Polls /

Fox News:Viral Columbia professor who condemned campus inaction on antisemitism says he’s ‘ashamed’ of elite school Professor calls himself ‘privileged White male who is extremely progressive and liberal’

  |   By Polling+ Staff

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 12: Supporters of both Israel and Palestine engage with each other at Columbia University on October 12, 2023 in New York City. Across the country and around the world, people are holding rallies and vigils for both Palestinians and Israeli's following last weekends attack by Hamas. The attack, which killed over 1000 Israeli's, has resulted in a bombardment of Gaza by the Israeli military. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Columbia Business School assistant professor and Israeli-American Shai Davidai is mad – and he’s not going to be quiet about it.

Fox News headlines: https://www.foxnews.com/media/viral-columbia-professor-condemned-campus-inaction-antisemitism-ashamed-elite-school

Viral Columbia professor who condemned campus inaction on antisemitism says he’s ‘ashamed’ of elite school 

Professor calls himself ‘privileged White male who is extremely progressive and liberal’

With a considerable accompanying video of Professor Davidai, Fox reports:

EXCLUSIVE – Columbia Business School assistant professor and Israeli-American Shai Davidai again called on Columbia’s leadership to condemn the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel and spoke out against what he views as biased media coverage of the war. 

“I woke up on October 7th to see 1,400 of my countrymen massacred and more than 200 kidnapped, including babies, and stories and videos of teenage girls [being raped],” he told Fox News Digital in an interview. “And I was just in complete grief. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that a day after, a university would not take a stand against that and then, three days after or four days after, student organizations would be celebrating this kind of terrorism on campus.” 

Davidai went viral after he called Columbia University President Minouche Shafik a “coward” for remaining silent on “pro-terror” groups at school and said he “didn’t expect” the video of his passionate speech to become as popular as it did. He said he has received thousands of supportive messages from Columbia graduates, students, faculty and even strangers. 

‘The fact that the leadership of Columbia University has been so quiet about this,’ Davidai said, was ‘beyond’ him. ‘I was ashamed of the leadership because I love Columbia. My family’s history is deeply intertwined with Columbia,” explaining that his wife and multiple members of his family have either graduated from the institution or served as professors. 

Columbia is one of many elite institutions across America that is being rocked by accusations of excusing antisemitism as the debate over the Israel-Hamas war continues. 

‘I see myself as fighting for the reputation of Columbia University and not letting the leadership tarnish that beautiful reputation. And then all of a sudden, I realize this is much bigger than Columbia. This is happening in universities all over the country.’”

Well three cheers for Professor Davidai. Anyone who watches that now-viral video posted in the Fox story will see in an instant just why it went viral. There is the good professor passionately standing up to oppose the genocide being inflicted on his fellow Israelis, and unhesitatingly calling out the leadership of Columbia for their silence. Doing so, obviously, at the risk of losing his job if not worse – worse being the usual flood of threats that mysteriously flow to Israel’s defenders. Particularly if they happen to be Jewish.

Doubtless there is more to come on this story. Stay tuned.