After another night of heated anti-Israel protests on Columbia University's campus in New York, a prominent rabbi at the school has instructed Jewish students to go home and not return.

On Sunday morning, Rabbi Elie Buechler addressed Jewish students in a message on WhatsApp, writing:

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.

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.

It is not our job as Jews to ensure our own safety on campus, No one should have to endure this level of hatred, let alone at school.

A sophomore at Barnard, a college at Columbia, told the New York Post,

People were yelling at Hamas to strike Tel Aviv.

The student also said that the Jewish students' right to peacefully protest had been taken away, saying:

That’s a call to violence. It’s totally out of control. It’s total anarchy.

A new video filmed on Columbia University's campus shows a Pro Hamas supporter anti-Israel protester holding a sign that threatens Jewish students, which says 'Al-Qasam's next targets' with an arrow pointing in their direction." pic.twitter.com/4j8PLJ6MyP

— Breaking News (@TheNewsTrending) April 21, 2024

Another student said that she didn't think it was safe to be on campus, saying,

We all want to be here and get a good education, and it’s not fair that this is impeding on that. I don’t think it’s safe to be on campus.

We’re not going to go anywhere — we’re not running away — but you can’t be a student there now. They’re protesting all day and all night. I hear it at night when I’m trying to sleep. 

You can barely sleep, barely get to class. It’s definitely getting in the way of being a student.

On Thursday, the NYPD arrested over 100 anti-Israeli protestors after raiding encampments set up on campus. Among those arrested and subsequently suspended was Isra Hirsi, the daughter of Democrat Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. On Friday, school faculty held a "mass emergency meeting," and condemned the suspensions and student arrests.

On Sunday, the Jewish community organization Hillel sent out a message ensuring they will remain open and available for students who need a quiet place to study or be with friends at Columbia University and Barnard College. 

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