Several Jewish faculty members at Columbia University have filed claims with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), arguing that the university created a hostile environment for Jews who supported Palestinian rights. The claims come as part of a $21 million fund established under a settlement between Columbia and the Trump administration, intended to compensate Jewish employees for harassment linked to protests against Israel's war in Gaza.
In filings shared with the Guardian, professors alleged that they faced harassment not from pro-Palestinian protesters, but from the university itself for their dissenting views. Joseph Howley, a classics professor, wrote that he was attacked as a “bad Jew” for defending student protesters and mediating between them and the administration. He stated that the university turned Jews into “scapegoats” by repressing pro-Palestinian speech in the name of Jewish safety.
Other faculty described being doxed, followed, spat on, and receiving death threats due to their advocacy. They argued that Columbia’s implication that all Jews identify with Israel is “textbook antisemitism”. The EEOC fund, part of a larger $200 million fine, was described as the largest public settlement in nearly two decades, but critics say Columbia capitulated to political pressure.
The EEOC questionnaire asked claimants about exposure to “antisemitic or anti-Israeli protests” that made them feel threatened. A spokesperson said the response was “robust” and notifications would begin soon. Columbia did not respond to a request for comment.
