A 'punch in the gut' for Columbia alumni - comment

• Published date: 26 April 2024
• Author: SARAH SCHACHNE HIRSCHFELD
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

It's a disgrace and I am extremely troubled by the university's politics and its treatment of Jewish students

It saddens me that I paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for a law degree from an institution that can't engage in logical, critical thought. As a law student, I was taught that my peers would be the future leaders of a great country. Instead, Columbia is essentially supporting the proliferation of terror and extremism.

The beautiful campus on which I proudly received my law degree would not be open to me or my people now.

To speak in more colloquial terms. On Monday, as I went into chag, I felt like I had been punched in the gut. I've always been proud that I got my law degree from Columbia. It makes me sick to see what is going on there.

Looking back, however, I faced issues at my first event at Columbia - the welcome dinner.

One guy - self-hating because his father was Jewish - asked me how I felt about the "fact" that my people killed Jesus. It was like a slap in the face.

I didn't report it because I didn't want to be "that girl" going forward. It's a major regret now.

But it set a tone. There was definitely an undercurrent that made me feel that there was one acceptable lens with which to view the world. That lens seems to have taken over.

No response from dean, president of the university

I conveyed my thoughts to Dean Gillian Lester a couple of times. No response.

I'm not certain of all of the motivations of President Minouche...