White House, but not president, condemns Jew-hatred at Columbia

A White House spokesman commented on Sunday about violent anti-Jewish protests at Columbia University, although U.S. President Joe Biden has yet to issue a statement personally about the antisemitism.

“While every American has the right to peaceful protect, calls for violence and physical intimidation targeting Jewish students and the Jewish community are blatantly antisemitic, unconscionable and dangerous,” stated Andrew Bates, the White House deputy press secretary.

“They have absolutely no place on any college campus, or anywhere in the United States of America,” Bates added. “Echoing the rhetoric of terrorist organizations, especially in the wake of the worst massacre committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, is despicable.”

“We condemn these statements in the strongest terms,” he said.

Josh Kraushaar, editor-in-chief of Jewish Insider, noted that it was the White House’s first public statement about antisemitism since February.

Over the weekend, a campus rabbi said that Jewish students should go home until the university could guarantee their safety.