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Higher Ed Failed Its Jewish Students — So the Government Stepped In
A pro-Palestinian protester holds a sign that reads, “Faculty for justice in Palestine,” during a protest urging Columbia University to cut ties with Israel, Nov. 15, 2023, in New York City. Photo: Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
The $221 million settlement between Columbia University and the US government is a watershed moment — less for what it says about one Ivy League institution, and more for what it reveals about the deeper structural and cultural crisis gripping American higher education.
Columbia didn’t merely face a funding dispute. It failed in its duty to protect Jewish students from targeted bias and harassment. And so the Federal government had to do what the university would not: uphold civil rights law and enforce basic standards of safety and inclusion.
At issue is more than just a financial agreement. Columbia agreed to sweeping Federal oversight in order to regain access to over $1 billion in research grants. Under the terms of the agreement, the university must allow an independent monitor to oversee reforms to its protest policies, DEI infrastructure, disciplinary procedures, and protections for both Jewish and Middle Eastern students. It is among the most extensive Federal interventions into a private university in recent memory — and it now stands as a model and a clear statement of Federal expectations: colleges and universities may not discriminate, and they will be held accountable when they allow protected groups to be targeted.
To be clear, most universities in the US have not faced such intervention. The Federal government has, for the most part, left higher education alone — even amid significant controversy around protests, speech, and rising reports of antisemitism across the nation.
But Columbia, along with a few other institutions, was warned. Students raised concerns. Faculty voiced alarm. Alumni and donors spoke out. And it was no secret — thanks to social media and various groups ranging from FIRE to the American Jewish Committee — that Columbia was out of control, and that members of its Jewish community were under real and direct corporal threat.
Despite all of these warnings, the university’s leaders did not act. Academic freedom was invoked — selectively — when it shielded ideologically convenient forms of protest and expression. But the equal protection of students was not enforced with the same energy.
According to the Brandeis Center, 73 percent of Jewish students reported feeling less safe on campus after the October 7 Hamas attacks.
A winter 2025 ADL/Hillel survey found that 83 percent of Jewish students had experienced or witnessed antisemitism at their schools, and most respondents said their administrations failed to respond meaningfully. Columbia was among the institutions most frequently cited, and was also the site of far too much violence.
I’ve spent years studying campus culture, trust, and administrative behavior. In that time, I’ve found that only a small minority of student-facing administrators identify as conservative — and even fewer report regularly engaging with views different from their own.
This ideological homogeneity within the leadership class deeply shapes which concerns are recognized and which groups receive institutional support. When antisemitism is cloaked in activist rhetoric or aligned with political causes that administrators sympathize with, it is too often minimized — or even excused.
Columbia’s failure fits this pattern. Jewish students were shouted down, doxxed, excluded from student groups, and harassed for expressing support for Israel. Campus DEI offices — designed to foster inclusion — remained largely silent. Faculty contributed to the problem by justifying violence, dismissing student fears, or openly supporting ideologically motivated harassment. The university’s senior leadership responded with ambiguity, delay, and bureaucratic hedging.
Some scholars quoted in Inside Higher Ed have dismissed the settlement as a “political stunt.” That’s nonsense and reveals their biases and inability to showcase the import of viewpoint diversity.
This is not about ideology — it’s about law. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act bars discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in Federally funded programs, including antisemitic harassment. Columbia’s agreement is a reminder that universities are not above these standards. Nor should they be.
I am a firm believer in the importance of the ivory tower. Higher education at its best is a cornerstone of American life — an engine of opportunity, a protector of inquiry, and a space where difficult conversations take place. But when the ivory tower loses its moral compass, ignores its foundational beliefs about inclusion and diversity, and breaks the law — when it embraces selective inclusion, suppresses dissent, and allows entire communities to be marginalized — it must be confronted. Columbia’s failures harmed not only its Jewish students, but the civic credibility of the institution itself.
The Columbia settlement is so painful to those in higher education because it confirms that internal accountability mechanisms are broken; those working in higher education have failed to confront and accept the fact that they have not lived up to their values of inclusion and admit that they unsuccessfully carried out their jobs to lift all students up.
This is a tough moment for many in higher education, but is a good day for America. It reminds the nation that our public values — equality, dignity, and opportunity for all — still matter. When elite institutions forget those values, it is the responsibility of a democratic society to remind them.
Samuel J. Abrams is a professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
The post Higher Ed Failed Its Jewish Students — So the Government Stepped In first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israel Pounds Gaza City Suburbs, Vows to Press on with Offensive
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike, in Gaza City, August 24, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Israeli planes and tanks pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of Gaza City overnight Saturday to Sunday, destroying buildings and homes, residents said, as Israeli leaders vowed to press on with a planned offensive on the city.
