“Revenge”: Columbia University expelled Prof. Shay Davidei

Columbia University blocked the entrance of Prof. Shay Davidei from the School of Business Administration to the campus. According to the university, Davidei’s entry was blocked because he threatened and harassed staff members on campus, including in the case last week, according to them.

The university also stated that Davidi will be able to return to campus after he completes training regarding appropriate behavior for staff members.

The incident last week that the university is referring to, is the anniversary of the October 7th celebration, in which Davidi participated, he said in an interview with the WSJ. Davidi also said in the interview that his removal from the campus is “clearly revenge”. And added that “I feel terrible, not for me but for the Jewish students. The university is showing us where it stands on the issue.”

Davidi also told in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that he was participating in a ceremony to mark October 7th at the university, when pro-Palestinian demonstrators began to surround them. He saw university staff, including COO Cass Holloway, walking by and ignoring the protests, and began filming them, asking why they were allowing the protesters to disrupt the ceremony.

On the same day, Davidi wrote on his Twitter account: “A group of Jewish students at Columbia organized a great memorial event and performance on campus. A group of pro-Palestinian students opposed the events. Can you imagine hatred so great that a person is not allowed to mourn, even for a day? Well, it is Their freedom of speech, and I respect it, but it didn’t end there. In the next phase, Hamas supporters started marching, and shouting, ‘The resistance is great, we will win.’ They surrounded the memorial ceremony, calling for the killing of Jews Me. Only when you experience something like this, do you understand the effectiveness of the Nazi regime. There will always be good people just doing their job.”

Davidei is considered one of the leaders of the Zionist Jewish group in the fight against anti-Israeli demonstrations, and this is not the first time that his entrance to the university has been blocked. Thus, in April, he was blocked from entering the campus along with a number of Jewish students “to maintain their safety”, according to the university.

Columbia reported that Davide is still employed by the university, despite his expulsion.

Let’s recall that Columbia was the first university where a protest camp was set up as part of the pro-Palestinian riots on the campuses last spring, and this camp became one of the violent and extreme centers of the protest. In the end, in an unusual move, the president of the university, Dr. Monish (Namat) Shafik, was helped by the New York police to evacuate the encampment, and shortened the school year. In August, the president announced her resignation from the position, because it “took a toll on her family”.