Tensions are so high at Columbia ahead of Passover that all classes will be virtual Monday
Officials at Columbia University, facing surging tensions on campus that raised safety concerns, have announced all classes will be virtual on Monday as Passover begins.
Columbia President Minouche Shafik said in a the decision was made to 바카라 게임 웹사이트deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps.바카라 게임 웹사이트
The move underscores how tense the situation has become at the Ivy League school and the enormous challenge facing Shafik to get the situation under control.
Billionaire Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots and a prominent Columbia graduate, suggested he is withholding donations to the university because he바카라 게임 웹사이트s 바카라 게임 웹사이트no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff.바카라 게임 웹사이트
바카라 게임 웹사이트The school I love so much 바카라 게임 웹사이트 the one that welcomed me and provided me with so much opportunity 바카라 게임 웹사이트 is no longer an institution I recognize,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Kraft, founder of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, said in a on X, formerly known as Twitter. 바카라 게임 웹사이트I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken.바카라 게임 웹사이트
At Yale University, at least 16 people had been arrested 바카라 게임 웹사이트 including some students 바카라 게임 웹사이트 after police blocked off entrances during response to a protest at Hewitt Quadrangle & Beinecke Plaza, the school바카라 게임 웹사이트s independent college newspaper, The reported Monday morning.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Cops have gathered at Beinecke Plaza, where pro-Palestine protesters urging Yale to divest from military weapons manufacturers set up tents overnight 바카라 게임 웹사이트 the third night of their ongoing encampment,바카라 게임 웹사이트 the Yale Daily 온라인 바카라 게임 said.
Journalists from the Yale Daily 온라인 바카라 게임 were also threatened with arrest if they did not move from the plaza, according to reports.
CNN has reached out to Yale University administration, the Yale Police Department and the New Haven Police Department in Connecticut for more information.
Tensions at many universities have been high ever since the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel by Hamas. However, the situation at Columbia escalated in recent days after university officials testified before Congress last week about antisemitism on campus and pro-Palestinian protests on and near campus surged.
At Columbia, 바카라 게임 웹사이트During the coming days, a working group of Deans, university administrators and faculty members will try to bring this crisis to a resolution. That includes continuing discussions with the student protestors and identifying actions we can take as a community to enable us to peacefully complete the term and return to respectful engagement with each other,바카라 게임 웹사이트 the president said in her Monday statement.
As the situation has unfolded, Shafik has faced new calls for her resignation, and a rabbi linked to the university even urged Jewish students to stay home due to concerns about their safety as Passover, a major Jewish holiday, is set to begin Monday evening.
The safety of Columbia바카라 게임 웹사이트s community is 바카라 게임 웹사이트our number one priority,바카라 게임 웹사이트 a university spokesperson told CNN in a statement Sunday.
바카라 게임 웹사이트We are acting on concerns we are hearing from our Jewish students and are providing additional support and resources to ensure that our community remains safe,바카라 게임 웹사이트 the statement added.
The White House, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams all weighed in over the weekend, denouncing calls for violence against Jews.
Adams said he was 바카라 게임 웹사이트horrified and disgusted with the antisemitism spewed at and around바카라 게임 웹사이트 Columbia and said the New York Police Department 바카라 게임 웹사이트will not hesitate to arrest anyone바카라 게임 웹사이트 found to be breaking the law.
Rabbi Elie Buechler, a rabbi associated with Columbia University바카라 게임 웹사이트s Orthodox Union Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus, to CNN on Sunday he sent a WhatsApp message to a group of about 300 mostly Orthodox Jewish students 바카라 게임 웹사이트strongly바카라 게임 웹사이트 recommending they return home and remain there.
In his message, Buechler wrote recent events at the university 바카라 게임 웹사이트have made it clear that Columbia University바카라 게임 웹사이트s Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee Jewish students바카라 게임 웹사이트 safety.바카라 게임 웹사이트
바카라 게임 웹사이트It 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,바카라 게임 웹사이트 the message reads.
The campus Hillel said they 바카라 게임 웹사이트do not believe that Jewish students should leave바카라 게임 웹사이트 the campus, but that the university and City of New York must act to protect students from harassment.
