In a heated and highly charged hearing, the president of Columbia University, Minouche Shafik, faced intense scrutiny from members of Congress over the reported increase in antisemitism on campus following Israel's war in Gaza.

The hearing, titled "Columbia in Crisis: Columbia University's Response to Anti-Semitism," focused on the university's alleged inaction to address the growing antisemitism and hatred at the institution. Tensions between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators on campus have been escalating in recent months, with disagreements over the definition of antisemitism and the inclusion of anti-Zionism and opposition to Israel as a Jewish state.

Shafik appeared beleaguered and unsure as one Congress member after another criticized her institution's response to the issue. One faculty member, Joseph Massad, came under particular scrutiny for allegedly praising Hamas's attack last October that resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 Israelis.

Republican Representative Elise Stefanik pressed Shafik to commit to removing Massad as chair of an academic review committee, highlighting the perceived inaction of the university. She also exposed a divide between Shafik and her three senior colleagues on the issue of antisemitic statements in campus demonstrations, leading all three to acknowledge the presence of aggressive and threatening comments.

Republican Representative Lisa McClain raised questions about the slogan "from the river to the sea" and support for a Palestinian intifada, asking whether they constituted antisemitic comments. Shafik struggled to provide a clear answer, acknowledging the difficulty of the issue and differing interpretations.

This hearing echoed previous discussions where heads of elite universities, including Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, were questioned on similar matters. The University of Pennsylvania's president, Elizabeth Magill, resigned after her answers were criticized as over-legalistic, and Harvard's then president, Claudine Gay, faced intense scrutiny as well.

Columbia University has established a task force on antisemitism, but the lack of a firm definition has drawn criticism. Critics have accused the university of disproportionately punishing pro-Palestinian students who criticize Israel, leading to the suspension of two student groups, Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.

Shafik had prepared extensively for the hearing, aiming to avoid the missteps of her counterparts. In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, she emphasized the need to uphold legitimate expression within specific boundaries and condemned calls for genocide. However, some faculty members expressed concerns about the hearing's premise, warning against the potential for false narratives and a "new McCarthyism."

As the hearing unfolded, tensions spilled over onto the campus, where students set up tents to urge the university to divest its ties from Israel. The campus was tightly secured, and the media was restricted to an area outside the university. Student chants, including ones rejecting Zionists and denouncing genocide, could be heard from inside the campus.

The intense questioning of Shafik reflects the gravity of the issue of antisemitism on college campuses and the need for universities to address it effectively. The outcome of this hearing will likely have significant implications for Columbia University's ongoing efforts to combat antisemitism and promote free speech on campus.