Columbia Professor Says He Is Unsafe on Campus | More with Marissa Streit

when you think about the war on terror we tend to think about Afghanistan or Iraq or Gaza but the war on terror is happening right now on us campuses because when you have Pro Terror organizations on us campuses then you have terror on us campuses where are you reporting in from you're you're a professor I am a professor at Columbia business school uh but right now I'm reporting from my home I haven't been in my office for two weeks uh because I'm afraid to go into my office my uh my direct colleagues are amazing Columbia business school has been amazing the dean has been amazing but the administration the university is just unwilling to protect me and and my fellow colleagues and and our students and I just don't feel comfortable my parents have begged me not to walk going to work so I've been in hiding for two what do you mean by that what do you mean by being afraid to go on campus why are you afraid what is happening on campus that is so scary for you as a faculty member to to show up when I know that there are student organizations that are celebrating rape and the murdering of babies and the kidnapping of great-grandmothers and not only are they they're given the opportunity to do so but they're encouraged by the administration then that's scary um when I know that there are student organizations on campus that see me as a legitimate Target see my wife as a legitimate Target see my seven-year-old son and my two-year-old daughter as the legitimate Target of resistance but they basically say they they never they're not willing to to to draw the line between what's right and what's wrong then how can I feel safe I know that you've been reacting to a letter that came out of the administration can you just tell me about that letter and what do you think it's signaling to Jews on Columbia campus for the past 11 days days we've been waiting to hear something anything from the University and we haven't heard anything until last night uh when the president of Columbia University sent a message to all its um to all the community uh that's basically saying look we understand that there's pain and suffering in both sides she will not name the Kamas an internationally recognized Terror organizations for what it is she wouldn't even use award she will not condemn the pro Terror organizations on campus and she's creating this this false equivalency and and I and I want to say one thing I I'd hate to correct you but this is not about Jewish students and parents of Jewish students this is about every person that attends Colombia and every parent who has a kid at Colombia when you know that you're sending tens of thousands of dollars hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for the salary of the president and the and the administration ation that are allowing Pro Terror organizations to operate on campus this should shake you to the core and it doesn't matter if this was if this was the KKK a terror organization you would be shaken to the core as you're supposed to be right if this was Isis you would be shaken to the core well I'm here to tell you this is Isis Kamas is Isis and yet the president of the university and not just Colombia all around the country they are allowing the Pro teror organizations to march on campus to Rally to celebrate the rape of young teenagers in a music festival young teenagers who are the same age as the students celebrating it now I want to say I I love my students I I don't want this this to be seen as me attacking students I am not attacking students it's about the student organizations that have been uh taken over by groups of extremists pro Terror extremists all over campuses all over the United States and I'm I'm I'm I'm opposing them and I'm opposing the administrations that are allowing them to operate um just to give you context last week in a in a in a pro Terror rally that they held on Columbia campus they marched onto the C to the building of the Center for Jewish life on Colombia and they forced that Center to go into lockdown a building in the University of Columbia in the city of New York was forced to go into lockdown because the administration will does not have the the the moral courage to say no we will not allow Pro teror organizations I'm just a vessel saying what hundreds of people have been messaging me they're scared they're they're they're worried they're worried for their children's lives they're worried about their children's safety I got a message today from from a student who left Yale she dropped out early this week because she felt she said she doesn't feel safe at Yale and she doesn't know when when she'll be ever feel safe again how is this an institution of higher education if you cannot protect the most vulnerable students the ones that are opposing Terror what do you think the administrators of these universities should be doing right now they have to do two things then the number one thing they have to do is right now send a letter to all the community saying that they condemn Terror condemn the Hamas condemn Isis and condemn theala and condemn every student organization that that supports these these terrorists that's the first thing and they and and not to wait till tomorrow till they have hundreds of lawyers vetting their messages this is not about saying the right words this is about taking a moral stance so that's the first thing they should do and the second thing they should do is that they should right now ban any pro Terror student organization from campus not just those that are protesting that are now supporting the the terror organizations that are that are operating in Gaza or in Lebanon but also every Terror organization it doesn't matter if you are terrorizing African-Americans you should not be able to operate on campuses if you are terrorizing trans uh individuals if you're terrorizing lgbtq if you're terrorizing Asian you should not be able to operate on campus it's your freedom uh in this country an amazing country it's your freedom to believe what you want and use your own social media to say whatever vile things you want to say but you should not allow to organize and March on campuses no matter no matter what because this is Terror and terror is Terror you know many have been saying that this is really Justified resistance and by not allowing Pro Hamas Pro protest on campus you're really telling the pro Palestinian community that they are not allowed to express their frustration and their anger what is your answer to that it's categorically false I see myself and I've always introduce myself as pro-israeli and pro Palestinian you can be pro-israeli and pro Palestinian and stand strong in the face of Terror and say no to Terror there are some some lines that are not that shall never be crossed crimes against humanity shall they are never Justified for no reason rape is never Justified and I want to tell you this and I want this I want everyone to hear this because this is extremely important I am in full support of every student organization around the country that is now sending Aid to Palestinians that is supporting Palestinians