Columbia’s president set to testify at House antisemitism hearing

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce announced Monday that the president of Columbia University plans to testify next month at one of its hearing on college antisemitism.

The hearing, titled “Columbia in Crisis: Columbia University’s Response to Antisemitism,” will happen on April 17, after school President Nemat Shafik was unavailable to testify back in December.  

“Some of the worst cases of antisemitic assaults, harassment, and vandalism on campus have occurred at Columbia University,” said Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.). 

“Due to the severe and pervasive nature of these cases, and the Columbia administration’s failure to enforce its own policies to protect Jewish students, the Committee must hear from Columbia’s leadership in person to learn how the school is addressing antisemitism on its campus,” she added. 

Other witnesses for the hearing will include the co-chairs for the university’s board of trustees.  

“Columbia is committed to combating antisemitism and we welcome the opportunity to discuss our work to protect and support Jewish students and keep our community safe,” the university said in a statement.  

Columbia has previously banned Students for Justice in Palestine from its campus, and Jewish students on campus held a press conference detailing the antisemitism they have faced, such as swastikas drawn on school property.  

Shafik was unavailable to testify during the December antisemitism hearing that included the presidents of Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

During the December hearing, all three came under fire for refusing to say if calls for the genocide of Jewish people would be considered harassment on campus.  

The aftermath resulted in the resignations of both Harvard and UPenn’s presidents.  

Updated at 6:56 pm.