Cornell University, a renowned American institution, made a significant announcement on Sunday evening. In response to a disturbing surge in anti-Semitic publications and threats targeting Jewish students, the university took decisive action by calling the police to secure the kosher dining room.
The anti-Semitic posts, which circulated widely on social media platforms, included horrifying threats to "shoot up" the building and commit acts of violence against Jewish students. In the face of such alarming developments, the Hillel Jewish Student Association issued a cautionary warning to students, advising them to avoid the dining hall and other Jewish centers within the university.
Cornell Hillel is advising students to stay away from the building because of a threat. pic.twitter.com/KFjyC5o8lR
— Kassy Dillon (@KassyDillon) October 30, 2023
The anonymous individuals behind these hateful messages adopted nicknames such as "Hamas," "Jewish wickedness," "Jewish genocide," "Hamas fighter," and "kill Jews." They chose to disseminate these inflammatory statements on Greekrank, a website commonly used by students from prestigious Ivy League universities to evaluate and rank student societies and fraternities.
One particularly disturbing post declared, "The fascist and murderous Zionist regime will be destroyed," while another advocated for the "rape and murder of Jewish women" before they could give birth to what the post described as "Jewish Hitlers." Such appalling sentiments included declarations that "Jews are excrement on the face of the earth" and that "there is no Jew who is not responsible for genocide."
In response to these distressing events, the university's President, Martha Pollack, swiftly condemned the publications. However, it is important to note that incidents of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel messages have become distressingly common not only on this campus but also in numerous other educational institutions across the United States, particularly within the Ivy League.
In a separate incident, students at Cooper Union College in New York found themselves in a terrifying situation as pro-Hamas protesters wreaked havoc through the college's corridors and attempted to breach the dining hall. Shockingly, college administrators reportedly suggested that Jewish students hide in the building's attic during the chaos, a suggestion that drew widespread criticism and evoked painful memories of Anne Frank's experiences during the Holocaust.
Cornell is aware of the rape and death threats Jewish students have received, and the police are investigating them.
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) October 29, 2023
These universities (Cornell, Columbia, Harvard…) are solely responsible for allowing a climate in which Jewish students are afraid for their lives.
Fix it. pic.twitter.com/jPANi9fYq0
In a related incident of global concern, hundreds of agitated individuals with Muslim backgrounds arrived at Makhachkala Airport, the capital of Dagestan in Russia, on Sunday night. Their intentions were to harm passengers arriving from Israel on a plane. It is worth noting that the majority of the passengers held Russian citizenship. Simultaneously, Israeli officials confirmed the presence of Israelis and Jews at the airport, prompting the Israeli Foreign Ministry to convene emergency discussions on the matter.
