Friend,
I know we are deeply troubled by the recent, ugly, developments at Columbia University and on campuses around the country. The rampant antisemitism on display is nothing short of a disgrace, and - as history has shown us - extremely dangerous if allowed to go unchecked. I shared my thoughts in today's Wall Street Journal. If you have a moment, please read here, or below.
As always, thank you for your support and your friendship.
Governor Andrew Cuomo
Antisemitism at Columbia University Is a Disgrace
Imagine if in the wake of 9/11, pro-al-Qaeda protesters chased New Yorkers out of the city.
By Andrew M. Cuomo
What is happening at Columbia University is a disgrace. That it is happening in New York, home to more Jews than any other city in the world, and at a supposed institution of higher learning, makes it incomprehensible.
I understand the right to free speech, the guarantees of the First Amendment, the value of robust debate at academic institutions. But freedoms aren’t without limits, and much of what is going on at Columbia isn’t speech at all. Threats, terror tactics and menacing conduct don’t warrant protection.
Protesters have every right to make their voices heard. The war in Gaza, the politics of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and the elusiveness of Middle East peace are frustrating. These complicated issues should be discussed and debated. That isn’t the issue at Columbia. Many of the protesters aren’t pro-Palestinian. They are pro-Hamas and brazenly support a terrorist organization. The protesters are entitled to their opinions, even if they embrace undemocratic, bigoted, sadistic, warmongering thugs. They aren’t entitled to threaten, harass and menace. That isn’t protected speech; it’s criminal conduct.
Most infuriating is the response of Columbia’s administration. Jews are at risk on campus and are told not to come to class—remote learning will be available. Meantime supporters of jihad take over university property and nosh on pizza.
Seriously? The answer is for the Jews to flee campus? Imagine, in the wake of 9/11, if New Yorkers had been told to vacate the city because pro-al-Qaeda protesters were disrupting daily activities, threatening violence and posing a danger. That is Columbia’s approach: See you next fall, Jews.
It is the university’s responsibility to ensure its students are safe. Use campus security. If that is inadequate, use the New York City Police Department. And if protesters break the law, arrest, prosecute and expel them.
History can’t be allowed to repeat itself. The war on the Jews that led to the Holocaust started subtly. Telling Jews to stay away is shockingly reminiscent of what took place in the 1920s and 1930s in Germany. Jews were excluded from businesses, social activities and, yes, universities. At the same time, frightened politicians are already abandoning support of Israel for fear of political reprisal.
This must stop. The Jewish community needs support in its efforts to mobilize. This is no time for hand wringing. Regardless of one’s views on Gaza, reasonable people need to open their eyes and understand this isn’t about the Middle East; it is about America and our democracy. It is time for full-throated public support for education about the history of Jews, antisemitism, Israel and the origins of the Palestinian conflict. It is time for New Yorkers to speak with a single voice in support of our Jewish brothers and sisters and to demand that Columbia and others, by their words and actions, reject antisemitism and discrimination against Jews.
The greatest threat on campus is an ignorant mob, and the greatest threat to the country more broadly is cowardly indifferent leaders.
Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, served as governor of New York, 2011-21.
