“Every year the liberal and enlightened Americans post on the feed and say never again, but they only mean never” says the Israeli professor who is at the heart of the storm in New York.
Shay Davidei, the lecturer at the business school at Columbia University, whose entrance to the campus was blocked, found himself as an ambassador of the Jewish people and a fighter for what, until a short time ago, was the most obvious.
Since the seventh of October, the esteemed professor, social psychology lecturer and son of the founders of the pacemaker unit at Sheba, has been voicing his opinion towards the university and criticizing its conduct towards the manifestations of hatred in its field.
The personal highlight of his understanding was when his entrance to Columbia University was blocked in the background of the stormy anti-Israel demonstrations: “I wanted to read the names of the abductees.” According to him, it was explained to him by the university’s director of operations that this was done because his safety could not be guaranteed.
Davidi is considered a prominent voice in the protest against the pro-Palestinian demonstrations on American campuses and the lax to silent response of the university management to them. He calls on Israeli public figures to publicly support the Jewish students in the US in order to put pressure on American policy makers.
A video of him, speaking in the university plaza about the administration refusing to speak out against student organizations that support terrorism, became viral and captured the web already in the first days of the war.
“I’m a lecturer, I’m Israeli, but before all that, I’m a father, I have two beautiful children, and I’m talking to you as a father. And I want you to know: we cannot protect your children against student organizations that support terrorism, because the president of Columbia University is not ready to speak out against student organizations that support terrorism.’
Davidi admitted that the viral video “marked” him in the eyes of the prestigious institution’s management. “Since February they have been investigating me to prevent me from speaking against the management. They are trying to sew a case against me following that video on the grounds that I harassed students. But also want to convey a message to the other Jewish and Israeli lecturers – not to take a position. The university is actually telling them ‘if you do like Shay – then we will treat you like Shay’. But they thought that if they questioned me, I would stop. But on the contrary, I will not be silent. Unfortunately, it scares the rest of the other Jewish lecturers.’
“I personally don’t know what will happen with my professional future, nothing is known, except the fact that the university does not bring in the police to break up the takeover.
Professor Davidi thinks “that the worst is yet to come”. According to him, “As long as we have pro-Hamas lecturers on campus, the situation will not change.” They are going to have a new year of students in August who they will brainwash as well. Until there is no law enforcement and they say that everyone needs to be protected, this will not change. It is very easy to close our eyes to the fact that they are Jews, because we are a very small minority here, and they don’t care about us. So they prefer us to be the association so that they can prove their liberality.”
Shay Davidei says – “There is a process of brainwashing with doctrine here. Just as lawyers and doctors and journalists in Germany were suddenly in favor of exterminating the Jews and in favor of Hitler. These are students and faculty members who have undergone a process of brainwashing. It is indeed a similar process to what happened in Germany, but it is more accelerated because of social networks and because the universities gave it the go-ahead.’
I am very concerned about the Jewish students – they deserve and have the right to return to campus. That was my number one goal from the beginning. And that’s what I’m focused on. Secondly, I really don’t understand how Hamas was allowed to take over the university. I intentionally say Hamas and not Hamas supporters, because Hamas is an ideology and they push the ideology, that makes them Hamas.
“When there are students holding a sign and saying ‘Hamas – here is your next target’ and pointing at Jewish students – then we have people injecting terror into the campus. And I simply do not understand how the university led by the president – Minush Shafik, allowed this.
Davide fights with all his might and thus becomes the ambassador of Israel, the Jewish students and the Israeli voice that shouts for democracy in America – the king is naked
