Jewish Students Address US Lawmakers Amid Columbia University Protests

Jewish student activists at Columbia University have emphasized that their pro-Palestinian stance stems from their Jewish values, challenging widespread assumptions that equate campus protests with antisemitism. On Tuesday, a delegation of these students traveled to Washington, DC, to meet with U.S. lawmakers and share perspectives they believe have been excluded from dominant narratives surrounding recent student activism. Their visit aimed to shed light on their motivations and to advocate for fellow students who have faced harsh repercussions, such as detainment and potential deportation, due to their participation in pro-Palestinian protests.

These students have been active in protests against Israel’s military actions in Gaza, particularly after the outbreak of war in October 2023. Columbia University emerged as a major hub of the movement, witnessing one of the earliest student encampments in the U.S. These encampments were established to call for divestment from companies linked to human rights violations. Soon after their emergence, Columbia also became one of the first campuses to experience mass arrests of student protesters aligned with the Palestinian cause.

This activism has placed Columbia University in the national spotlight, drawing the attention of political figures, particularly former President Donald Trump, who labeled the protests as “illegal” and part of a broader trend of campus antisemitism. As part of his crackdown, the Trump administration detained Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia student and activist, making him the first student targeted for deportation due to protest-related activities. The Jewish student delegation to Congress made it clear that they did not support actions taken in their name, and they pushed back against the narrative that Jewish identity and Palestinian solidarity are mutually exclusive.

Organized by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Action, an advocacy group focused on human rights and Palestinian liberation, the lobbying effort involved meetings with at least 17 Democratic lawmakers from both chambers of Congress. The students argued that criticism of Israeli policies and solidarity with Palestinians should not be misinterpreted as antisemitism, and they voiced concern over the misuse of Jewish identity to justify repressive measures against student activists.

Among the student voices was Tali Beckwith-Cohen, a history major raised in a Zionist Jewish community in upstate New York. She recalled being taught oversimplified and misleading narratives about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, such as the notion that Palestine was "a land without a people for a people without a land." Her perspective began to shift as she studied Palestinian history and met Palestinians directly impacted by the conflict. The war in Gaza, which began in late 2023, propelled her into deeper activism.

Beckwith-Cohen described grappling with internal conflict over reconciling her Jewish values with the political ideology of Zionism. Her participation in the protests reflects a broader shift among some young Jewish Americans who view opposition to Israel’s military actions not as a betrayal of their heritage but as an embodiment of it.

As of now, over 52,615 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, with international human rights organizations and UN experts asserting that Israel’s military strategy may amount to genocide. The student activists emphasized that their actions are rooted in a commitment to justice and human dignity, central tenets of their faith and identity.