Live Updates .videoc {position: relative;padding-bottom: 56.25%} .player > iframe {position: absolute;top: 0;left: 0;width: 100%;height: 100%;overflow:hidden;}The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has caused a ripple effect across the U.S., and hate-inspired incidents against Jews, Palestinians, Muslims and other groups have climbed since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.A new Anti-Defamation League (ADL) report shows antisemitic incidents in the U.S. are up by 400%, compared to the same time last year.Tensions have surrounded pro-Palestinian rallies on some college campuses. with students at one college being offered extra credit to attend such demonstrations, some law students reportedly losing job offers for alleged statements blaming all the violence on Israel and a major donor threatening to pull funding over anti-Israel protests, among others.The confrontations point to potential problems for Democrats as the 2024 election nears. Democratic voters have shifted sympathies from Israel towards the Palestinians in recent years, with the latest Gallup poll showing the largest change in sentiment among Millenials.
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NYPD to Reconsider Uniform Protocol at Schools After Cooper Union Protest
The New York Police Department will discuss changing its uniform protocol at schools citywide, following what became a tense protest at Cooper Union earlier this week.
A group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators banged and chanted outside of a school library where Jewish students were reportedly studying on Wednesday. The students told WCBS that staff locked them inside over safety concerns.
NYPD estimated there were about 20 protestors total. Their officers were on site in plainclothes for the entirety of the planned demonstration, as requested by the college.
“The school [Cooper Union] asked us that we will be in plain clothes,” NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said. “And that’s a protocol that we’re going to change and talk to all the schools city wide about that protocol.”
Chell added there were “no direct threats,” and “no danger to any students” at the school.
Columbia University Alumnus Threatens to Pull Funding
A Jewish billionaire Columbia University alumnus said he would stop donating to his alma mater for struggling to contain campus tensions over the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Leon Cooperman has criticized students taking part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and the continued employment of Joseph Massad, a Modern Arab Politics professor. Massad described Hamas’ militant attack on Israel as “awesome.”
“The real shame is I’ve given to Columbia, probably about $50 million over many years,” Cooperman told Fox Business earlier this week. “And I’m going to suspend my giving. I’ll give my giving to other organizations.”
Cooperman graduated from Columbia Business School in 1967 and is the chairman and CEO of investment advisory firm Omega. The university said it is “grateful” to Cooperman’s years of generosity and service.
“This is a time of crisis for many members of our community and we are focused on providing the support they need while keeping our campus safe,” a university spokesperson told Newsweek.
Read more from Newsweek’s Aleks Phillips below.
Three Tulane University Students Assaulted at Protest
At least three Tulane University students were assaulted at an off-campus protest on Thursday.
The protest in New Orleans turned violent after pro-Palestinian demonstrators clashed with pro-Israel counterprotesters. Several hundreds protestors were reportedly in attendance.
Videos show two men in the back of a pickup truck– one with a Palestinian flag and another ready to burn an Israeli flag. A group of pro-Israel protesters approached the truck, and one of the men swung his flag at the group. A fight then broke out.
“We condemn and are outraged by today’s violence and the hateful language and rhetoric we heard,” Tulane University President Michael Fitts said. “What started out as a peaceful demonstration unfortunately devolved into a violent incident and a dark day for our community.”
Campus police also apprehended a suspect for antisemitic graffiti on a building near campus on Thursday night.
“Symbols and acts of hatred, antisemitism, deliberate provocation and preying upon the fears of others are not part of who we are,” Fitts said, calling the day “deeply distressing” for the university.
Antisemitic Incidents Up Nearly 400%
A significant spike in antisemitic incidents has been reported across the U.S. since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7. Incidents of harassment, vandalism and assault increased by 388% compared to the same time last year, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) data shows.
A total of 312 antisemitic incidents were recorded between Oct. 7 and 23, according to the organization’s latest data. Of those, 190 were directly linked to the war in Israel and Gaza. Many of these incidents were reported during rallies and on college campuses in New York, California, Michigan and other states.
“When conflict erupts in Israel, antisemitic incidents soon follow in the U.S. and globally,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a release.
“From white supremacists in California displaying antisemitic banners on highway overpasses to radical anti-Zionists harassing Jewish people because of their real or perceived support for the Jewish state, we are witnessing a disturbing rise in antisemitic activity here while the war rages overseas.”
The map below depicts antisemitic incidents and anti-Israel rallies in the U.S. tracked by ADL since Oct. 7; the data is preliminary. Teal circles represent incidents of harrassment, dark blue represents vandalism, green represents anti-Israel rallies with support for terrorism and purple represents anti-Israel rallies. The interactive map can be viewed here.