Campus organization Students Supporting Israel (SSI) held a large gathering on Tuesday as a response to the recent actions by militant group Hamas in Israel. 

Content warning: Mentions of violence and death. 

Editor’s note: This article is composed of individual statements from attendees of the Tuesday gathering; these statements do not reflect the united views of any single group. The contents of this article do not reflect the views of Bwog. Our mission is to document events regarding undergraduate student life—we recognize that the events of this article are complex and beyond the scope of any one article.

On Tuesday afternoon, campus organization Students Supporting Israel (SSI) held a gathering at the sundial in light of the recent outbreak of war following a deadly Hamas attack on Israel. The event featured speeches from SSI leadership and student veterans of The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), who spoke in support of friends and family in Israel and called for wholehearted condemnation of Saturday’s attack.  

In her opening speech, an SSI board member said the purpose of the gathering was to call on Columbia students to condemn anti-semitism at Columbia and throughout the world.

During her speech, she stated, “Beheading babies is not resistance. Murdering festival goers is not resistance,” referring to reports from Tel Aviv-based news channels that have not been confirmed by officials. She condemned how the Israel-Palestine conflict has been debated at Columbia, saying that “examining and debating the difficult issues that affect our world is not resistance. These are not difficult issues, [this is] not politics.” 

The SSI board member later stated that “more Jews were killed on October 7, 2023 than on any other day in history since the Holocaust,” calling for all Columbia students to support each other during this time. “This attack against Israel is an attack against humanity,” she stated. 

The gathering also featured several short speeches from Israeli student veterans of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), several of whom mourned friends killed in the attack. One speaker said that “Israel is not like any [other] place in the world. We stand united not as just a country, but as a family—a family that has experienced a long history of violence and genocide.” “In times like this,” she continued,  “people—even our professors and classmates—feel mobilized to attack our existence. It is for this very reason that we fight for the right for the Jewish people to live in a Jewish homeland.” She concluded by saying that “the IDF has never, and will never, do such inhuman acts as” those committed by Hamas.

Another veteran shared her experience guiding combat pilots in the IDF, saying, “For every target there was…a deep understanding of the sanctity of life. This tragedy that happened in Israel is beyond words.” She implored attendees to spread her message that “there’s no context that justifies this, no excuse, no political debate that justifies what happened in Israel in the last few days; participating in such debates is peak moral depravation.”  

Between speeches, attendees chanted “No more Hamas” and “Am Yisrael Chai,” a phrase which roughly translates to “the people of Israel live,.” a common affirmation of Jewish communal unity. One speaker read Hatikva, the national anthem of Israel and the Sh’ma, an important Jewish prayer.   

A number of student attendees who spoke with Bwog voiced deep concern for friends and family members living in Israel. One student said she was attending the event “for my family—my actual family that’s at risk, and my figurative family,” as well as to call for peace. Another said that it was “incredibly difficult to wake up to news of friends and family members being killed…and to go to class where you’re sitting with peers who are defending terrorism as a proposed ‘decolonization’ when…the brutalization of Jewish people has absolutely nothing to do with the freeing of Palestine.” 

An attendee of the event said he was attending the gathering “to support Israel’s right to defend itself” and to condemn “the atrocities, the rape, the violence, the murder of Hamas.” He emphasized the importance of collective solidarity, and said he hoped that doing so would force Columbia to see the extent of the conflict’s impact on the student body and recognize the number of students who need the University’s support.

Another attendee who described herself as “a sexual assault survivor and survivor activist,” said she was upset by “the narrative that ‘oppression breeds resistance.’” Carrying a sign that read “Rape is not an act of resistance, it’s an act of hate,” she condemned what she described as the “barbaric actions” of Hamas and the “countless” rapes and killings of women and girls. Another student told Bwog, “It’s not really even about Israel versus Palestine. It’s about basic human rights and the belief that terrorism is bad.” 

During the gathering, a few arguments broke out along the edges of the crowd of attendees. Onlookers’ shouts of “Free Palestine” were greeted with an immediate, emotional response by event attendees. One attendee shouted “Shut the fuck up!” before a speaker, an IDF veteran, calmed the crowd by encouraging them to “be better,” adding, “They want you to yell right now. We’re not going to yell.” 

One passerby, a visiting student from the American University in Cairo (AUC) was engaged with a student holding an Israeli flag. She stated that Palestinians “have been forced out of their homes, killed…and occupied.” She also mentioned that while she is “not against Judaism,” she condemns the Israeli government.

Bwog also spoke to another SSI board member about the organization of the event. When asked about the SSI’s goals for organizing a community gathering, he stated, “Our two main goals are, one,  to make a community here where those affected by the violence can feel safe, supported, and understand that they are not alone and, two,  to let the people whose lives are in danger know that they are supported.” He also said he  “[hopes] that the University condemns the terrible violence and makes it clear to students that while everyone is free to share their political opinion, the horrifying hate speech we have been seeing has no place in this University.”

On Monday, SSI released a petition urging President Minouche Shafik to “stand with the Jewish community.”  The petition asked for Shafik’s “friendship” and “a clear and unequivocal statement in support of our ally Israel and her right to defend herself.” 

