Day 534 - Why Columbia U is a lightening rod for anti-Israel activism

The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

The Times of Israel

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4.4 • 864 Ratings

🗓️ 23 March 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

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Summary

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

NY correspondent Luke Tress joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's Daily Briefing.

Columbia University has agreed to a series of changes demanded by the Trump Administration as a precondition for restoring $400 million in federal funding the government pulled this month over the school’s handling of antisemitism on campus amid pro-Palestinian protests against Israel. Tress has been covering the anti-Israel protests that have erupted since October 7, 2023, when Hamas slaughtered 1,200 in southern Israel. We speak about new measures that Columbia is taking — especially the restriction of face masks — and discuss whether they will change the intensity of the protests.

Relatedly, on Friday, detained Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil appeared briefly in immigration court at a remote Louisiana detention center as his lawyers fight in multiple venues to try to free him. We discuss the continued debate within the Jewish community over immigration rights and free speech, versus the safety of Jewish students on campus.

Finally, we speak about a trend among US Jews who are looking for increased self-protection through a variety of measures, including taking self-defense courses such as the Israeli martial art, Krav Maga, or, as in a piece we recently published, highly trained -- and highly expensive -- protection dogs.

Please see today's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Columbia agrees to Trump administration’s demands to address campus antisemitism

Detained anti-Israel activist Khalil appears in Louisiana court as deportation looms

Columbia University expels anti-Israel students for last year’s building takeover

Another Columbia anti-Israel protester arrested, 3rd ‘self-deports’, US feds say

US-Israeli company sells $125k protection dogs to Jews worried about security

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ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: Protesters rally in support of detained Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil outside Columbia University in New York on March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Times of Israel's daily briefing. Today is Sunday, March 23rd, Day 534 of the war.
0:14.9	Amanda Borchelle Dan here in our Jerusalem office with our New York correspondent Luke
0:19.3	Tress. Hi, Luke. Thanks for joining me today.
0:22.2	Hi, Amanda. Good to be here. Such a pleasure to see you after all these years. And we're in
0:27.3	Jerusalem, where protesters are gathering for the sixth consecutive day of demonstrations against
0:33.9	the government's plans to dismiss Shinbet chief Ronan Barr and Attorney General
0:39.3	Ghali Baharav Miyara. But today, we're going to turn our eyes to all things New York and the U.S.
0:47.2	And Luke and I will speak about the high-profile tassel between the White House and Columbia University
0:53.0	over sanctions against anti-Semitism on campus.
0:57.3	We'll update you about the case of Mahmoud Khalil and other anti-Israel activists in the U.S.'s
1:03.5	sites for deportation.
1:06.1	And finally, Luke will tell us about some interesting efforts that U.S. Jews are turning to for self-protection, including Kravmaga classes and highly trained and highly expensive protection dogs.
1:20.0	All this and much more when we're back.
1:26.9	A single call can mean the difference between life and death.
1:32.4	Magen de Vida-Dome, Israel's emergency medical service, is there every time, everywhere, for anyone in need.
1:42.0	Megen de Vida-Dome is first on the scene treating victims of terror attacks, providing critical
1:47.0	care in remote communities, and managing Israel's national blood supply, ensuring a vital
1:52.2	lifeline for soldiers and civilians in need.
1:56.2	But most people don't realize that Israel's government doesn't fund Magendavid Adom.
2:02.7	Our life-saving work depends on compassionate individuals like you.
2:05.2	Your generous donation to American friends
2:07.4	of Magendavid Adom
	...

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