Washington, DC – Jewish students participating in protests at Columbia University assert that their pro-Palestinian activism is fueled by their faith, not in opposition to it.
A group of Jewish student activists recently met with members of Congress in Washington, DC, to share their untold stories, which they believe have been excluded from mainstream discussions about anti-Semitism on college campuses.
Amid nationwide student protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza last year, Columbia University in New York emerged as a focal point.
The university witnessed one of the first student encampments in the country, established to call for divestment from companies involved in human rights violations. Following the appearance of these encampments, the campus also saw some of the initial mass arrests of student protesters in the Palestinian solidarity movement.
This visibility has positioned Columbia as a target for President Donald Trump’s efforts to suppress what he labeled as “illegal protests” and campus anti-Semitism.
Earlier this year, Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil became the first student activist detained by the Trump administration and marked for deportation.
The delegation of Jewish students that visited Congress on Tuesday aimed to argue that individuals like Khalil should not have been detained in their name. They engaged with at least 17 Democratic legislators from both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Al Jazeera interviewed several students who participated in the lobbying event, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Action. Here are a few of their accounts:
Tali Beckwith-Cohen
History major Tali Beckwith-Cohen, who was raised in upstate New York, recalled being brought up in a community where Zionism was the prevailing ideology. She recollected being told “myths” about Palestine being “a land without a people for a people without a land,” a slogan used to justify the establishment of Israel.
However, as she delved into Palestinian history and interacted with Palestinians, Beckwith-Cohen’s beliefs were challenged.
Following the commencement of the Gaza conflict in October 2023, she became involved in activism for Palestinian rights.
Various human rights organizations and United Nations experts have uncovered evidence indicating that Israel’s tactics in Gaza align with genocide. Over 52,615 Palestinians have lost their lives in the conflict thus far.
“For a long time, I grappled with feelings of discomfort, internal conflict, and cognitive dissonance, trying to reconcile my cherished values with Zionism,” Beckwith-Cohen shared with Al Jazeera.
“We are witnessing bombings, disregard for human life, particularly children, hospitals, schools. It compelled me to make a decision.”
She emphasized that the protests served as spaces of solidarity, where students from diverse backgrounds were united in their commitment to the interconnectedness of their safety.
“Much of the media narrative surrounding the events at Columbia campus is disingenuous and far removed from our experiences,” Beckwith-Cohen stated.
“Thus, we’re here today to inform our congressional representatives that what we’re witnessing on campus is evidently an authoritarian, fascist crackdown on any dissent, not solely students advocating peacefully for an end to genocide.”
Student activists Carly Shaffer and Raphie on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on May 6 [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera]
Carly Shaffer
When Carly Shaffer expressed concerns about the Israeli escalation in Gaza in a university WhatsApp group, some of her peers questioned her Jewish identity.
Out of the numerous individuals in the group, she recalled that Khalil – the activist arrested for deportation – was the sole person who reached out to her directly to denounce the derogatory comments directed at her.
As she got to know Khalil, she came to see him as a symbol of someone deeply concerned about the well-being of all campus students.
Shaffer shared with Al Jazeera that she felt “sick” and “horrified” upon Khalil’s arrest. Her discomfort grew when she observed the Trump administration celebrating his detention on social media with the phrase “Shalom, Mahmoud” – a Jewish salutation twisted into a mockery.
Pursuing a master’s degree in human rights and social policy, Shaffer grew up in California under the care of a single mother in a low-income household.
She asserted that speaking out against injustice, including in Palestine, is a practice deeply rooted in her Jewish faith.
“The movement at Columbia is a movement of love. It’s a movement of solidarity,” Shaffer expressed. “And Jewish students are vital and indispensable to this cause.”
She noted that when Jewish student protesters hosted religious events on campus, their counterparts from the encampment joined them and showed interest in their traditions.
“These are the same students being labeled as anti-Semites, who are actively seeking to learn about Passover and celebrate Jewish holidays with their Jewish peers,” Shaffer told Al Jazeera.
She condemned the “weaponization of anti-Semitism,” stating that the issue is being exploited to stifle discussions about Israeli atrocities in Gaza.
“Jewish students are being utilized as pawns in Trump’s political strategy,” she remarked. “And the weaponization of anti-Semitism to dismantle this movement poses a threat not only to Jewish students but to all of us. This underscores the importance for us as Jewish students to counter this false narrative directly.”
Sarah Borus asserts that Trump is utilizing the fear of anti-Semitism to target non-citizens and restrict free speech in the US [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera]
Sarah Borus
Sarah Borus, a student at Barnard College who was arrested during the crackdown on the Columbia encampment, recounted growing up in an anti-Zionist family within a predominantly Zionist community.
She believed it was crucial for Jewish students like herself to present their experiences directly to the influential figures in Washington, DC.
