When I was fired from my school newspaper for being a Jew, the Kraft Center is where I went to receive tangible and emotional support. When Hersh Goldberg-Polin was murdered in Gaza, the Kraft Center is where I went to find comfort. When “globalize the intifada” was being chanted across campus every day to the point that I couldn’t focus on anything but the protests and encampment, the Kraft Center is where I went to seek respite. The Kraft Center sustains Jewish life @Columbia. The protest planned for 5pm today against the Kraft Center is repulsive. Much of the irony comes from the fact that this protest allegedly has to do with the fact that my club at Columbia, Aryeh, is bringing in @BarakRavid to speak. Truth be told, much of what Ravid has to say is going to be incredibly challenging for the Jewish community at Columbia to hear. But we didn’t bring him in because we want him to confirm our priors. We brought him in because we *want* to challenge our community to think critically about the war, the US administration, and geopolitics more broadly. If the protesters weren’t so intent on making campus an inhospitable environment for Jews, maybe they’d realize that there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the Jewish community’s approach to the war. I guess, at least, they’re making their antisemitism obvious.
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