Antisemitism at Columbia University

Columbia University in New York City has been the site of instances of antisemitism—or hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews—from the early 20th century to the present. In the 1920s and 1930s, Columbia imposed quotas that restricted Jewish enrollment, facing criticism for rejecting prominent applicants such as Richard Feynman and Jonas Salk. University president Nicholas Murray Butler also drew controversy for hosting Nazi Germany’s ambassador Hans Luther in 1933, describing him as a representative of “the government of a friendly people.” In the 1940s, the American Jewish Congress filed complaints alleging that Columbia’s admissions and employment practices violated New York’s anti‑discrimination laws, and its president Stephen S. Wise sought to revoke the university’s tax‑exempt status on similar grounds.

In the early 21st century, discourse surrounding the Israeli–Palestinian conflict has led to renewed reports of antisemitism. Following the October 7 attacks on Israel and outbreak of the Gaza war, alleged incidents of antisemitism increased on campus, with many alleged to have been perpetrated by participants in the pro-Palestinian campus protests and the Gaza Solidarity Encampment. In response, on November 1, 2023 the presidents of Columbia University, Barnard College, and Teachers College announced a Task Force on Antisemitism co-chaired by Esther Fuchs, Nicholas Lemann, and David Schizer. It did not initially define antisemitism, but later published a working definition of antisemitism in August 2024: "prejudice, discrimination, hate, or violence directed at Jews, including Jewish Israelis. Antisemitism can manifest in a range of ways, including as ethnic slurs, epithets, and caricatures; stereotypes; antisemitic tropes and symbols; Holocaust denial; targeting Jews or Israelis for violence or celebrating violence against them; exclusion or discrimination based on Jewish identity or ancestry or real or perceived ties to Israel; and certain double standards applied to Israel."

Between March 2024 and December 2025, Columbia University’s Task Force on Antisemitism issued four reports assessing campus climate and policy. The first criticized enforcement of demonstration rules, and noted that certain protest chants such as "globalize the intifada" were perceived as threatening by Jewish students. The second, drawing on interviews with 500 students, described pervasive antisemitism across clubs, classrooms, and dormitories, including harassment, hostile faculty remarks, and targeting of religious practices, and urged urgent action. The third presented survey findings that Jewish students felt markedly less accepted than peers and were wary of expressing views on the Israel–Hamas conflict, highlighting widespread discomfort in 2023–24. The fourth focused on classroom experiences, concluding that Jewish and Israeli students were often singled out or blamed for political issues, and identifying a lack of ideological diversity in Middle East studies, where faculty were described as having predominantly Anti-Zionist viewpoints.

Critics of characterizations of the protest movement on campus as antisemitic—including scholars, journalists, and activists—have described them as exploiting the accusation of antisemitism to silence criticism of Israel. Others have countered that Jewish students reported experiencing ostracism and harassment that, if directed at other groups on campus, would generally be considered unacceptable.

In the spring of 2025, citing widespread antisemitism at Columbia, the Trump administration cut US$400 million in federal funding to the university and detained and attempted to deport Palestinian student activists, while the US House Committee on Education and Workforce ran a Title VI investigation into the allegations of antisemitism at the university. In July 2025, the board of trustees of the university settled with the Trump administration, agreeing to pay $200 million, adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and accept other demands made by the Trump administration. As part of the settlement, Columbia also established a claims fund worth $21 million for Jewish employees reporting that they experienced antisemitism at the university and announced a partnership with the Anti Defamation League.