School, NYPD 'cannot guarantee Jewish students' safety - Columbia rabbi tells Jewish students to leave Campus

[jbg]

Columbia rabbi tells Jewish students to leave campus, warns that school, NYPD 'cannot guarantee your safety' (link):

The Orthodox rabbi at Columbia University and Barnard College sent a message recommending Jewish students leave campus and go home, as anti-Israel agitators have continued an "encampment" on campus and participants were caught on camera espousing full-on support for terrorism and supporting violence towards Jewish students.
In a WhatsApp message sent to hundreds before the start of Passover, Rabbi Elie Buechler, director of OU-LJIC at Columbia/Barnard, told students to leave "as soon as possible" until the situation improves, noting that "what we are witnessing in and around campus is terrible and tragic."
"The events of the last few days, especially last night, have made it clear that Columbia University’s Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee Jewish students’ safety in the face of extreme antisemitism and anarchy," Buechler wrote. "It deeply pains me to say that I would strongly recommend you return home as soon as possible and remain home until the reality in and around campus has dramatically improved."

Rabbin Buecher appears to be a responsible, middle-of-the-road Rabbi. Are pogroms, or a Hamas-style attack on the way? Columbia and the NYPD appear to be hitting the "protesting" students with a wet noodle.
My own "vote" if I have one would be for the Jewish students, and others, to leave campus promptly. It will be impossible for meaningful final exams to be administered. It is high time that Jewish donors park their money elsewhere. The temples of higher education are being defiled. This situation needs to be brought to a head, but not with violence.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Columbia rabbi tells Jewish students to leave campus, warns that school, NYPD 'cannot guarantee your safety' (link):

Rabbin Buecher appears to be a responsible, middle-of-the-road Rabbi. Are pogroms, or a Hamas-style attack on the way? Columbia and the NYPD appear to be hitting the "protesting" students with a wet noodle.
My own "vote" if I have one would be for the Jewish students, and others, to leave campus promptly. It will be impossible for meaningful final exams to be administered. It is high time that Jewish donors park their money elsewhere. The temples of higher education are being defiled. This situation needs to be brought to a head, but not with violence.

Is a valid concern as antisemitism runs rampant now, but there is hope as there are enough people around who still cares enough for Israel and its people fighting these terrorists along with their vocal antisemitic supporters.

People need to be reminded that they are there for education and not activism by pathological pro terror fanatics trying to stir up trouble with people who just want to learn and be left alone.

 

[Revoltingest]

Whether Jewish or Muslim, I advise them to stay
on campus. People are being attacked elsewhere
too (eg, a Muslim boy murdered) so the danger
appears to be wider than just universities.
Remaining on campus also affords the opportunity
to foment peaceful co-existence.

Besides....cops don't guarantee anyone's safety.
That's not their job, & they take not guaranteeing
anyone's safety to heart.

 

[jbg]

Besides....cops don't guarantee anyone's safety.
That's not their job, & they take not guaranteeing
anyone's safety to heart.

Then what is their job? To collect a salary?

 

[Revoltingest]

Then what is their job? To collect a salary?

They investigate things, issue traffic tickets,
answer calls, make arrests, write reports, & testify.
But legally, they have no obligation whatsoever
to protect anyone, excepting specifically when
in police custody. Then they're legally required
to provide medical aid if needed...often resulting
from attacking the detainee.

Do the Police Have an Obligation to Protect You? - FindLaw

FindLaw examines what, if any, legal obligations police have to protect the public that they "protect and serve."

www.findlaw.com

Excerpted...
In the 1981 case Warren v. District of Columbia, the D.C. Court of Appeals held that police have a general "public duty," but that "no specific legal duty exists" unless there is a special relationship between an officer and an individual, such as a person in custody.

The U.S. Supreme Court has also ruled that police have no specific obligation to protect. In its 1989 decision in DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services, the justices ruled that a social services department had no duty to protect a young boy from his abusive father. In 2005'sCastle Rock v. Gonzales, a woman sued the police for failing to protect her from her husband after he violated a restraining order and abducted and killed their three children. Justices said the police had no such duty.

Most recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit upheld a lower court ruling that police could not be held liable for failing to protect students in the 2018 shooting that claimed 17 lives at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

 

[Viker]

Then what is their job? To collect a salary?

To enforce the laws and to bring perpetrators to justice. Most, if not all by now, police departments have done away with "to serve and protect", especially the to protect part.

 

[Viker]

If they wish to leave for their own safety then go ahead. They could stay and figure something else out.

 

[jbg]

They investigate things, issue traffic tickets,
answer calls, make arrests, write reports, & testify.
But legally, they have no obligation whatsoever
to protect anyone, excepting specifically when
in police custody. Then they're legally required
to provide medical aid if needed...often resulting
from attacking the detainee.

