Columbia University postpones major fundraiser amid tensions over Israel-Hamas war
By Matt Egan, CNN
New York (CNN) — Columbia University has postponed its massive Giving Day fundraising event scheduled for Wednesday amid simmering tensions on campus over the Israel-Hamas war.
Giving Day is a critical fundraising event for Columbia, as the university has noted endowment funding and tuition do not cover the entire cost of education. The annual event raised nearly $30 million in just 24 hours last year.
“After careful consideration and consultation with University and alumni leadership, we decided that this is not the appropriate time to move forward with Columbia Giving Day,” Columbia spokesperson Samantha Slater said in a statement. “It is postponed for the time being, and a decision on rescheduling will be made in the near future.”
The Hamas terror attack on Israel and subsequent Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have caused tensions at college campuses across America and contributed to a backlash from powerful donors at some elite universities.
At Columbia, school officials took the rare step earlier this month of shutting the campus down to the public as two simultaneous rallies were held on school grounds.
That decision came after the assault of a Columbia student who was hanging up posters on campus in support of Israel.
Tensions surge at Columbia
“Right now, we know that the atmosphere on campus is extremely charged and many are concerned for their personal safety,” Columbia officials said in a statement on October 12.
Columbia President Minouche Shafik issued a statement urging the community to avoid language that “vilifies, threatens or stereotypes entire groups of people,” adding that this type of speech “will not be tolerated” when it is unlawful or violates university rules.
Shai Davidai, an assistant professor at the Columbia Business School, delivered a fiery speech last week calling Shafik a “coward” for failing to quiet “pro-terror” voices at the school.
“If my amazing two-year-old daughter was now 18 years old, I would never, never, never send her to Columbia, not because it’s not a great institution. It’s an amazing institution. But because I know that she will not be protected there because the president of the university allows pro-terrorists to march on campus,” Davidai said.
Donors close checkbooks at UPenn
Meanwhile, the donor backlash at the University of Pennsylvania continues.
The Penn Alumni Club of Israel is now cutting ties with that Ivy League school in protest over a Palestinian literature festival held on campus last month.
In a statement on Tuesday, the alumni club of Israel said it is now “formally disengaged” from UPenn. The club said it will no longer provide information and data on alumni in Israel, communicate with universities or serve “any functions” within the alumni organization.
“Ben Franklin called America the New Jerusalem; Jerusalem is now calling out Ben’s legacy for balefully losing its moral compass,” former club co-presidents Dov Hoch and Dalia Hope Levine said in a statement. “Penn’s leadership has chiseled multiple higher education milestones into a tombstone of moral vacuity.”
The Penn Alumni Club of Israel cited the Palestine Writes Literary Festival, which featured speakers who had a history of making antisemitic remarks, according to UPenn leaders.
UPenn President Liz Magill condemned antisemitism broadly prior to the Palestine Writes Festival.
However, organizers and attendees tell CNN the festival was aimed at celebrating and promoting Palestinian culture and Palestinians through music, art and literature. At the festival, some speakers denied allegations of antisemitism.
Still, the Palestine Writes festival has been cited by a slew of powerful donors who have vowed to close their checkbooks to UPenn, including “Law & Order” creator Dick Wolf, former US Ambassador Jon Huntsman and hedge fund billionaire Cliff Asness. The donor backlash has been led by private equity billionaire Marc Rowan.
According to an email forwarded by Rowan on Monday, venture capitalist Emil Woods informed Magill he can’t continue donating to UPenn because school leaders have failed to “extinguish the fomenting of hate” during the current crisis.
“Penn was a sanctuary for me. But today nothing could be further from the truth for students. Penn has failed students, left them hiding with their feeling of safety shattered,” Woods wrote in the email forwarded by Rowan.
Woods did not respond to requests for comment.
Messages projected onto George Washington University library
George Washington University said in a statement Wednesday that it will be conducting a review after a group of individuals projected several pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli messages onto a campus building in Washington, DC, Tuesday night.
“The projections on the university’s library violated university policy, and leadership intervened to ensure that these projections were removed,” the statement read.
Social media posts of the incident show individuals projecting messages onto a campus wall reading “divestment from Zionist genocide now,” “free Palestine from the river to the sea,” “glory to our martyrs,” and “GW the blood of Palestinians is on your hands.”
According to one video shared by the advocacy group @StopAntisemitism, a group of individuals sat on the ground behind their projector and refused to comply when asked by police to remove the messages.
“The statements made by these individuals in no way reflect the views of the university. We are reviewing this incident and will take any appropriate steps with respect to the individuals involved in accordance with university policies,” the university said.
“We recognize the distress, hurt, and pain this has caused for many members of our community,” the statement continued. “The university will continue to communicate with all members of its community about the support resources available during this difficult time.”
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CNN’s Abby Baggini contributed to this report.
