Columbia University is temporarily suspending a prominent pro-Israel business professor’s access to campus after he publicly criticized school officials for permitting anti-Israel campus demonstrations on the anniversary of the October 7 massacre.
Columbia notified Israeli-American business professor Shai Davidai on Tuesday that he will be banned from campus for violating university policy on harassing school employees.
On Tuesday night, Davidai posted a video on social media accusing Columbia of retaliating against him for posting a video of himself asking Columbia’s chief operating officer Cas Halloway why he allowed pro-Hamas demonstrators to protest on the anniversary of October 7.
“Right now I was supposed to be at the school of social work at Columbia, where the Jewish students are holding their own memorial service for the senseless violence of October 7th. But then I got a call from my lawyer, who says the university has decided to not allow me to be on campus anymore,” Davidai said.
“Why? Because of October 7th. Because I was not afraid to stand up to the hateful mob. And because I was not afraid to expose Mr. f**king Cas Holloway for not doing anything about it.”
National Review has reached out to Davidai and Columbia for comment. The New York Times confirmed with the university that Davidai has in fact been barred from campus.
Davidai emerged as an outspoken pro-Israel activist after Hamas’s mass civilian slaughter on October 7, 2023. He frequently criticizes Columbia for its soft approach to the anti-Israel and pro-Hamas protests on and around the university’s New York City campus. More broadly, Davidai is a strong opponent of campus antisemitism and uses his large social-media following to bring attention to radical activism on campuses across the country.
Columbia received national attention over the summer for its prolonged anti-Israel encampment on campus that inspired a wave of imitations nationwide. Eventually, Columbia sent in the NYPD to break up the encampment once and for all after a group of student activists and outside agitators ransacked a campus building. The activists were demanding Columbia to divest itself from companies doing business in Israel and calling for the Biden administration to end its support for Israel’s war effort against Hamas.
Lead campus organizer Khymani James, who previously called for zionists to be killed, was suspended from campus in April when his old comments resurfaced. James walked back his initial apology for the remarks earlier this month when an anti-Israel campus organization expressed solidarity with him.
At one point, Columbia banned Davidai from entering the part of campus where the tent encampment took place, derailing his plans to stage a peaceful pro-Jewish sit-in around the demonstrators. Before that, Columbia launched an investigation into Davidai’s social media activity that he believes to be politically motivated.
The turmoil at Columbia ultimately lead to embattled president Minouche Shafik to resign after she received blowback on all sides for her handling of anti-Israel campus activity. Shafik’s resignation followed the resignation of three Columbia deans over text messages that included antisemitic tropes.
House Republicans on the Education and Workforce Committee continue to investigate antisemitism at Columbia and the school’s lackluster response to it.