Do the Police Have an Obligation to Protect You? - FindLaw

FindLaw examines what, if any, legal obligations police have to protect the public that they "protect and serve."

www.findlaw.com

I get it; I'm paying cops to write my older son a summons for going 40 in an empty tunnel under the U.N. on First Avenue; UN Plaza. Nothing to do with my safety. Now I understand.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Columbia rabbi tells Jewish students to leave campus, warns that school, NYPD 'cannot guarantee your safety' (link):

Rabbin Buecher appears to be a responsible, middle-of-the-road Rabbi. Are pogroms, or a Hamas-style attack on the way? Columbia and the NYPD appear to be hitting the "protesting" students with a wet noodle.
My own "vote" if I have one would be for the Jewish students, and others, to leave campus promptly. It will be impossible for meaningful final exams to be administered. It is high time that Jewish donors park their money elsewhere. The temples of higher education are being defiled. This situation needs to be brought to a head, but not with violence.

Excuse my French, but I am honestly experiencing this as scarier than ****. I no longer wear my star of David necklace outside the home. I worry that when I attend the Seder meal at my synagogue this Tuesday evening, that someone could target the celebration with violence.

I think Jewish students should ask for a tuition refund, and sue if they don't get it. I think Jews should withdraw all support from these universities. No one deserves to live in fear for their safety.

Yes, violent attacks have already occurred in some situations, and I thoroughly expect the violence to become much worse, because the people in charge are not doing what it takes to curb the persecution. It's teaching the protesters that they can do as they wish without consequences.

 

[Revoltingest]

Excuse my French, but I am honestly experiencing this as scarier than ****. I no longer wear my star of David necklace outside the home. I worry that when I attend the Seder meal at my synagogue this Tuesday evening, that someone could target the celebration with violence.

I think Jewish students should ask for a tuition refund, and sue if they don't get it. I think Jews should withdraw all support from these universities. No one deserves to live in fear for their safety.

Yes, violent attacks have already occurred in some situations, and I thoroughly expect the violence to become much worse, because the people in charge are not doing what it takes to curb the persecution. It's teaching the protesters that they can do as they wish without consequences.

Universities have limited ability to control speech
& acts by students. Things were even more violent
during anti-war protests....in my town: beatings,
arson, bombing. Yet schools, didn't shut down,
all students (other than ones arrested) went to
classes. After 9/11 it was dangerous to look
swarthy, & media were fomenting violence against
Muslims...& anyone wearing a turban, or any ME
immigrant.
I know many Christians who frighten themselves by
obsessing over danger, eg, racial violence, civil war,
revolution, & most agonizing of all....the UN 21/2030
campaign (it's not real). They have extensive "bug out"
& shelter-in-place plans.

We endure scary times. We think of safety, & remain
engaged with life activities. Be aware & be safes, but
don't doom scroll or obsess.....it's bad for mental health.

 

[mangalavara]

Excuse my French, but I am honestly experiencing this as scarier than ****. I no longer wear my star of David necklace outside the home. I worry that when I attend the Seder meal at my synagogue this Tuesday evening, that someone could target the celebration with violence.

I am sorry that you are going through that. Nobody should have to hide their identity or be worried about an attack on their house of worship.

 

[mangalavara]

People need to be reminded that they are there for education and not activism by pathological pro terror fanatics trying to stir up trouble with people who just want to learn and be left alone.

Well said!

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

To be clear ...

Beyond "Free, Free Palestine," demonstrators’ chants have included "Al-Qassam you make us proud, kill another soldier now!" "We say justice, you say how. Burn Tel Aviv to the ground!" and "Hamas we love you. We support your rockets too!"

One anti-Israel agitator was seen holding a sign reading, "Al-Qasam’s (sic) next targets," and pointing toward a group of Jewish students who were singing while waving the Israeli flag. The Al-Qassam Brigade is the military wing of Hamas. [emphasis added - JS]

Another video showed demonstrators shouting at Jewish students leaving campus, "Go back to Europe" and "All you do is colonize."
[ibid]

... this despicable antisemitism is little different than torch carrying neo-Nazis marching under the slogan "Jews will not replace us." It's not new. What is new is the extent to which it's deemed understandable -- a euphemism for acceptable.

Should Jews leave? No. The campus Jewish community should be protected, threats (such as that emphasized above) should be prosecuted, and free speech otherwise defended no matter how odious its content.

Rabbin Buecher appears to be a responsible, middle-of-the-road Rabbi.

He deserves to be considered -- so, too, the Columbia/Barnard Hillel. What is its position?

 

[Heyo]

Columbia rabbi tells Jewish students to leave campus, warns that school, NYPD 'cannot guarantee your safety' (link):

Rabbin Buecher appears to be a responsible, middle-of-the-road Rabbi. Are pogroms, or a Hamas-style attack on the way? Columbia and the NYPD appear to be hitting the "protesting" students with a wet noodle.
My own "vote" if I have one would be for the Jewish students, and others, to leave campus promptly. It will be impossible for meaningful final exams to be administered. It is high time that Jewish donors park their money elsewhere. The temples of higher education are being defiled. This situation needs to be brought to a head, but not with violence.

