NEW YORK — Columbia University President Dr. Minouche Shafik testified Wednesday before Congress, as part of ongoing hearings about antisemitism on school campuses.
“Columbia strives to be a community free of discrimination and hate in all its forms, and we condemn the antisemitism that is so pervasive today,” Shafik told the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.Â
Allegations of antisemitism at Columbia University
The committee played a video montage of what it called evidence of unchecked antisemitism on the university’s campus.
“At Columbia, and numerous other schools, there has been a pattern of unapproved antisemitic events organized and attended by university students and staff,” Committee Chair Rep. Virginia Foxx said.Â
According to the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish students at Columbia have experienced a dramatic increase in antisemitism over the past six months. In October, the NYPD confirmed a swastika was found inside a building, and dueling demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas War have intensified in the months since.Â
“I’ve spent most of my time since becoming president trying to tackle this issue,” Shafik said.
Foxx told Shafik, “The students don’t seem to be afraid of your letters.”
“Chairwoman, I assure you, the students are not getting letters, as has previously been said. We have already suspended 15 students,” Shafik said.
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