On Sunday night, March 16, community members gathered at the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills for an informative program on the fight against anti-Semitism on the American campus.
First, Assemblyman Sam Berger spoke and shared that he was in attendance not in his capacity as an assemblyman, but because he personally values that it’s the right thing to attend. He shared that his great aunt was in the Holocaust in Hungary, and when she was interviewed about her experience, one person asked her when it was that she first felt no longer welcome in Europe. Her response was chilling in relation to what is going on today in our country. She said, “It started with the universities.”
Sam Berger then detailed some of the following shocking things that have happened on campuses here in the United States: students and faculty participating in protests and harassing Jewish students at Harvard and other Ivy League universities, swastikas painted at Queens College, a speaker at Queens Collee who said Hamas was too merciful on October 7 and the Jews were responsible for 9/11, protests at a shul on Park Drive East. “We are here tonight to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself.” He said that Aish HaTorah and Aish Ha’am have the ability to unite us. They only care about the fire in your neshamah. We need a group of people fighting to stand up for the Jewish community.
Following this, the audience viewed a documentary film. It began with the quote from the Haggadah, “In every generation they rise up to destroy us.” It showed footage from the monstrous terrorism that took place in Israel on October 7, where 3,000 Jews were murdered by Hamas terrorists who brutally killed children in front of parents and parents in front of children and took 250 hostages to Gaza. Then it showed Prime Minister Netanyahu speaking. He said people need to know the difference between good and evil. There are Jews who side with Hamas. Hamas targets civilians. Jews target terrorists.
It showed the questioning by Congresswoman Stefanik of the presidents of three Ivy League colleges who claimed that evil depended on the context, so they would not condemn rape and murder of women, children, and civilians that were committed by Hamas terrorists. There was footage of pro-Palestinian protests on campuses, where the protestors wore masks and physically blocked Jewish students from entering classes.
The documentary featured three Jewish students, one from Harvard, one from UCLA, and one from Columbia, who have become activists fighting ignorance and standing up for Israel and Jewish students. They each shared their experiences on campus since October 7.
First, Shabbos Kestenbaum, graduate student at Harvard, who is currently suing the university, pointed out that anti-Semitism existed in Harvard way before October 7. The president of Harvard, during the Nazi era, was a Nazi sympathizer. They had Jewish quotas then for admission to the college. Recently, the name Master of the House was changed to Dean, out of sensitivity to the African American students’ negative association with “master.” However, the house where most of the Jewish students live still carries the name of the anti-Semitic president of Harvard. This president was quoted as saying, “We have too many Jews in the university.” There has been no move to change the name of that house. There were protests for BDS before October 7.
Eden Yadegar, a student at Columbia University, shared how, before October 7, she was proud to be a student at Columbia and how much that feeling has changed.
Eli Tsives, a student at UCLA, related that his grandmother was a Holocaust survivor. He shared his shocking experiences on campus since October 7. People he thought were his friends totally turned their backs on him and were protesting for him and his people to die. It was a stab in the heart, he said.
Shabbos Kestenbaum shared that the police protection at Harvard was for the Palestinian protestors and not for the Jewish students or Jewish faculty. It’s chilling to see classmates not condemning Hamas and calling Israelis the oppressors.
The film showed masked mobs on campus that force Jewish students off campus.
At Columbia University, protestors chanted things like “Go back to Poland” and “Vowed to repeat October 7 one thousand times.” This is a result of decades of unchecked anti-Semitism at Columbia University. Eden shared that the new president of the university acknowledged there is a terrorism problem at the school.
At UCLA, a rabbi was physically assaulted by one of the masked protestors.
Shabbos Kestenbaum pointed out the frightening reality that these students who are indoctrinated with this anti-Semitism at the Ivy League universities are the future lawyers, judges, authors, teachers, and political leaders of the next generation in America. This is a truly frightening thought.
Harvard Library, which is one of the largest libraries in the world, was the epicenter for the protests the week after October 7 and for many weeks afterwards. The protestors took over the library, a sacred site on campus, and infested it with blatant anti-Israel and anti-Jewish protests. They blamed Jews for the largest massacre since the Holocaust. Posters asking to free the Hostages were defaced and a Jewish student was told to leave class.
Eden shared that at Columbia it became normalized to accept rape and murder and to support terrorism. They have a warped notion that Jews are oppressing the Palestinians.
She shared that final exams had to be on Zoom because of the violent protests and takeovers on campus. Jewish students were not allowed past the gates on campus. She related how some friends stopped talking to her after October 7. No one asked her opinion on the war in Israel. They decided she wasn’t worthy to be a friend anymore.
These three students all shared that professors of history and other subjects were indoctrinating students to hate Jews and Israel.
When Eli Tsives, a student at UCLA, spoke up against the anti-Israel things his professor was saying, the professor muted him.
A Jewish student at Columbia shared that she was scared to walk to class and had to have many people escort her to her car.
Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. What other country has its existence questioned? Anti-Semitism is the longest standing hatred.
Shabbos Kestenbaum shared that we received the Torah on Har Sinai, and Sinai in Hebrew is the same root as sin’ah, hatred. We received morals and values to share with the world and that is why they hate us.
Eden shared the irony that Columbia University teaches tolerance and acceptance for everyone but Jews. The support for terrorism shows how corrupt they truly are.
Judaism teaches that you need to know the difference between good and evil. We have to stand up for morals and values and embrace those values. We have to learn about them and spread them to our communities and the world.
All three of the main speakers in the film – Shabbos Kestenbaum, Eden Yadegar, and Eli Tsives – spoke out in public and on campus, fearlessly declaring their support for Israel and how proud they are to be Jewish. Shabbos Kestenbaum is currently suing Harvard University for failing to protect the rights of Jewish students at Harvard. He said, “My lawsuit is not just about Harvard. It’s on behalf of American Jewry.”
On the positive side, all three spoke of students who have shown renewed interest in Judaism and pride in being Jewish. Students are wearing kipot and Jewish stars. A Shabbos program at UCLA which formerly had 70 students now has 300.
After the film, Shabbos Kestenbaum spoke to the crowd and answered questions. He said that Jewish children need to have a Jewish education and to learn our remarkable history and the privilege it is to be Jewish. This is the only way to prevent what happened now, where some Jewish students became part of the anti-Israel protests out of ignorance and indoctrination.
He concluded, “Be proud you are Jewish. Am Yisrael Chai!”
By Susie Garber
