‘Ever Wonder How the Holocaust Happened?’ Antisemitic Hate Proliferates on US Campuses

Antisemitic messages of hate continue to be directed against Israel by students demonstrating in support of Palestinians on several campuses of American colleges and universities across the nation. 

The latest incident occurred Tuesday night when four student demonstrators were involved in projecting antisemitic statements on the wall of the library building on the campus of George Washington University located in Washington, D.C.

The protestors praised the terrorists who slaughtered Israeli civilians with statements like, “Glory to our martyrs”, “Free Palestine from the river to the Sea” and “Divestment from Zionist Genocide Now.”

According to the university’s student newspaper, The GW Hatchet, a total of 10 statements were projected on the library wall for more than two hours until university officials and two officers from the GW Police Department stopped the demonstration. 

The demonstrators were members of the group Students for Justice in Palestine, the newspaper reported.  

The university released a statement about the incident Wednesday saying the university became aware of the several unauthorized projections on a campus building Tuesday evening. 

“The projections on the university’s library violated university policy, and leadership intervened to ensure that these projections were removed,” the statement said. “The statements made by these individuals in no way reflect the views of the university. We are reviewing this incident and will take any appropriate steps with respect to the individuals involved in accordance with university policies.”

“We recognize the distress, hurt, and pain this has caused for many members of our community,” the university’s statement said.

Rev. Johnnie Moore, the president of The Congress of Christian Leaders, posted photos of the projected messages on the social media platform X and included a warning. 

“Tonight at the Gelman Library at George Washington University, pro-Hamas students projected antisemitic threats on its walls,” Moore wrote. 

“The library was endowed by a Jewish family,” he noted.  

“Ever wonder how the Holocaust happened? How Holocaust denial happens?” Moore asked. “You are seeing it in front of your eyes.”

Tonight at the Gelman Library at George Washington University, pro-Hamas students projected antisemitic threats on its walls

The library was endowed by a Jewish family

Ever wonder how the Holocaust happened? How Holocaust denial happens?

You are seeing it in front of your eyes pic.twitter.com/TStiNhpX94

— Rev. Johnnie Moore (@JohnnieM) October 25, 2023

In a separate post, Moore posted the “toolkit” antisemitic campus clubs were given in the United States, noting the language fits precisely rhetoric from the Islamic Republic. 

“There is no difference between this & if groups of students were celebrating ISIS,” he wrote. “This is not only hate speech it is more than that.”

Look at the instructions antisemitic campus clubs were given in the United States (the language fits precisely rhetoric from the Islamic Republic)

There is no difference between this & if groups of students were celebrating ISIS

This is not only hate speech it is more than that https://t.co/akKj8GjeK7

— Rev. Johnnie Moore (@JohnnieM) October 25, 2023

Also in a post on X, Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Ant-Defamation League (ADL) wrote, “It happened last week at @nyuniversity too. This effort to intimidate Jewish students is absolutely appalling — but it’s the indifference of @GWtweets and the lack of leadership at so many other universities that’s even more painful.”

Greenblatt also included a statement from ADL regional director Meredith Weisel regarding the antisemitic messages projected on the library building, saying the ADL had received reports from deeply concerned GW students. 

“These projections on the Gelman Library are absolutely shameful, outrageous, and a stain on GQ. President Granberg must immediately respond to this grotesque display and to the antisemitism that is snowballing on campus,” Weisel’s statement said. 

Other Instances of Pro-Hamas Student Demonstrations

In Florida on Oct. 18, another student group, Students for a Democratic Society at Florida State University participated in a pro-Hamas demonstration with members of the Tallahassee Community Action Committee and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization-Tallahassee calling for the eradication of Israel and Zionism, according to Campus Reform. 

The outlet reported an Instagram post advertising the event was captioned, “FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA, PALESTINE WILL BE FREE!” – a popular Palestinian rallying cry that calls for the elimination of Jews.

“Join us in celebrating the victories of the Palestinian Resistance, mourning the fighters who have been lost, and demanding NO US aid to the zionist entity Israel!” the post read. 

In California, 50 students, faculty members, student organizations, and alumni from several campuses in the University of California system signed a joint letter condemning the educational body for not standing with Palestine and blaming Israel for the Oct. 7 Hamas terror acts on Israel, Campus Reform reported. 

In the letter, the group said Hamas members are “freedom fighters,” not “terrorists.” 

A Tale of Two Professors

At Cornel University in New York, a professor who faced backlash after he said he was “exhilarated” and “energized” by the Hamas terror attacks on Israeli civilians has taken a leave of absence, according to Fox News. 

Russell Rickford who taught post-Civil War African American history at the university, came under fire after a video of him celebrating the Hamas surprise terror massacre that left 1,400 people dead, including 33 Americans, went viral on social media. 

New York City Mayor and New York Governor Kathy Hochul, condemned the pro-Palestinian demonstrations in New York, which they have labeled as a celebration of Hamas.

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Meanwhile, at Columbia University, an Israeli professor called out higher education leaders as “cowards”  for refusing to condemn what he called “pro-terror student organizations,” according to The College Fix. 

Shai Davidai, an assistant professor at Columbia Business School in New York City, gave a moving speech during an Oct, 18 campus vigil in which he expressed his fear and concern for all children following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel, according to the outlet. 

A video of Davidai’s speech has drawn more than 4.8 million views on X. 

A father of two children, Davidai said it worries him that the presidents of Columbia, Harvard, NYU, Stanford, Berkeley, and other universities “won’t speak out against pro-terror student organizations” that have organized protests supporting Hamas.

These groups believe “my 2-year-old daughter is a legitimate target of resistance,” he said. “You are allowed to murder and kidnap my 2-year-old daughter in the name of resistance, and none of the presidents of universities all around the country are willing to take a stand. This is what cowards do.”

Davidai said in his speech that thousands of students sang pro-terror songs in support of Hamas and Palestine during demonstrations in New York City. He said he felt afraid to come to campus, and the Center for Jewish Life had to go on lockdown, according to The College Fix. 

“They were celebrating the rape of teenage girls in a music festival in the name of resistance,” he said of the protesters. 

Later, Davidai added, “We would never allow the KKK to march on our campus.”

He asked people at the vigil to share his speech on social media to help him urge parents to demand that their children’s universities condemn the groups on campus supporting Hamas’ “terror.”

Davidai said people have asked him: “‘Are you not afraid to speak up? You’re putting your job on the line.’ You’ve got it all wrong. I am not afraid to speak up. I am speaking up because I’m afraid.”