So much has happened both at Cornell and in the world since October 7th. On that day, the Jewish people experienced their worst ordeal since the Holocaust. This has been well documented across several news sources. What has not been talked about enough is the scourge of anti-semitism at Cornell.
From ripping down posters of kidnapped Israeli children, anti-Israel graffiti, threats of violence against Jewish students, and a number of protests calling for the end of Israel, Cornell is experiencing levels of anti-semitism not seen in a hundred years. To that end, as a Jewish student, I have never felt more unwelcome and unsafe than at any point in my time here.
These events did not occur in a vacuum. The University has done little to assure Jewish students of their safety. By not acting with moral conviction, the Cornell administration failed at its two basic duties: ensure student safety, and allow for concrete discourse without potential repercussions. The consequences have been increasing anti-semitic incidents on campus with the potential end being violence.
Cornell’s PR Failure
The sequence began with President Pollack’s initial message to students about the October 7th events. As we wrote, Pollack compared the mass slaughter of Jews to that of a hurricane, or a flood. It was a highly insensitive statement to the Jewish students on campus. Only after major backlash did Pollack follow up by mentioning that she condemned terrorism and Hamas.
Pollack should have begun her statement with: “We condemn terrorism in every form, anti-semitism and stand with the people of Israel.”
By failing to call out Hamas’ wicked actions, Pollack and the administration emboldened hard core anti-Israel and anti-semitic groups to speak more, not less, and ratchet tensions on campus.
This extends further to the comments from Diversity and Inclusion director Derron Borders and Professor Rickford, who called the Hamas terrorist attacks “a resistance,” and “exhilarating” and “energizing” respectively. Instead of having a clear eyed conversation about the tragedy that is now happening in Palestine or a proper debate about a two-state solution, extremist sentiment has overtaken any rational discussion. This itself is a tragedy for a University that prides itself as an elite academic institution.
Cornell’s inaction emboldened student antisemitism
There are too many examples of anti-semitic sentiment from the students on campus, including a majority vote for supporting or amending anti-semitic “Resolution XX”, bullying an ad truck condemning Rickford off of campus, students and professors alike tearing down posters of kidnapped Israelis and worst of all, a number of heinous posts threatening to “shoot up” the Jewish living space on campus. The online threats against Jewish students prompted Pollack to put out a statement condemning anti-semitism.
All of these events followed a lackluster response from the school. By not taking a hard stance and speaking out about anti-semitism earlier, the school let this issue fester, to the point that Jewish students no longer feel safe in their own homes.
The moral rot at Cornell is real.
Actions speak louder than words; words are all Cornell has
In response to the suppression of free speech and anti-semitism on campus, Vice President Lombardi urged students to commit to both free expression as well as “inclusion and belonging.” He called free expression a “core value” at Cornell.
Actions speak louder than words, and right now that’s all the University has: words. As I have previously written:
The administration may speak with their words, but their message rings hollow without any concrete action to back it up.
Earlier this year, I wrote about how, at a pro-Palestine rally, antisemitism reared its ugly head at Cornell. A mystery speaker goaded a group of students into chanting “Israel off the earth!” At the time, I remember being unnerved by what I saw.
Little could I have imagined that the situation would be so much worse months later, with Jewish students forced to install security cameras, cancel Sunday services, and request police security for fear of their safety.
As events unfold around the world, tensions will continue to remain high at Cornell. It is my belief that if the University does nothing to calm these rising tensions, violence may ensue. This has already happened at Tulane University and Cooper Union. There is no reason to think this cannot happen at Cornell.
It is telling that the governor of New York, Kathy Hochul felt the need to make her presence on campus to condemn anti-semitism. The governor has made all the right moves so far, but it is a shame that the governor of the state had to come to our school in order to make Jewish students feel more safe.
Final thoughts
The last question is what can Jewish students and supporters of Israel do to combat this antisemitism on campus? For students, the answer is to continue to display your Judaism proudly, pray for peace, and continue to raise awareness about the tragedy of October 7th.
The consequences of the University’s actions have been damaging to their financial outlook. I’m sure there are alumni who are reconsidering their donations or halted it entirely. None of this is good for the long-term future of the University.
It’s all out in the open now. When I first reported on anti-semitism on campus, it was largely ignored. The horrible events of October 7th have revealed who is who. It’s unfortunate that once the masks have been removed just how many of my fellow students act not with kindness and empathy, but malice, and hatred. A hatred as old as time. Antisemitism.
