Columbia University is the second private university to hold anti-Israel student organizations accountable. Columbia temporarily suspended two groups on campus until the end of the fall term, about a month.

Columbia is following the lead of the first private university, Brandeis University, to take disciplinary action against the National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). It suspended a second organization – Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). Both anti-Israel groups are accused of holding an unauthorized event that “included threatening rhetoric and intimidation.” University administrators said the groups were warned not to hold their event.

Gerald Rosberg, senior executive vice president of the university, said in a statement that the “decision was made after the two groups repeatedly violated University policies related to holding campus events, culminating in an unauthorized event Thursday afternoon that proceeded despite warnings and included threatening rhetoric and intimidation.”

Rosberg explained in the statement that suspension means “the two groups will not be eligible to hold events on campus or receive University funding.”

“Lifting the suspension will be contingent on the two groups demonstrating a commitment to compliance with University policies and engaging in consultations at a group leadership level with University officials,” he continued.

“Like all student groups, SJP and JVP are required to abide by University policies and procedures,” the announcement said. “This ensures both the safety of our community and that core University activities can be conducted without disruption. During this especially charged time on our campus, we are strongly committed to giving space to student groups to participate in debate, advocacy, and protest. This relies on community members abiding by the rules and cooperating with University administrators who have a duty to ensure the safety of everyone in our community.”

Even the protesters have to follow the rules. At least the university suspended the groups so they no longer get any funding from the university.

It’s been irritating to see so many higher education presidents and their administrations offer lukewarm statements, trying to keep everyone happy when this is the time to say loud and clear that terrorism is not acceptable. The animals of Hamas must be eliminated. There is no gray area here. This is the moment in time that cries out for moral clarity. This isn’t a First Amendment issue, as some want to make it. Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization.

Why aren’t more parents paying big bucks to send their children to these schools demanding more? Why is rampant antisemitism allowed to exist on college campuses? No student should have to hide on campus because they are not safe among other students. Some very wealthy parents are starting to say they will no longer send the cowardly schools any more big donations, which will get their attention, but all parents should be coming together to demand this wave of hatred be shut down.

This is the first time for JVP to be suspended at a private university. They are big on the BDS movement.

It also marks the first time a campus chapter of JVP has been suspended. Progressive pro-Israel lawmakers and activists have gradually cracked down on JVP and other extreme Jewish voices from the hard left as the anti-Zionist groups have grown increasingly radical amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. National JVP’s website says they “proudly endorse the Palestinian civil society call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS).”

The antisemitism trend is growing on campuses, not fading. For example, Jewish and Israeli students at MIT were prevented from attending class on Thursday. The administration seems unable to muster up the courage to stop this intimidation and harassment. They tell the Jewish and Israeli students to avoid those areas and situations. Unbelievable.

This is the reality that MIT President wants to hide. A letter from Israeli & Jewish MIT students:

To all students at MIT,

Today, Jewish and Israeli MIT students were physically prevented from attending class by a hostile group of pro-Hamas and anti-Israel MIT students that…

— Retsef Levi (@RetsefL) November 10, 2023

We are seeing these stories every day. What is it going to take for college leaders to find the moral clarity to stop all of this madness? Allowing escalation isn’t the answer.