“We’re engaging with Congress members to share our stories that are overlooked by mainstream media,” Borus informed Al Jazeera.
“Trump’s agenda isn’t about safeguarding Jewish students. Ini tentang menggunakan ketakutan akan anti-Semitisme – karena bagaimana perkemahan solidaritas Gaza digambarkan tahun lalu – untuk menargetkan aktivis mahasiswa non-warga negara, untuk menargetkan kebebasan akademik, kebebasan berbicara, dan benar-benar membahayakan banyak orang.”
Ketika ditanya bagaimana perasaannya tentang kemungkinan reaksi terhadap aktivismenya, Borus mengakui bahwa iklim politik saat ini membuatnya merasa takut.
“Saya takut, tapi dalam skema besar, saya bangga dengan pilihan yang telah saya buat,” katanya. “Saya tidak akan membuat pilihan yang berbeda, dan saya siap menghadapi risiko, jika itu yang harus dilakukan.”
Shay Orentlicher mengatakan protes mahasiswa telah membantu mengubah wacana publik di AS [Ali Harb/Al Jazeera]
Shay Orentlicher
Shay Orentlicher tidak menyesali telah berpartisipasi dalam perkemahan Universitas Columbia, meskipun adanya tekanan administratif dan politik.
Orentlicher mengatakan nasionalis Kristen mencoba menghapus sudut pandang mahasiswa Yahudi pro-Palestina dan mendefinisikan Yudaisme sesuai dengan tujuan politik mereka.
Tapi protes terhadap pembunuhan warga Palestina, kata Orentlicher, merupakan ekspresi nilai-nilai Yahudi dan humanis. Dan Orentlicher percaya bahwa demonstrasi di Columbia telah membantu meningkatkan kesadaran secara nasional.
“Meskipun tekanan yang kami hadapi, meskipun penderitaan, dan meskipun keputusasaan karena khawatir bahwa kami belum melakukan cukup untuk menghentikan genosida, untuk memberikan perlindungan bagi warga Palestina di Gaza dan Tepi Barat, saya pikir kami telah mengubah wacana publik dengan cara yang sangat penting,” kata Orentlicher.
“Dan kami juga telah membangun komunitas yang sangat indah. Dan saya tidak menyesali apa yang saya lakukan sama sekali. Saya tidak akan mengubah apa pun.”
Raphie
Raphie, yang memilih untuk hanya disebut dengan nama depannya saja, mengatakan bahwa dia tumbuh dengan keyakinan yang sangat Zionis. Tapi ketika dia belajar lebih banyak tentang konflik antara Israel dan Palestina, dia merasa telah diperdaya.
“Sekolah dasar Yahudi tempat saya belajar, misalnya, memiliki peta Israel, dan seperti berbentuk berlian – tidak ada Tepi Barat atau Gaza di dalamnya,” katanya.
“Ketika saya melihat peta sebenarnya dengan wilayah yang diduduki, saya seperti, ‘Tunggu, saya telah dibohongi.’ Dan itu membuat saya menjalani perjalanan untuk mengeksplorasi apa itu Zionisme, apa itu pendudukan, apa itu kolonialisme penjajah.”
Raphie, yang sedang belajar matematika, mengatakan perang di Gaza, protes di kampus, dan tekanan yang dihadapi para pengunjuk rasa mahasiswa semuanya membuatnya merasa memiliki “tanggung jawab pribadi untuk berjuang demi yang benar”.
Menurut pengalamannya, demonstrasi tersebut ramah, bukan anti-Semit. Yang dianggapnya anti-Semit adalah kenyataan bahwa universitas membidik mahasiswa Yahudi pengunjuk rasa atas pandangan politik mereka.
Beberapa mahasiswa, termasuk Raphie, mengatakan bahwa Columbia menolak memberikan izin kepada mahasiswa yang terkait dengan Jewish Voice for Peace untuk menyelenggarakan perayaan keagamaan di ruang publik. Mereka menggambarkan penolakan tersebut sebagai bentuk diskriminasi.
Universitas tidak menanggapi permintaan komentar Al Jazeera pada saat publikasi.
Raphie juga membuat perbedaan antara merasa tidak nyaman dengan ide-ide yang menantang pandangan dunia seseorang dan benar-benar merasa tidak aman.
“Hal yang normal di kampus adalah bertemu dengan pandangan baru, perspektif baru. Itulah cara saya menjadi lebih pro-Palestina dan anti-Zionis,” katanya. “Awalnya saya merasa tidak nyaman saat menemui pandangan anti-Zionis, tapi kemudian saya mulai memahaminya. Itu normal.”
Raphie menekankan bahwa penderitaan sebenarnya terjadi di Gaza.
“Mahasiswa yang tidak aman saat ini, tentu saja, adalah mahasiswa di Gaza. Setiap universitas di Gaza telah hancur. Mereka tidak memiliki makanan selama 60 hari.”