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Israeli students, postdoctoral fellows and alumni of Columbia University published an open letter in the Columbia Spectator, in which they protested against US President Donald Trump’s executive order “Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism”. According to Haaretz, this document is aimed at strengthening control over pro-Palestinian activists on campuses and provides for the possibility of deporting foreign students for participating in protests.
The authors of the letter emphasise that this initiative does not contribute to the protection of Jewish and Israeli students, but only creates a mechanism for restricting freedom of speech at universities.
Students oppose control and denunciation
The letter notes that the decree forces universities to “monitor and report the activities of foreign students and staff”. This, according to the students, contributes to a culture of snitching, when people are forced to report the actions of their colleagues to the US immigration service.
Josh Drill, a student at the School of Professional Studies who organised the appeal, said that criticism of Israel should not be allowed to be equated with anti-Semitism. He stressed that deporting Palestinian students because of their political views is an unacceptable practice.
Criticism of Israeli policy is not anti-Semitism
Postgraduate student Sahar Bostock, who also contributed to the open letter, stressed that condemning the actions of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank cannot be considered anti-Semitism. She emphasised that such measures only prevent Israelis and Palestinians from openly discussing the conflict and seeking solutions.
Divisions within the US Jewish community
The publication of the letter sparked a debate among Jewish organisations in the United States. Some support Trump’s initiative, considering it an effective means of combating anti-Semitism, while others see it as a threat to academic freedom and a means of political pressure.
The Columbia University administration has not yet commented on the situation, but the students’ protest has attracted considerable attention in academic and political circles.
