We've seen a lot of despicable behavior coming out of our nation's institutions of higher education since Hamas terrorists launched a surprise attack against Israeli citizens on October 7 and killed over 1,400 in brutal fashion.
There was the group of Harvard students who immediately announced that they held "the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence," there was the Cornell professor who told a crowd of terrorist sympathizers that he was "exhilarated" while watching the news of the carnage unfold.
Unfortunately, those are just two examples; there are plenty more we could have chosen from.
The trend doesn't look as if it's going to stop anytime soon, and on Sunday evening a social media user who says she is a Cornell alum posted a disturbing tweet indicating that threats had been made against the university's kosher dining hall and that students were being advised to stay away:
My alma mater @Cornell just posted this advising students to avoid the Kosher dining hall. pic.twitter.com/IVWGdRoYzy
— Jamie Weinstein (@Jamie_Weinstein) October 29, 2023
The statement reads in full (bolding mine):
Cornell Hillel is aware of a threatening statement that was directed toward the building at 104West, which houses the university's kosher and multicultural dining hall, as well as more generally toward Jewish students, faculty and staff.
The Cornell University administration has been made aware of this concerning language, and the Cornell Police Department is monitoring the situation and is on site at 104West to provide additional security as a precaution.
At this time, we advise that students and staff avoid the building out of an abundance of caution. We will continue to provide updates as additional information becomes available.
The statement was put out by Cornell Hillel, a Jewish affinity group. They describe themselves on their website:
Cornell Hillel is the main gateway for Cornell students to get involved in the many facets of Jewish life on campus. With our students, faculty and staff we continuously strive to create a broadly defined Jewish campus culture, which is intrinsically intertwined with the culture of Cornell University. There are approximately 3,000 undergraduate and 500 graduate Jewish students at Cornell, comprising 22% of the student body. In addition, there are over 30 different Jewish student organizations, including everything from the Chain Notes to Corneillians for Israel (CFI).
Unfortunately, however, many Jewish students won't be able to participate in all that because there are reports that some are afraid to even leave their dorm rooms:
Currently on a @Cornell discussion forum, the kosher dining hall (104 west) is now on lockdown and Jewish students are scared to leave their rooms. @GovKathyHochul @HenMazzig pic.twitter.com/MsK4y34zf6
— Annie Vail (@AnnieSun16) October 29, 2023
According to the above post, statements like "jewish [sic] people need to be killed" and "gonna shoot up 104West [the dining hall]" are commonplace. Some truly sick stuff.
Actress Patricia Heaton posted, "This is shameful, @Cornell—what are you doing about this?"
As my colleague Nick Arama reported Sunday, antisemitism is alive and well around the globe, and what were apparently lynch mobs stormed the Makhachkala airport in Dagestan, Russia, chanting "Allahu Akbar." They waved Palestinian flags and searched for Jews who they believed had arrived on a plane from Tel Aviv, Israel. We can only guess what they would have done with them if they'd found them, but the mob certainly looked bloodthirsty.
Pro-Palestinian protests broke out across the United States as well this weekend. There's no telling when something truly bad could happen. It's a strange time we're living in, when people who are slaughtered are made out as the bad guys and Jewish students in Ithaca, New York, are scared to leave their dorm rooms. The moral compass of many Americans—notably, college students and professors—seems to have become profoundly broken.