Jewish Columbia professor is blocked from campus over Israel protest

A Jewish Columbia professor has been blocked from campus after he created a pro-Israel demonstration to counter the student-led Gaza encampment. Shai Davidai (pictured), an assistant professor at the Business School was shown on camera in a fiery face-off with pro-Palestine students on Monday morning.

A source told DailyMail.com that Davidai’s employee card was deactivated after he refused to hold his counter-protest in the designated area and instead staged it beside the pro-Gaza demonstration. Footage shows him remonstrating with security guards at the campus gates before climbing onto a small wall and addressing protesters.

‘They have deactivated my card, they are not letting me on campus,’ Davidai says. ‘I have not just a civil right as a Jewish person to be on campus, I have a right as a professor employed by the university to be on campus.’ His protest was greeted by shouts of ‘Let Shai in’ from supporters and ‘shame on you’ from pro-Palestine protesters who initially tried to drown him out.

In another demonstration held in a green space on Sunday, Davidai called the Gaza encampment ‘open support for Hamas’. It comes after Columbia University canceled all in-person classes amid escalating anti-Israel protests that have sparked fear in Jewish students – and a warning from a rabbi. President Minouche Shafik on Monday said she was ‘saddened’ by the situation and that the school ‘needed a reset’.

‘I understand that many are experiencing deep moral distress and want Columbia to help alleviate this by taking action,’ she said. ‘We should be having serious conversations about how Columbia can contribute.’ The Egyptian-born academic added that tensions have been ‘exploited and amplified by individuals who are not affiliated with Columbia’, warning they are pursuing their own agenda. Last week, the school’s rabbi warned Jewish students not to return to campus amid a horrifying spike in ‘extreme anti-Semitism.’

The NYPD removed an encampment at the college on Thursday and arrested more than 100 demonstrators, including the daughter of Ilhan Omar . Democratic Mayor Eric Adams previously said the city was asked in writing by university officials to remove the encampment. ‘Students have a right to free speech, but do not have a right to violate university policies and disrupt learning on campus,’ Adams said on Sunday night.

‘I am horrified and disgusted with the antisemitism being spewed at and around the Columbia University campus. ‘Hate has no place in our city, and I have instructed the NYPD to investigate any violation of law they receive a report about and will arrest anyone found to be breaking the law,’ Adams said on Sunday night.

‘I do, however, want to be abundantly clear: Columbia University is a private institution on private property, which means the NYPD cannot have a presence on campus unless specifically requested by senior university officials. ‘For the safety of all New Yorkers, I urge Columbia’s senior administration officials to improve and maintain an open line of communication with the NYPD to ensure the safety of all students and staff on campus.

‘The NYPD has an increased presence of officers situated around the campus to protect students and all New Yorkers on public streets, and they stand ready to respond if a request is made by the university, like was done this past Thursday.’ The students had been protesting on campus since early Wednesday, opposing Israeli military action in Gaza and demanding the school divest from companies they claim ‘profit from Israeli apartheid.’

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