The First Amendment to the US Constitution protects free speech. But misusing the First Amendment as a defense weapon for propaganda and activities supporting illegal endeavors enabled pro-Palestinian protesters to ignite disruptive, and at times violent, protests on many university campuses, most notably on the Columbia/Barnard campus.

Progressive and left-wing activists, including some liberal Jews, expressed little or no concern for threats against Jews, and the protestors’ support for Hamas, which committed the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. These voices were also silent when confronted with the fact that Hamas aims to kill every single Jew in Israel.

Yet many of those same voices were outraged when Mahmoud Khalil, a leader of these protests, was arrested on Saturday, March 8, 2025.

His lawyer said that Khalil was “identified, targeted and detained” because of his advocacy for Palestinian rights, which he says constitutes protected free speech.

But Khalil is not just advocating for “Palestinian rights.” He is active in Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), an organization that supports Hamas and Hezbollah. He organized an event where literature that said it was produced by the “Hamas Media Office” was distributed, according to The New York Times.

The New York Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, and New York Attorney Letitia James, just to name some of Khalil’s defenders, denounced the arrest of Khalil as a serious attack on free speech — but none of them had any concerns about antisemitism, the chilling effect on free speech by disruption of certain classes and events at Columbia, and the intimidation and harassment of Jewish students and faculty. All of this constitutes the denial of civil rights to Jewish students and faculty.

It should be obvious to anybody that aiding terrorist organizations is illegal. CUAD’s participation in attacks on Jews, the occupation of university buildings, and the destruction of property — along with its clear support of Hamas — makes it clear that aid is being given to Hamas. Whether or not that falls under the legal code’s definition of aid, Khalil’s CUAD leadership should be a sufficient reason for deportation.

Why Columbia tolerates CUAD’s presence and activities on its campus is inexplicable. Engulfed in chaos since October 7, Columbia had done almost nothing to stop it until Federal grants and funding were suspended.

What is perhaps even more mysterious is why Khalil is able to arouse sympathy and support among liberal and leftist activists, including Jews. Some are perhaps not aware what free speech means within the First Amendment framework. Some may support him because of strong antipathy towards Trump. It gets murkier when it comes to Jewish supporters, but many of those are Jews who have no real connection to their faith, but use it as a means to justify their (and others’) hatred of Israel.

While thinking about why Khalil’s case aroused so much support and sympathy, I reminded myself of Luigi Mangione, the alleged murderer of the UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione commanded and is still commanding huge support.

There are some commonalities between these groups: some supporters claim to be peaceful, but support violence (against health care CEOs or Jews); many in both camps are anti-American, at least to some degree; and many are just getting caught up in social media trends and mass hysteria.

Perhaps the case of Khalil is not so strange; perhaps some members of our tribe are strange. The “peaceful” Jewish camp for Khalil is gaining steam. A child of Holocaust survivors wrote in The Forward that she is terrified for Khalil, and is reminded of life in Romania where she grew up. I myself grew up in a communist country and I think her fears and concerns are not substantiated. Many in the media are blaming Jews for “targeting  Khalil” before his arrest.

Are we back in the ghetto where we wait to be slaughtered – is it OK to be killed rather than to defend ourselves, letting Hamas to murder and rape, and Khalil and company to rave? Or is it possible that the same people, who are convinced that peace at any price should be maintained, yearn for battle ready heroes/antiheroes, be it Luigi Mangione or Mahmoud Khalil?

Dr. Jaroslava Halper has been a professor of pathology at The University of Georgia in Athens, GA for many years. She escaped from communist Prague because of antisemitism, and lack of freedom and free speech. The gradual increase of antisemitism and anti-Zionism in certain circles in her second homeland, and the devastating October 7 massacre by Hamas, led her to realize that more active engagement is necessary to combat antisemitism, including anti-Zionism. 

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