but at the same time condemning theas for what it is a vile internationally recognized Terror organization you can be Pro Palestine you can help your your your Palestinian friends and brothers and sisters and I think not only that you can but you should you should help them my wife and I were crying our eyes out yesterday seeing of all the innocent lives that are being that are being amassed on both sides and yet we're able to say no to Terror 99% of Palestinians in Gaza and in the West Bank and in Lebanon are are good decent people that would never never imagine of raping someone just to make a point they would never because they have daughters of their own 99% of them but yet they are controlled by extremists terrorist extremists that are getting their full support from student organizations all around this country I am heartbroken it just breaks my heart you know Professor you've been you've been a a a teacher for several years now at Colombia and so I want to ask you an honest question and that is is this a new thing is the hostility on campus towards Israel something new that you've been noticing once rape is used as a Justified and legitimate Act of resistance once babies are executed in their cribs once they they they shot poodles family pets once that line was crossed I can no longer accept that that's the point where you become a terrorist organization and if you support that you are a pro Terror organizations so there might have been this sentiment throughout history in in campuses I do not know maybe maybe I was oblivious to it maybe I did not want to believe that it's true and that I have myself to blame but they've always they've always they were always ashamed to say these things and now they are emboldened by The Silence of the administrations and they are saying the the silence Parts out loud they they are calling for the eradication of every Jew and Israeli they are calling to kill Jews and Israelis worldwide last week on Friday there was a a national day of resistance and in this national day of resistance they called every person who supports them to confront Jews everywhere in the world my two-year-old daughter goes to uh daycare in in Manhattan last Friday she and none of her and all of her uh classmates could not go to the playground they did not leave the facilities last Friday they couldn't go and play these 2-year-old toddlers not in Tel Aviv not in Kaa not in Jerusalem not in Gaza in New York City they were not able to go and play in the playground cuz the teachers were afraid for Jewish and Israeli kids I think there are many American parents that are asking themselves right now how did we get here this did not happen overnight I want to show you this book that I actually picked up from Princeton University uh but I know it's also at Barnard College it's just not that far from you and the author is is jazbar a I hope I'm not um misreading her name uh this is part of a gender studies book and you should really look it up and I encourage every Professor that is representing America's colleges right now to go and read what's in this book and what's in this gender studies because 90% of it is is blood lials against Israel and Jews and this is actually part of the studies that are being taught in our schools right right now I mean there's an entire chapter that talks about organ harvesting done by Israelis on Palestinians and so you know when I when I confront you with the question of is this a new thing and are we surprised that it has come to this moment to be honest with you I am not surprised I am horrified I'm enraged I'm upset but I'm not surprised and I think that things are only going to get worse if if pref professors continue to say well my discipline is to teach business and so therefore I'm going to stick the H my head in the sand and worry about my career at what point do we get more professors like you who are enraged enough worried worried about about worried enough about their children their students and about America as a whole so we stop this evil from from growing exponentially you know I commend you for speaking out uh and I ask you this question what is is your message to parents here in America who say that the the problem in the Middle East is so far away why do we even have to engage in this why do we even have to converse about this it's been all consuming for the last couple of weeks why is this an issue for for Americans to contemplate and and and react to I'm sorry I'm getting emotional here's I want to appeal directly to every parent in America and it doesn't matter if you're liberal or conservative it does not matter if you're Jewish or Christian or Muslim if you're a parent I want to I want to say this thing from one dad to another dad from one dad to all the strong amazing moms out there I would do anything possible kids right now there are pro Terror organizations on campuses will you put your life down to protect your kid I love Columbia University my wife is an Alam of Columbia University her grandfather was a professor of Jewish studies in the 1970s chur professor of Jewish studies in at Columbia University it's my home it's not just my office it's not just my job it's my home I love my colleagues when I go there I feel at home and my home is under attack and it's under attack by Pro Terror organiz ations now when you think about the the the war on terror we we tend to think about Afghanistan or Iraq or Gaza but the war of Terror is happening right now on us campuses because when you have Pro Terror organizations on us campuses then you have terror on us campuses this is bigger than me I can speak up I'm not afraid to speak up but I need you all I need all the parents out there to speak up now is not the time to to keep scrolling on your on your social media now is not the time to to say yes but now is the time to say I am willing to do everything to keep my son my daughter my non-binary child whoever it is the person that you love the most in the world now is the time to keep them safe you know the one thing that I've been thinking about what I feel now is the same thing the same sentiment that I felt the first time my firstborn child scraped his knee in the playground that I rushed to him I saw him crying and all I wanted to do is just hug him this this immense bear hug and not let go because I wanted everything to be good and I wanted him to feel safe in the world and this is what's happening on us campuses I I feel the pain of all our amazing students they are they are afraid they are scared and they are looking to their parents and asking them please help me please make sure that there are no Pro Terror organizations on my campus that's all I can tell the parents Professor I know that you never thought that you would have to be brave stepping into campus and doing the type of advocacy that you're doing uh but you know we have a a a real bravery deficit in the west right now and I think this lesson that you're teaching to the entire world to speak out uh and speak for for True Justice um is courageous and I commend you and I thank you for that and I hope to see more professors out there like you God bless you thank you so much