Jewish, pro-Israel Columbia University professor says he was blocked from entering main campus: 'This is 1938'
Shai Davidai, who said his keycard was deactivated, was told by school officials to hold counterprotest in specific area
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Jewish Columbia University professor who has been critical of the school’s response to widespread anti-Israel protests and planned a counter demonstration said Monday that he was blocked from entering the main campus.
Assistant business professor Shai Davidai, who was born in Israel and has called for Columbia leadership to resign as anti-Israel agitators wreak havoc on campus, said his keycard to enter the school’s main campus had been deactivated.
"I have, not just a civil right, a civil right as a Jewish person to be on campus. I have a right as a professor employed by the university to be on campus. They deactivated my card," Davidai told demonstrators Monday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The moment when Davidai apparently realized his entry card was deactivated was captured on video that quickly spread on social media.
COLUMBIA JEWISH STUDENTS 'NO LONGER FEEL SAFE,' SAY ANTI-ISRAEL MOB CHASED THEM OFF CAMPUS
Professor Shai Davidai has spoken out on campus antisemitism at Columbia. (Fox News Digital)
"My card has been deactivated? Why? Wait, wait, wait, everybody my card has been deactivated. This is Cas Holloway, the COO [Chief Operating Officer], this is [Vice President for Public Safety] Gerald Lewis. They were in the meeting when I asked them if Hamas is a terror organization, and they couldn’t say that it is a terrorist organization," Davidai told the crowd as Holloway and Lewis looked on.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I am a professor here, I have every right to be everywhere on campus. You cannot let people that support Hamas on campus, and me, a professor, not go on campus," he continued. "Let me in now."
The crowd then began to chant, "Let Shai in," as Davidai addressed the pro-Israel crowd.
He took to X to comment on the situation: "Earlier today, @Columbia University refused to let me onto campus. Why? Because they cannot protect my safety as a Jewish professor. This is 1938."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}While Davidai was stunned that the school deactivated his entry card, he was warned that his counter protest would be kept to a specific area.
Earlier on Monday, Holloway emailed Davidai and said that "it is our standard operating procedure at any protest to establish a counterprotest area" and informed the Jewish professor his counter protest would have to occur at the Math Lawn section of campus.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"To maintain the safety of the Columbia community, you are not permitted to enter the West Lawn," Holloway wrote in the email.
"Because of the obvious risk to the safety of students and other members of our community, we strongly urge you to ask any students and colleagues who may have planned to join you to change their plans as well," Holloway continued. "Obviously, the safety of our community has to be our top priority right now. As a faculty member, you have a fiduciary duty to do everything in your power to help keep our students and campus safe."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Davidai had promoted the pro-Israel event on social media:
Fox News Digital reached out to Columbia University for comment.
Protests have rocked the campus in recent days as anti-Israel agitators demand the Israeli military stop fighting in Gaza after Hamas terrorists launched an attack on the country in October.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Video footage from the demonstrations last week showed the anti-Israel protesters shouting pro-Hamas slogans, including one incident in which a protester was captured shouting "We are Hamas" on video. Another video last week from near the campus showed a man shouting that Oct. 7 would be "every day," referring to the terrorist atrocity last year perpetrated by Hamas.
Things have gotten so ugly that a campus rabbi urged Jewish students to leave amid concerns for their safety.
According to the Columbia Business School’s website, Davidai is assistant professor in the Management Division of Columbia Business School and "studies the psychological forces that shape, distort, and bias people’s perceptions of the world and their influence on people’s judgments, preferences, and choices."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NYPD officers patrol as pro-Palestine protesters demonstrate outside of Columbia University’s campus in New York City on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Multiple students were arrested as officers cleared an encampment on the campus’ lawn. (Peter Gerber for Fox News Digital)
Columbia University President Dr. Nemat "Minouche" Shafik said in a statement Monday that she was "deeply saddened" by what has unfolded.
"Our bonds as a community have been severely tested in ways that will take a great deal of time and effort to reaffirm," she said. "Students across an array of communities have conveyed fears for their safety and we have announced additional actions we are taking to address security concerns. The decibel of our disagreements has only increased in recent days. These tensions have been exploited and amplified by individuals who are not affiliated with Columbia who have come to campus to pursue their own agendas."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We need a reset," Shafik added. "To deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps, I am announcing that all classes will be held virtually on Monday. Faculty and staff who can work remotely should do so; essential personnel should report to work according to university policy. Our preference is that students who do not live on campus will not come to campus."
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Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and Taylor Penley contributed to this report.