Columbia students drop divestment demand as new Israel program set to open

Columbia University is set to open its global center in Tel Aviv this summer, an announcement made by adjunct professor Nadav Eyal on the "Call Me Back" podcast. The center, initially announced in April 2023, had previously drawn divided reactions from faculty.

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After what we saw on university campuses across the US, including, of course, at Columbia University, got a lot of traction in media and our criticism, it’s really nice to know that this is opening.

Eyal noted the opening as a positive development following pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. campuses, including Columbia, which some critics linked to antisemitism and intimidation. In a significant shift, the Student Workers of Columbia-United Auto Workers union has dropped its demand for the university to divest from Israel during bargaining table negotiations. Union president Grant Miner acknowledged the need to adapt demands to the realities of negotiations.

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You start off a campaign with one thing, and then as you bargain, you have to face the realities of where you are.

Separately, an antisemitism advocacy group, End Jew Hatred, launched a petition urging New York Governor Kathy Hochul to remove Mayor Zohran Mamdani from office. This petition follows condemnation of the mayor's rhetoric by Jewish leaders after a stabbing attack that injured two men, one of whom was Jewish. The petition alleges Mamdani has failed to address public safety concerns and govern effectively. The group had previously protested for his removal in May. Meanwhile, Raul Morales, accused in the stabbing, was indicted by a grand jury on charges including attempted murder as a hate crime. Police in Irvington, a New York suburb, are also investigating racist and antisemitic graffiti found at Halsey Pond, months after similar vandalism occurred at the local train station.

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Mayor Mamdani has been made acutely aware of the public safety concerns of the Jewish community, including those about his own rhetoric. He has failed to act, failed to lower the temperature, and failed to adequately govern New Yorkers.