Despite the pro-Palestinian and anti-Semitic riots on the Columbia University campus, or rather because of them, Maya Platak, a 23-year-old Israeli student at Columbia University in New York, was elected as the president of the undergraduate student organization of the prestigious institution that is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The message of the students who specifically chose Israeli was clear – most of the students against the anti-Israelism that are protesting violated Palestinians very aggressively
Precisely in this period, when the students are aggressively protesting against Israel inside the university, the same place that was followed by a wave of demonstrations across the campuses in the USA, that Columbia University elected an Israeli student for the first time in its history.
In her election speech she said – “I am an Israeli who is honored to be elected as the president of the university’s student body at a time of peak anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. More than ever, it is critical that our voices be heard and that our security be preserved.”
Faltek was born to Israeli parents in Japan, moved to Israel after high school and served in the IDF spokesman. According to her, this experience shaped her and taught her “how important the truth is.” At the end of her service, she moved to the United States specifically to study at Columbia: “I chose this university because I wanted the best education in the world, in the best city in the world.”
Columbia University:
— Ari Ingel (@OGAride) April 26, 2024
This is Maya Platek, she’s Israeli & she was just elected as the Student Government President at the school for the 2024/2025 academic year!
“My name is Maya Platek. I am an Israeli rising senior and was recently elected as the Student Body President at… pic.twitter.com/NI0UWt1CHA
Her speech, before the start of the riots at the university, standing on a stage in the heart of the campus, went viral and received more than 1.4 million views. And so she said:
“Our classmates and our professors choose to distort history to demonize us as people have done throughout history, they choose to rewrite our identity to justify terrorist regimes. They choose to encourage our pain and suffering, and they choose to delegitimize the only Jewish country in the world when there are dozens of Christian countries and Muslims. They choose to support our removal from this campus because of our nationality – and this is discrimination.”
Flatek also stood behind the call for the dismissal of Prof. Joseph Massad, a Jordanian-Palestinian lecturer in the Middle Eastern Studies department, who the day after the October 7 attack shared photos of the massacre, wrote that it was an “amazing” sight, and praised Hamas “for taking over the Israeli settlements.”
The move she led reached Congress, when President Shafik was asked about it during her hearing and said that the professor was reprimanded as a result. In retrospect, he denied receiving any contact from the administration, and continues to teach at the institution.
Platek says – “I always wanted to work for a better future for everyone, I am not afraid to speak about things as they are, and especially this year, I spoke against anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism on campus. I will not be silent in the face of injustice, and I hope that all people will feel comfortable that I represent them because I’m not afraid to speak on behalf of anyone. I want to help Jewish and Israeli students to face discrimination. I’m here to represent everyone at the end of the day What I am fighting for is what interests all the students, regardless of their position or where they came from. I hope that everyone will be able to feel represented by me and that everyone will feel free to talk to me.”
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