A report from Columbia University’s task force on antisemitism released on Friday revealed disturbing details about the violent harassment faced by Jewish students on the campus of the once prestigious university following the October 7 assault on Israel.

The 91-page report, based on testimony from over 500 students, revealed the extent of the antisemitic incidents, including physical altercations and verbal abuse, faced by Jewish students, especially those who are visibly observant.  The hostility and violence began immediately after the October 7 assault on Israel, well before the Israeli ground war in Gaza was launched.

Students testified about having their necklaces ripped off their necks and being pinned against walls. Multiple people reported that visibly Jewish people simply walking past 116th Street  were stalked and verbally assaulted with statements such as “I hope you guys suffer” and “Go back to Poland.”

“Students described being shoved, pushed to the ground, berated for showing support for Zionist causes, and watching Israeli flags burned,” the report said.

Jewish students on campus were subject to vile rants from protestors, including “October 7 is going to be every day for you” and even “Kill your ——-self. And I’ll ——– kill you.”

“On campus, my friends have been spit on, been called like terrible, terrible names, a very close friend of mine was called, a lover of genocide and then a lover of baby killing,” one student testified. “This was only a couple of days after October 7th.”

Other students were subject to hearing chants such as “Yes Hamas, we love you, we support your rockets too,” or “We say justice you say how, burn Tel Aviv to the ground” and “kill another IDF soldier.”

One student testified that she and her brother were pursued by protesters and chased off the campus.

Students began avoiding walking alone on campus. One student said that walking on campus with a kippah or a visible Magen Dovid “could start World War III.”

An Israeli student testified that when she went to seek medical care on campus in July, she heard two healthcare professionals speaking in the next room, one of whom was expressing refusal to treat her because of her Israeli identity.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)