A Jewish student wearing a yalmuke was punched in the face by an anti-Israel protestor outside of the gates of Columbia University this week, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
The incident occurred during a rally held by the Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition student group. The student, Jonathan Lederer, participated in a counterprotest together with his brother.
The attacker called the brothers Nazis and grabbed an Israeli flag from them. When Jonathan ran after the attacker to get the flag back, the protester punched him in the face.
Jonathan's brother David said that this is the second time Jonathan has been assaulted by anti-Israel activists at Columbia.
Columbia Prof. Shai Davidai, whose campus access was suspended in October following his criticism of the school's handling of the wave of antisemitism that engulfed the campus following the October 7 Hamas massacre, said that the latest assault against a Jewish student is the result of the school administration's failure to take the antisemitism crisis seriously.
"For months I've been begging Columbia to take this seriously. For months, Columbia has been ignoring escalating threats. Today, a Jewish student wearing a yarmulka was punched in the face. I know this student's family. I've met his parents. They're some of the loveliest people I've ever met. And they deserve better," Davidai wrote on X.
"This assault didn't come out of nowhere. It came from a pro-Hamas protest organized by the Students for Justice in Palestine at Columbia university. It came from 13 months of hatred, demonization, and indoctrination, especially for observant, and thus more visible, Jews. It came from 13 months of the administration looking the other way. Columbia must start enacting rules inside campus and among their terrorist support cell," he said.
"Columbia University has a serious problem of support for anti-Jewish, anti-Israeli, and anti-American terrorism. It's undeniable. If Columbia is serious about Jewish and Israeli lives and wants to solve the root problem rather than put bandaids on it, I am here to work with you. But I won't let you look the other way. You know who the leaders are. You have read what they have written, heard what they have said, and seen how they behave. You know it's time to remove them from campus," Davidai stated.
Columbia has come under increased scrutiny over the anti-Israel protests on campus, which have been on the rise since October 7, 2023.
Pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators at Columbia set up dozens of tents in April, demanding that the university divest from its Israeli assets. The university administration called in police to dismantle the encampments.
On April 30, at the request of university leaders, hundreds of officers with the New York Police Department stormed onto campus, gaining access to the building through a second-story window and making dozens of arrests of the pro-Palestinian Arab demonstrators who had taken over Hamilton Hall.
Before the anti-Israel encampment on campus, the Chabad rabbi of Columbia University and a group of Jewish students were forced to leave the university campus for their own safety during a pro-Hamas demonstration.
In August, three Columbia University deans resigned from the school, after it was discovered that they had exchanged “very troubling” texts that “disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes”.
Later that month, Columbia University President Dr. Minouche Shafik announced her resignation, following months of criticism for her handling of campus antisemitism.
The antisemitism has continued into the new school year. On the first day of classes, dozens of masked anti-Israel protesters gathered at the entrance to Columbia and at Barnard College.
Days later, pro-Palestinian Arab protesters at Columbia University staged a sit-in at the Institute of Global Politics in the School of International and Public Affairs, where former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is teaching a course.