Student: I바카라 게임 웹사이트m 바카라 게임 웹사이트terrified, angry, upset바카라 게임 웹사이트
바카라 게임 웹사이트If I had my child at Columbia, I also would tell them to go home,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Hagar Chemali, an adjunct associate professor of International and Public Affairs at the university, told CNN Monday. 바카라 게임 웹사이트It바카라 게임 웹사이트s not just because of the tension on campus, it바카라 게임 웹사이트s also because those protests on campus have invited extremists outside.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Organizers of the campus protest 바카라 게임 웹사이트 Columbia University Apartheid Divest and Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine 바카라 게임 웹사이트 said in a statement, 바카라 게임 웹사이트We have been peaceful,바카라 게임 웹사이트 and distanced themselves from non-student protestors who have gathered outside the campus, calling them 바카라 게임 웹사이트inflammatory individuals who do not represent us.바카라 게임 웹사이트
바카라 게임 웹사이트We firmly reject any form of hate or bigotry and stand vigilant against non-students attempting to disrupt the solidarity being forged among students 바카라 게임 웹사이트 Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, Black and pro-Palestinian classmates and colleagues who represent the full diversity of our country,바카라 게임 웹사이트 the activists바카라 게임 웹사이트 statement continued.
Columbia student, Noah Lederman, told CNN he was 바카라 게임 웹사이트terrified, angry, upset, and horrified that the university failed to take action.바카라 게임 웹사이트 Lederman said he had been accosted in early February and had asked the university for remote learning options. 바카라 게임 웹사이트What바카라 게임 웹사이트s happening on campus is blatantly antisemitic,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he added.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Columbia students organizing in solidarity with Palestine 바카라 게임 웹사이트 including Jewish students 바카라 게임 웹사이트 have faced harassment, doxxing, and now arrest by the NYPD. These are the main threats to the safety of Jewish Columbia students,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Jonathan Ben-Menachem, a Ph.D. student, told CNN.
바카라 게임 웹사이트On the other hand, student protesters have led interfaith joint prayers for several days now, and Passover Seder will be held at the Gaza Solidarity Encampment tomorrow,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he went on. 바카라 게임 웹사이트Saying that student protesters are a threat to Jewish students is a dangerous smear.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Demonstrations are also taking place at other campuses. Pro-Palestinian students at Emerson College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology set up protest encampments as an act of solidarity with students at Columbia University, according to . Solidarity rallies have also taken place at Yale, Harvard, the University of North Carolina, and Boston University.
Crisis is a test for Columbia바카라 게임 웹사이트s new president
The crisis at Columbia amounts to a massive test for Shafik, who took the helm of the university less than a year ago.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, the New York Republican and frequent critic of Ivy League schools, called for Shafik to immediately step down.
바카라 게임 웹사이트It is crystal clear that Columbia University 바카라 게임 웹사이트 previously a beacon of academic excellence founded by Alexander Hamilton 바카라 게임 웹사이트 needs new leadership,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Stefanik said in a statement on Sunday.
Following a disastrous hearing on campus antisemitism before Congress in December, the presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania came under enormous pressure and both resigned.
Shafik testified to the House Education Committee on the same subject last Wednesday, and the protests on campus have escalated in the days since, prompting Republican committee chair Rep. Virginia Foxx to warn university leaders of consequences if they do not rein in the protests.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Columbia바카라 게임 웹사이트s continued failure to restore order and safety promptly to campus constitutes a major breach of the University바카라 게임 웹사이트s Title VI obligations, upon which federal financial assistance is contingent, and which must immediately be rectified,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Foxx wrote in a letter.
As Passover begins Monday, Jewish student organizations have increased security for their upcoming events and services.
Police will be present at the Kraft Center, a Jewish cultural center shared by Columbia and Barnard College, throughout Passover, and students will be able to get walking escorts to and from the building starting Monday, according to an email from Brian Cohen, the center바카라 게임 웹사이트s executive director.
Chabad, another Jewish organization at the university, said they are still planning on hosting Passover celebrations but have hired additional security to protect students.