540 students at Columbia sign letter on Zionism
A group of Jewish Columbia students has written an emotional and forceful public letter that takes on one of the most divisive issues on college campuses: whether opposition to Israel should be equated with antisemitism.
In the letter, the students argue that Zionism cannot be separated from Judaism. They also charge that anti-Zionist Jews who stand with pro-Palestinian protesters “tokenize themselves” and try to delegitimize the experiences of Zionist Jews on campus.
Some of the students who signed the letter, which had 540 signatories as of Thursday morning, have already spoken publicly against Columbia for the antisemitism they say they have faced there. One student testified before Congress about the issue; others have been counter-protesters at proPalestinian rallies. Others have not spoken out before.
In all, by Thursday the letter was signed by just over 10% of the estimated 5,000 Jewish undergraduates and graduate students at Columbia and its affiliated colleges. All signatories gave their names, college affiliation and year of graduation, unlike some public letters, that allow for anonymous signatures.
Titled “In Our Name: A Message from Jewish Students at Columbia University,” the letter represents the views of students who state that they love Israel, even though they do not always agree with the actions of the Israeli government.
“Our love for Israel does not necessitate blind political conformity,” the letter stated. “It’s quite the opposite. For many of us, it is our deep love for and commitment to Israel that pushes us to object when its government acts in ways we find problematic.”
The letter did not specifically critique any Israeli actions, stating that “our visions for Israel differ dramatically from one another.” Yet, it continued, “we all come from a place of love and an aspiration for a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”
The letter comes as Columbia copes with a deeply divided campus reeling from two recent police interventions against pro-Palestinian activism on campus, including the takeover of a campus building that resulted in more than 200 arrests. On Monday, Minouche Shafik, Columbia’s president, canceled the main graduation ceremony, citing security concerns, and the main campus remains in a state of partial lockdown.
It was unclear how the letter would impact tensions on campus. Columbia and its affiliated schools have Jewish and non-Jewish faculty and students who are strongly anti-Zionist and who argue that Zionism is a not a requirement for Jewish identity.
At pro-Palestinian rallies on campuses at Columbia and beyond, the shouting of anti-Zionist slogans – including “we don’t want no Zionists here” – is common. AntiZionist demonstrators argue that this is not antisemitic, a distinction that not everyone accepts.
For students who identify as Zionists, it has been deeply hurtful.