locked.

However, that gate was being blocked by other protesters – and then Lederer was attacked after trying to retrieve his Israeli flags that had been snatched from him.

At least two solid objects were thrown at me from close range, one of which hit me directly in the face and the other in the chest. Finally, I succeeded in grabbing my flags and ran to rejoin my friends. We ended up being chased out of campus and told to “go back to Poland,” a poignant reminder that even in America, antisemites wish to condemn Jews like me to our ancestors’ tragic fate.

Lederer is refusing to be intimidated, and vows he will keep waving his flags. But this is vile. This is Nazi-level shit. This is not protesting a war – this is asking for the extermination of a country and a people. And it’s now at the point that one Orthodox rabbi is telling students to get off campus immediately for their own safety.

“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,” Rabbi Elie Buechler told students Sunday morning over WhatsApp.

“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,” he said. “No one should have to endure this level of hatred, let alone at school.

While this is one rabbi’s opinion, it is one that students and parents are taking seriously. All classes at Columbia are apparently going to have “virtual options” for the time being, so students can still attend. And now, the NYPD will be providing protection to students who wish to attend the Passover Seder on campus. This is how insanely bad the situation has become.

So what are local and national leaders doing? Oh, well, deputy secretary Andrew Bates put out a statement. That will help, right?

“While every American has the right to peaceful protest, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly Antisemitic, unconscionable, and dangerous — they have absolutely no place on any college campus, or anywhere in the United States of America,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement shared with The Hill.

“And echoing the rhetoric of terrorist organizations, especially in the wake of the worst massacre committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, is despicable. We condemn these statements in the strongest terms,” he continued.

Governor Kathy Hochul made a statement decrying what is happening, but has not acted. In the spirit of the Little Rock Nine, she could authorize the National Guard to go in and restore order on Columbia’s campus. That hasn’t happened. Mayor Eric Adams has likewise expressed his outrage, but the NYPD can’t just storm onto campus without being asked to do so.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams vowed to drag the cops back into the picture, after they ended up cuffing dozens of unruly protesters disrupting campus life last week.

“I am horrified and disgusted with the antisemitism being spewed at and around the Columbia University campus — like the example of a young woman holding a sign with an arrow pointing to Jewish students stating ‘Al-Qasam’s Next Targets,’ or another where a woman is literally yelling ‘We are Hamas,’ or another where groups of students are chanting ‘We don’t want no Zionists here’ — and I condemn this hate speech in the strongest of terms,” Adams said in a statement on Sunday evening.

“Hate has no place in our city, and I have instructed the NYPD to investigate any violation of law they receive a report about and will arrest anyone found to be breaking the law,” he added.

The mayor said the NYPD “will not hesitate to arrest anyone who is found to be breaking the law,” but noted that officers cannot be on the actual campus unless requested by university officials.

So, where is Joe Biden? Good question. The White House released his official Passover statement on Sunday evening. You tell me if this is the best the administration can do.

Tomorrow night, Jews around the world will celebrate Passover, recounting their miraculous Exodus story from hundreds of years of enslavement in Egypt and their journey to freedom. This holiday reminds us of a profound and powerful truth: that even in the face of persecution, if we hold on to faith, we shall endure and overcome.

As Jews mark Passover with storytelling, songs, and rituals, they will also read from the Haggadah how, in every generation, they have been targeted by those who would seek to destroy them. This year, those words carry deeper resonance and pain in the wake of Hamas’ unspeakable evil on October 7th – the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. More than 1,200 people were brutally massacred. Women and girls were subjected to appalling sexual violence. More than 250 innocents were taken hostage, including Americans. We can never forget the horror of Hamas’ despicable atrocities.

Jews around the world are still coping with the trauma of that day and its aftermath. This Passover falls particularly hard on hostage families trying to honor the spirit of the holiday – a story centered on freedom – while their loved ones remain in captivity. Our hearts are with all the victims, survivors, families, and friends whose loved ones have been killed, taken hostage, wounded, displaced, or are in harm’s way.

My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel, and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad. My Administration is working around the clock to free the hostages, and we will not rest until we bring them home. We are also working to establish an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza as a part of a deal that releases the hostages and delivers desperately needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians. We will continue to work toward a two-state solution that provides equal security, prosperity, and enduring peace for Israelis and Palestinians. And we are leading international efforts to ensure Israel can defend itself against Iran and its proxies, including by directing the U.S. military to help defend Israel against Iran’s unprecedented attacks last weekend.

The ancient story of persecution against Jews in the Haggadah also reminds us that we must speak out against the alarming surge of Antisemitism – in our schools, communities, and online. Silence is complicity. Even in recent days, we’ve seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country. My Administration will continue to speak out and aggressively implement the first-ever National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, putting the full force of the federal government behind protecting the Jewish community.

This year, let us remember the central Passover theme that even in the darkest of times, the promise of God’s protection will give us strength to find hope, resilience, and redemption. To all those celebrating this Festival of Freedom: Jill and I wish you a Happy Passover, Chag Sameach.

Yeah, Joe, that support of yours has really been “ironclad,” old man. YOU JUST TOLD ISRAEL NOT TO RETALIATE AGAINST IRAN, you feckless fool. Thank God they didn’t listen to you. You have been an absolute hypocrite about friendly fire mistakes, and even now, to commemorate Passover, you’re still trying to push a “two-state solution.” Joe, for the love of all that is holy, SHUT UP ABOUT THAT. Are you listening to the chants? Hamas and their fellow travelers do not want a “two-state solution.” They want it ALL, and that is what “from the river to the sea” means, you inept, doddering jackass. Your statement makes the obliquest of references to the horrific scenes at Columbia – and you’re going to “speak out” and get a “National Strategy” to work on it. Awesome. Absolutely no force of law in that. Apparently, Jewish students at Columbia are going to have to rely on “the promise of God’s protection” and the NYPD so they aren’t assaulted on their way to the Seder meal.

And things are getting more aggressive on Columbia’s campus.

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is rightfully outraged, and wants President Shafik to resign, and others are speaking up.

“Over the past few months and especially the last 24 hours, Columbia’s leadership has clearly lost control of its campus putting Jewish students’ safety at risk,” Stefanik said in a statement.

“It is crystal clear that Columbia University – previously a beacon of academic excellence founded by Alexander Hamilton — needs new leadership. President Shafik must immediately resign.”

But the bottom line is that Joe Biden could act, and he’s not. Does anyone even think he actually wrote the Passover statement?

The complete tweets read:

Would argue there’s not a more important story right now in this country than what is happening at Columbia University. It has the backing of media, faculty and the current White House

The 2nd most important story is why President “Lower the Temperature refuses, or is unable, to give an address condemning it”

Joe Biden claimed he ran in 2020 because he saw Best Buy dressed nerds with tiki torches emerge from corn fields screaming about Jews.

Now he’s completely AWOL on his college keffiyeh waring(sic) TikTok base, because they might cost him an electoral state, and the media is like “well what’s a few jews if Democracy is on the line”

Biden did just say in his Passover statement that “Silence is complicity.” So, where is he? Where is Kathy Hochul? Where is Attorney General Merrick Garland, yelling at Columbia to get its shit together and protect the civil rights of students? Or are they all just waiting until someone is seriously hurt? These protesting students cosplaying as fashionista terrorists have been enabled for far too long, and now the situation could spiral out of control at a moment’s notice. Either Columbia gets some law and order restored and protects the rights of its students, or it will be completely lost to anarchy and violence.

Passover begins tonight. Think the protesters are going to take the evening off?

Featured image via Eczebulun on Wikimedia Commons, cropped, Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED)

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