A group of Jewish professors at Columbia University have filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging they faced discrimination and harassment because of their views on Israel, Zionism and Palestinian rights.

According to a statement released by the professors and reportedby The Hill, the complaint accuses Columbia of punishing faculty and employees whose views differed from what they described as the university’s pro-Israel position during campus disputes tied to the Israel-Hamas war.

The professors said Jewish faculty members who supported Palestinian rights or criticized Israel’s military campaign in Gaza after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack faced hostility and professional consequences.

According to the statement, some faculty members were called “kapos,” “self-hating Jews” and other derogatory terms. The professors also alleged that some employees faced disciplinary investigations, death threats, removal from administrative positions, forced retirement or termination.

Joseph Howley, a Columbia classics professor, said Jewish faculty members who attempted to mediate between student protesters and university administrators were attacked because of their views.

“We spoke as Jews about the University and how we thought it should protect its interests; we were attacked as Jews, or as bad Jews, or as fake Jews,” Howley said.

Several professors argued that criticism directed at Jewish faculty members who opposed Zionism reflected an assumption that all Jews support Israel, which they described as antisemitic.

One professor said Columbia’s decision to ban Jewish groups critical of Israel amounted to the university deciding “what it was appropriate for a Jew to believe.”

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