Witnesses reported the sound of explosions non-stop overnight in the areas of Zeitoun and Shejaia, while tanks shelled houses and roads in the nearby Sabra neighborhood and several buildings were blown up in the northern town of Jabalia.
Fire lit the skies from the direction of the explosions, causing panic, prompting some families to stream out of the city. Others said they would prefer to die and not leave.
The Israeli military said on Sunday that its forces have returned to combat in the Jabalia area in recent days, to dismantle militant tunnels and strengthen control of the area.
It added that the operation there “enables the expansion of combat into additional areas and prevents Hamas terrorists from returning to operate in these areas.”
Israel approved a plan this month to seize control of Gaza City, describing it as the last bastion of Hamas. It is not expected to begin for a few weeks, leaving room for mediators Egypt and Qatar to try and resume ceasefire talks.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday vowed to press on with the offensive on the city where famine has been declared, which has raised alarm abroad and objections at home. Katz has said that Gaza City will be razed unless Hamas agrees to end the war on Israel’s terms and release all hostages.
Hamas said in a statement on Sunday that Israel’s plan to take over Gaza City showed it wasn’t serious about a ceasefire.
It said a ceasefire agreement was “the only way to return the hostages,” holding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responsible for their lives.
The proposal on the table calls for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 living hostages held in Gaza and of 18 bodies. In turn, Israel would release about 200 long-serving Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Once a temporary ceasefire begins, the proposal is for Hamas and Israel to begin negotiations on a permanent ceasefire that would include the return of the remaining hostages.
On Thursday, Netanyahu said that Israel would immediately resume negotiations for the release of all 50 hostages – of whom Israel believes around 20 are still living – and an end to the nearly two-year-old war but on terms acceptable to Israel.
‘HUNGRY AND AFRAID’
Around half of the enclave’s two million people currently live in Gaza City. A few thousand have already left, carrying their belongings on vehicles and rickshaws.
“I stopped counting the times I had to take my wife and three daughters and leave my home in Gaza City,” said Mohammad, 40, via a chat app. “No place is safe, but I can’t take the risk. If they suddenly begin the invasion, they will use heavy fire.”
Others said they will not leave, no matter what.
“We are not leaving, let them bomb us at home,” said Aya, 31, who has a family of eight, adding that they couldn’t afford to buy a tent or pay for the transportation, even if they did try to leave. “We are hungry, afraid and don’t have money.”
A global hunger monitor said on Friday that Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine that will likely spread. Israel has rejected the assessment and says it ignores steps it has taken since late July to increase aid.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led gunmen burst into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.
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Iran Signals Willingness to Scale Back Uranium Enrichment to Ease Tensions
Atomic symbol and USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, September 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
i24 News – Iran may be prepared to significantly reduce its uranium enrichment levels in a bid to stave off renewed UN sanctions and limit the risk of further strikes by Israel and the United States, according to a report published Sunday in The Telegraph.
Citing Iranian sources, the paper said Tehran is considering lowering enrichment from 60% to 20%.
The move is reportedly being championed by Ali Larijani, the newly appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, who is holding talks with regime leaders.
“Larijani is trying to convince the system to reduce the level of enrichment in order to avoid further war,” a senior Iranian official told the paper.
The proposal, however, faces stiff resistance from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has long opposed concessions on the nuclear program. Still, the report suggests Iran’s leadership may be open to greater flexibility, including the possibility of reviving engagement with Western powers.
Last month, i24NEWS reported exclusively that a delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to travel to Iran. The team of technical experts would seek to resume monitoring of nuclear sites, inspections that have been heavily restricted in recent years.
The development comes amid mounting regional tensions and could represent a critical turning point in the long-running nuclear standoff.
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Major Brush Fire Erupts Near Jerusalem, Evacuations Underway
A view of the new Tel Aviv-Jerusalem fast train seen over the HaArazim Valley (“Valley of Cedars”) just outside of Jerusalem, Sept. 25, 2018. Photo: Yossi Zamir/Flash90.
i24 News – A large brush fire broke out Sunday in the Cedars Valley area, near Route 1 and the Motza interchange, prompting an emergency response from Jerusalem district fire services. Several water-bombing planes were dispatched, and authorities have declared a “fire emergency.”
As a precaution, residents of Mevaseret Zion are being evacuated. Access to the town from Route 1 has already been blocked, and officials are weighing a full closure of the major highway.
Fire crews from the Ha’uma station are on site working to contain the flames, while motorists in the area are urged to heed traffic updates and follow instructions from emergency services.
Eight firefighting aircraft are currently operating above the blaze in support of ground teams. The fire comes amid one of the hottest, driest summers on record, with conditions fueling a series of destructive wildfires across the country.
Officials warn the situation remains critical, as the blaze threatens a vital transportation corridor leading into Jerusalem.