The petition has since been closed. In regards to its aims, the SSI board member  said: “Our goals were largely accomplished as [President Shafik] released a statement condemning the violent acts of terror that innocent civilians had to endure.” 

In a statement sent out prior to Tuesday’s gathering, Shafik shared that she felt devastated by “the horrific attack on Israel this weekend and the ensuing violence that is affecting so many people.” Shafik assured affected community members, stating, “This is your community, and you are not alone,” and called on students to “reject forces that seek to pull us apart and model behavior that shows respect for all.” She also encouraged the Columbia community to continue “supporting and listening to one another in days ahead.”

Barnard President Laura Rosenbury released a similar statement early on Tuesday, recognizing “the loss of life and ongoing violence caused by the Hamas deadly attacks on Israel” and calling on the Barnard community to “come together to condemn the loss of life and the conflict’s impact on innocent civilians.” The statement further stated: “We reject antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate, both in intent and effect.” 

In a concluding statement, an SSI board member announced SSI would be holding another “silent protest” near Alma Mater on Low Steps on Thursday at 4:30 and called on attendees to “amplify Jewish voices” and “spread love.”

Email from Columbia President Minouche Shafik to Columbia students at 6:29 pm on Monday, October 9: 

Dear fellow members of the Columbia community:

I was devastated by the horrific attack on Israel this weekend and the ensuing violence that is affecting so many people. Unfortunately, at this moment, little is certain except that the fighting and human suffering are not likely to end soon.

I know many members of our community are being impacted in profound ways and I want to assure each of you that Columbia will provide any measure of care or comfort that we can. This is your community, and you are not alone.

Since Saturday, our first priority has been to make sure everyone connected to Columbia is safe and to provide logistical support and other types of resources for students, staff, and faculty who are directly affected by the conflict. We are in close touch with students, staff, alumni, and faculty throughout the region. I have included a list of university resources below.

I am gratified by and grateful for the skill, agility, and care that I have witnessed by professionals across Columbia. Colleagues in our community have shown great sensitivity and leadership, including staff at the Kraft Center for Jewish Student Life, our leaders in the Earl Hall Center for Religious Life, and the various student support teams across our schools.

Many of you have reacted to these terrifying events by pulling closer your friends, classmates, and relatives whose sense of security was shattered. These acts of kindness and empathy represent the best of Columbia and exemplify what we as a community can contribute to this moment. I encourage you to continue gathering, supporting each other, and listening to one another in the days ahead.

As a global university, we are devoted to examining and debating difficult issues that affect our world. Our job is to educate, enlighten, and engage. We must reject forces that seek to pull us apart and model behavior that shows respect for all. I welcome events like the SIPA webinar scheduled for tomorrow, examining the evolving situation in Israel and Gaza. I strongly encourage Columbia faculty to find ways of bringing clarity and context to this painful moment, just as you contribute your expertise and scholarship to other great challenges of our time.

I am committed to ensuring that these values are reflected in our teaching, our research, and our community support.

Sincerely,

Minouche Shafik

President, Columbia University

University Resources

For students:

University Counseling and Psychological Services

– Morningside / Manhattanville Campuses: (212) 854-2878

– CUIMC Campus: (212) 305-3400

Students currently abroad may call International SOS and ask to speak to an Enhanced Emotional Support Counselor at (215) 942-8478.

University Health Services

– Morningside / Manhattanville Campuses: Columbia Health: https://health.columbia.edu

– CUIMC Campus: Student Health on Haven: https://www.studenthealth.cuimc.columbia.edu/

Office of the University Chaplain: https://ouc.columbia.edu

Office of Religious Life: https://religiouslife.columbia.edu/

International Students and Scholars Office: https://isso.columbia.edu/

University Life: https://universitylife.columbia.edu/

For faculty and staff:

Columbia Employee Assistance Program: https://humanresources.columbia.edu/employee-assistance

Office of the University Chaplain: https://ouc.columbia.edu

Office of Religious Life: https://religiouslife.columbia.edu/

International Students and Scholars Office: https://isso.columbia.edu/

Email from Barnard President Laura Rosenbury to Barnard students at 12:50pm on Tuesday, October 10:

Dear Members of the Barnard Community,

The loss of life and ongoing violence caused by the Hamas deadly attacks on Israel are absolutely devastating.  These events are beyond horrific and touch close to home for many members of our diverse Barnard community.

I extend my deepest condolences to all who are mourning the loss of friends, family members, or colleagues in Israel and Gaza.  I know that many of us are also frightened for the safety of loved ones still in the region and troubled by related hate across the globe, including right here in New York.

This is a time to come together to condemn the loss of life and the conflict’s impact on innocent civilians.  It is also a time to affirm that Barnard supports all of our students, faculty, staff, and alumnae.

We reject antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of hate, both in intent and effect.  We also remain committed to intellectually honest and respectful discourse and the vital importance of discussing difficult topics, including the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in an environment free from fear and hate.  For those seeking to hear more perspectives about these unfolding events, I direct you to the SIPA webinar hosted by Columbia today at 4 PM.

I also acknowledge that many of us are struggling.  We possess passionate and often conflicting views about a range of issues.  In this moment of great uncertainty and pain, I hope we will extend each other compassion and understanding.

Laura Ann Rosenbury

President, Barnard College

Gathering Photos via Bwog Staff