Columbia University professor discusses how protesters took control of class and distributed antisemitic literature.

On Tuesday, an Israeli studies class at Columbia University was disrupted by masked protesters who distributed antisemitic literature to outraged students.

On the first day of their History of Modern Israel class, four masked protesters wearing keffiyehs entered the room and delivered an anti-Israel speech while recording themselves.

One masked protester stated, "We're providing you with exclusive information on Columbia University's acceptance of genocide."

As Professor Avi Shilon tried to restore order in his classroom, the disrupters distributed antisemitic fliers featuring a jackboot stomping on a Jewish star and a Hamas terrorist waving a burning Israeli flag.

One threatening flier stated that Hamas terrorists brandishing rifles on top of a vehicle will not survive tomorrow.

"Burn Zionism to the ground," read another.

Columbia University announced that they were "expediting" the investigation and working to identify the disrupters, among other measures taken in response to the incident.

Professor Shilon, whose parents migrated to Israel from Baghdad, felt a responsibility to his students to maintain order in class but did not want to "ignite a fight." He tried to invite the demonstrators to join his class and engage in the issues intellectually, but they were not interested.

"Shilon stated, "I informed the invaders, 'If you wish to discuss the conflict, kindly attend the class. Read the materials, share your thoughts, and let's engage in a discussion.' However, they disregarded my request and instead shouted 'genocide.' They took pictures of themselves as if they had 'conquered' the class.""

Lisha Baker, a junior at the university majoring in Middle East Studies, explained to Planet Chronicle Digital that they are in Columbia to learn.

Baker stated that he was excited to enroll in Shilon's class as it was the only course at the university that was not taught by a faculty member who was openly anti-Israel or antisemitic.

The Middle East studies department at Columbia is a complete disaster, according to Eden Yadegar, the president of Columbia Students Supporting Israel and a plaintiff in a Title VI discrimination lawsuit against the university.

Columbia has professors teaching courses on Israel who praised Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist rampage, according to Yadegar, who said Shilon's class is crucial because "ideological diversity" is sorely lacking on campus.

The scenes of Palestinian fighters from Gaza breaking through Israel's prison fence or gliding over it by air were just as impressive, wrote Columbia Professor Joseph Massad one day after the terrorist attacks that killed 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped 250 and left thousands more wounded. Massad teaches a course on the development of Zionism.

At first, Shilon mistakenly believed the protesters resembled Hamas members so much that he communicated with them in Arabic. It was only upon a second look that he realized they were there to disrupt his class.

"Shilon was shocked to see students at an Ivy League school threatening others. He felt like an intruder in his own home."

Shilon takes pride in being an objective scholar who introduces his students to both perspectives on the formation of Israel in 1948.

Baker stated that the protesters' main objective was to silence intellectual debates about the Arab-Israeli conflict at the university, as they feel "insecure" in their own beliefs.

"They lack knowledge about this issue, and they struggle to keep up in conversations," Baker stated. "I believe the root cause of this issue is an existential conflict in the Middle East, as well as a battle in academia to remove Israel from the narrative and map."

Columbia is no stranger to allegations antisemitism.

In May 2024, NYPD officers reclaimed Hamilton Hall after months of anti-Israel encampments on the university campus that resulted in the forceful takeover and the trapping of a university janitor by an angry mob.

Columbia University's Interim President Katrina Armstrong released a statement condemning the disruption and the violent imagery in the fliers that occurred on campus.

Columbia offered to guard Shilon's classroom after the incident, but he declined.

Yadegar, who claims to have experienced multiple antisemitic incidents on campus, is doubtful that any significant change will occur to safeguard the rights of Jewish students to study and participate freely on campus.

"Actions are necessary to back up words. If Columbia allows this behavior, we have no right to expect it to stop," she stated.

Shilon stated that it is the university's duty to prevent these incidents from occurring.