I would understand anyone to leave, but I don't think that calling for it is a smart move.
What should be done, is to spread the information that not all Jews are Israelis and that Israel doesn't represent all Jews.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

What should be done, is to spread the information that not all Jews are Israelis and that Israel doesn't represent all Jews.

In other words: "They don't all deserve to be incinerated." Thanks.

Rather than giving backhanded support to hate speech, what should be done is make clear that antisemitic intimidation will not be tolerated/

 

[Heyo]

In other words: "They don't all deserve to be incinerated." Thanks.

Rather than giving backhanded support to hate speech, what should be done is make clear that antisemitic intimidation will not be tolerated/

When you can do that in a way that it remains clear that it is OK to protest against Israel and especially the own government for supporting Israel, while not tolerating anti-Semitic intimidation, I say, go for it.

 

[ImmortalFlame]

There are some pretty obviously questionable things about that article, from it referring repeatedly to the protesters as "anti-Israel agitators", to it's totally un-ironic quotes of Ben Shapiro somehow bringing his anti-trans nuttery into the issue out of nowhere. Then there's this person:

Shai Davidai, a Jewish professor at Columbia who went viral in October for calling out the school’s inaction on antisemitism, demanded that the National Guard be brought in if the NYPD cannot take action.

"[Shafik] needs to open the gates of the university. And NYPD needs to come in and disperse the crowd and arrest everyone who refuses. And keep them in jail. And if the NYPD cannot do this, then we need the National Guard," Davidai told Fox News Digital. "With all the fraught history the National Guard has had on U.S. campuses, if Columbia can't keep the Jewish students safe, and if the police [can't] continue to keep the Jewish students safe, then the National Guard must, because this is a civil rights issue. This is not about the war in Israel. This is a Jewish civil rights issue."

"This is a hostile takeover of the university," he added. "It's a showdown of support for Hamas on one hand and Western civilization on the other hand. … The showdown is happening on Columbia's campus."

[...]

Davidai said the demonstrations at Columbia "have never been about human rights."

"From the very first moment, these protests were about justifying rape as a means to a goal," he said, referencing the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack. "That is not about human rights."

Screw this guy. Seriously. Any person who genuinely wants de-escalation wouldn't be calling for THE NATIONAL GUARD to come in and put down a protest and arrest protesters, and certainly wouldn't be calling protests about Israeli war crimes "about justifying rape as a means to a goal". That is deliberately provocative language designed to demonise and enflame tension.

This guy is every bit as bad as the members of the protest that have engaged in blatant anti-Semitic targeting of Jewish groups and overtly anti-Semitic chants. Arguably worse, since they're a professor at the University and should be expected to behave and talk with at least a shred of moral authority and responsibility. He should be fired.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

When you can do that in a way that it remains clear that it is OK to protest against Israel and especially the own government for supporting Israel, while not tolerating anti-Semitic intimidation, I say, go for it.

When you?

 

[Colt]

Excuse my French, but I am honestly experiencing this as scarier than ****. I no longer wear my star of David necklace outside the home. I worry that when I attend the Seder meal at my synagogue this Tuesday evening, that someone could target the celebration with violence.

I think Jewish students should ask for a tuition refund, and sue if they don't get it. I think Jews should withdraw all support from these universities. No one deserves to live in fear for their safety.

Yes, violent attacks have already occurred in some situations, and I thoroughly expect the violence to become much worse, because the people in charge are not doing what it takes to curb the persecution. It's teaching the protesters that they can do as they wish without consequences.

Big hugs to you! Be safe!!! Lets hope this calms down but honestly, this simmering anti-semitic stuff has been there on the Left for a long time! Rush Limbaugh used to talk about this peculiar bedfellow stuff! The red state, evangelical, MAGA kind of people that the Left tends not to like have love and support for the state of Israel while more Left leaning voters do not and have NOT for a long time!!!!

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Big hugs to you! Be safe!!! Lets hope this calms down but honestly, this simmering anti-semitic stuff has been there on the Left for a long time! Rush Limbaugh used to talk about this peculiar bedfellow stuff! The red state, evangelical, MAGA kind of people that the Left tends not to like have love and support for the state of Israel while more Left leaning voters do not and have NOT for a long time!!!!

Oh yes, I'm well aware that antisemitism has been on the rise for quite some time. You find it in the extremes of both the right and the left (although to be fair, most people are not antisemitic, also on both the right and the left). The left has the proponents of DEI and CRT where Jews are "oppressors" and the right has its white nationalists who see us as an "inferior race."

I am not one to not see complexities. Although I'm an ardent Zionist and pro-Israel, I also see the abuses, and it breaks my heart. But certainly Israel has the right to defend itself, and there is no "reason" in the world that excuses the things done on 10/7.

Thank you personally, and thank you to every person that supports Jews during this time of danger.